How to identify a high quality functional jacket and what should its capabilities be?

WATER-REPELLENT OR WATERPROOF? WHERE EXACTLY IS THE DIFFERENCE?

A high-quality functional jacket should be both water-repellent and waterproof, protecting you from wetness during any adventures. But what exactly is the difference between water repellent and waterproof?

Water repellent fabrics

If a fabric is water-repellent, this means that water cannot spread through the fabric at first. This results in the typical beading effect, in which water remains on the surface in the form of drops. Under the microscope, you can see that the fibers keep the water droplet away from the fabric, preventing it from soaking into it.

Basically, you can make any type of fabric water repellent. Some materials, such as some polyester fibers, are already naturally water repellent, but cotton fabric can also be made so by treating it externally with an impregnation. For this purpose, the outer material of water-repellent jackets is treated with a so-called DWR (durable water repellent) impregnation, which acts like a thin protective layer on the functional jackets. This keeps water from soaking into the inside of the jacket, at least temporarily. However, if it is heavy or permanent rain, a water-repellent product cannot withstand it for long.

Waterproof fabrics

Unlike water-repellent materials, a waterproof fabric does not allow water to pass through due to its high impermeability. Thus, it can withstand a certain water pressure (the water column). Even if it rains heavily and the water stands on the material over a large area, a waterproof jacket protects against wetness. In addition to the water-repellent impregnation on the outer fabric, waterproof jackets are in fact provided with a special membrane on the underside of the fabric. This membrane is a thin separating layer that affects the transport of liquid through it, preventing water from seeping through. In high-quality outdoor jackets, such as our teXXXactive® functional jackets, this membrane is protected from abrasion between other layers of material. The combination of a waterproof membrane and impregnated outer fabric ensures that our functional jackets are completely waterproof and windproof, making them perfect for your next outdoor adventure.

What do I do if the outer fabric of my functional jacket absorbs moisture and the water no longer beads up properly?

Especially in places where the straps of a backpack permanently rub, it can happen after some time that a functional jacket leaks. This problem cannot be completely prevented, because the friction slowly wears away the impregnation, so that gradually the water no longer beads off and the jacket absorbs moisture. However, this is not bad at all, because the outer impregnation layer can be renewed quite easily. This works either with a wash-in impregnation in the washing machine or by special sprays that are applied to the material. Of course, you can also take a functional jacket to a dry cleaner for re-impregnation.

More detailed information about washing and reproofing of functional jackets can be found here in this article.

FUNCTIONAL JACKETS - WATERPROOF YET BREATHABLE. HOW DOES THAT WORK?

On the one hand, functional jackets protect against the penetration of water and cold air, on the other hand, they are breathable and release moisture to the outside. With a high-quality functional jacket, it is important to maintain the balance between water impermeability and breathability. But how exactly does this work?

Responsible for this is the membrane used in the jacket, which has a special micro-structure. For the teXXXactive® functional jackets, a (polyurethane) membrane made of very fine foam is used, which, after drying, lies on the fabric like an even film.

The pores of the membrane are too fine for water to penetrate, but permeable enough for water vapor to be released to the outside. In this way, the jacket retains its impermeability to water and at the same time is breathable, transporting perspiration to the outside in the form of water vapor.

Tip from our textile expert Jürgen: Do not dress too warmly under a functional jacket with a breathable membrane, otherwise the moisture exchange will no longer function properly. Professional hikers usually wear only a thin functional shirt under such jackets. A thick wool sweater, on the other hand, is often the wrong choice, because it is much too warm and so it happens that you start sweating despite a high-quality membrane.