Enjoying the rain on top of Mount Tammany in New Jersey. (Compass Points Media / flickr) http://www.flickr.com/photos/compasspointsmedia/ / CC BY-ND 2.0
Believe it or not – the skies will cease dumping snow, what’s on the ground will melt and for the love of all things good and pure, spring will arrive and bestow upon us warmer climes, tree leaves and wildflowers.
Now, about that snow. March has finally come and April following behind, and with both comes rain. Any hiker who’s hoofed in the mountains during spring knows rain can begin falling at anytime, even when the sun soaks the valley below in its rays.
Let’s talk about rain gear, and specifically what you should be looking for when you go to buy waterproof apparel.
- Is it really waterproof? When shopping for a new parka, understand the difference between waterproof and DWR (durable water resistance). If the store tag says “waterproof,” then yes, for the most part, it’s waterproof. But if the tag instead says “Water Resistant” or “DWR” and not “Waterproof,” then the parka has been coated with something called “durable water repellent” and the parka may not be waterproof. Let me explain: DWR is a coating that forces water to bead and roll off without soaking the material beneath it. DWR can withstand a good dose of water at first, but as the soaking continues, water will erode the DWR and find its way inside. DWR parkas, though, are cheaper than their waterproof cousins. Also, waterproof parkas like Gore-Tex are often coated with DWR, which means after a while, you will need to recoat that parka with DWR to keep it functioning at a high level. Confusing? Yeah, we know it is. Just know this – if the store tags say “DWR” or “Durable Water Repellent,” the quality of waterproofing is comparatively less.
- Take a breath. Waterproof materials like Gore Tex would be nothing without this crucial element – breathability. Waterproof materials when put under a microscope show tiny fibers layered over one another with holes too small for rain drops to penetrate. But, those holes allow for sweat to evaporate. Gore Tex sets the industry standard for breathability, which is one reason why Gore Tex parkas can be so expensive (the other reason is name recognition). I’ve had experience with Mountain Hardwear’s Conduit and Eastern Mountain Sports’s System III; Conduit has proven to have excellent breathability while System III remains adequate but more clammy. That being said, Gore-Tex and Conduit are more expensive and System III more affordable. Determine which one fits your budget.
- It’s the pits. While waterproof materials like Gore-Tex can protect you from a spring downpour, inside that parka will feel like a sauna. That goes to the breathability issue mentioned above. When you look for a parka for backpacking, you absolutely must find one that has zippers under the arms, known as “pit zips.” Say you’re trekking up the Franconia Ridge in New Hampshire while the skies dump a healthy dose of rain. You’re going to sweat, and you need that sweat to escape. Otherwise, you open yourself to the chills, even hypothermia. Open the pit zips to help with breathability. If the parka doesn’t have pit zips, don’t buy it for hiking.
- In ‘da hood. Look for a parka that has a bill like a hat so the rain washes off the hood and not onto your face.
- Great things, small packages. I shop for parkas looking for ones that can be compressed into a small pocket. Saves space inside your backpack.
- Zip up. Your waterproof parka should have a layer of waterproof material covering the zippers, otherwise rain will get inside and undermine the whole point of waterproof gear.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Awesome post Dave. I agree with MH’s Conduit being terrific. I’d also mention that most new Patagonia Rain Jackets call there waterproofing a “H2No” and they call there DWR “Deluge” finish…and they pretty sweet. Worth the investment. Also, I have an EMS Jacket made out of Goretex Paclite and it as awesome…just a thinner laminate that weighs less. And if a jacket is Goretex XCR is is just a little more breathable than a regular Goretex Jacket.
And some people in the outdoor industry call DWR – durable water repellent (not resitstance).
Love the gear tips they are awesome!! I’ve been reading a lot lately about tarps…trying to take the, in my opinion, big step from traditional tents to tarps.
Thanks Dan! Hope plans for the Pacific Crest Trail are coming along wonderfully.
Interesting post. I agree that the rain doesn’t need to keep you inside. I’m a long time fan of the saying “there is no such thing as foul weather, just improper gear.”
I do have to point out that for some outdoor pursuits breathability is more important than staying dry. The more aerobic the activity and the warmer the temperature the more likely you are to get wet from the inside out. Breathability is simply a function of moisture level of the air inside and out (or humidity vs. dew point to be precise.) The greater the gradient (High humidity on the inside, low on the outside) the more likely you are to move moisture. Some products, as you point out, allow for greater ease of movement of moisture from inside to outside. As a general rule, the more waterproof a product is (often expressed as millimeters of waterproofness) the less breathable it will be. Gore-Tex has definitely set the standard in many ways, but I don’t think I would always choose their products for every activity. For me, cycling and running are excellent examples where Gore-Tex (and other highly waterproof products) are appropriate 98% of the time. Granted Gore has many products, not just Gore-Tex, so there are Gore Windstopper garments (for example) that are more appropriate. Where “waterproof” is most effective is lower levels of activity and you are less likely to create more moisture on the inside than the garment can move per unit of time.
DWR is a “finish” or coating on a garment which causes the water molecules to bunch together forming beads due to the fact that water is a polar molecule. A DWR can be applied to just about any garment. Some microfiber garments are 100x more breathable than a waterproof garment, but repellent enough to keep you dry in all but a persistent downpour.
One last note, laundry detergents containing “surfactants” should never be used on garments which have a DWR finish. Surfactants are chemicals that are specifically designed to reduce surface tension of water in order to better and more easily have the soap molecules attach to dirt and grease. Unfortunately they then reduce the DWR finish effectiveness. Reduce surface tension reduces that “beading up” I spoke of earlier.
P.s. I was once a “Gore-Tex Certified Sales Technician” for what ever that is worth
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