how do you tell your jacket is waterproof or water-resistant?

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mizzou

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2008
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Pulled out an old 100% nylon exterior/shell jacket I'll probably use on a light rainy hiking trip.

Is nylon when sheeted out basically waterproof? I'm pretty sure it's resistant

I'd rather not bother testing it im feeling lazy
 
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keird

Diamond Member
Jan 18, 2002
3,714
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mizzou said:
Is nylon when sheeted out basically waterproof?
Click to expand...

Rephrase your question. I don't understand it.

The best type of nylon for activity is encapsulated nylon. It's water resistant not waterproof, but has good breathability when wet. Pure nylon is hydrophilic - it absorbs water.

Gore-Tex® allows air flow when dry, but as soon as the nylon shell that it’s laminated to gets saturated, it no longer permits air flow. Gore-Tex® is no longer considered the miracle textile it has oft been touted as.
 
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M

mizzou

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2008
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Mike Gayner said:
If you pour water on it, does it go through? Seriously, do you need to ask this?
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i poured water on it and it repells it and I'm dry, it's almost impossible to know if it's "proof", I can't replicate and don't have the time to re-create an 8 hour rainstorm
 
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ja1484

Platinum Member
Dec 31, 2007
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Nylon when sheeted is not waterproof. All waterproof garments either have a waterproof laminate (i.e. GoreTex, Urethane coating, many other brands) or are made of waterproof material (urethane again - i.e. raincoat).

Most of the fancier brands have a weatherproof finish added (one good brand is ReviveX by WL Gore) which wears off over time and use and needs to be refreshed periodically.

Something like ReviveX can be applied to most any garment to make it weather resistant (it's basically the same concept as scotchgard - hydrophobia), but it may affect fabric properties and comfort.

Get a quality weatherproof softshell if you're going to be out in the elements. Something by Mountain Hardware, Gore Tex, or Outdoor Research will do nicely. They are pricey, but worth every fucking penny when the chips are down. Getting wet when away from civilization is one of the easiest ways to put your life in danger. Go hardshell if we're talking serious elements, like travel during rain/snow/etc storms.

Also, don't forget your lower half - it can get wet too...and your footwear. And read up on layering. One of the biggest mistakes made by neophyte wilderness travelers is over-layering and getting themselves sweaty, and thus cold and wet from the inside. Remember: a working human body can produce up to 1600% (that's not a typo sixteen hundred percent) as much heat as one at rest. This is why you will commonly see experienced backcountry travelers moving in nothing but their baselayer in temperatures well into the teens-below-zero if the terrain is strenuous.

Feel free to PM with other questions if you have them.
 
sygyzy

sygyzy

Lifer
Oct 21, 2000
14,001
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Waterproof and water resistant lies in the seams. how they are sealed, etc. Waterproof means 100% of water can never get in. This is seldom needed.
 
M

mizzou

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2008
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ja1484 said:
nylon when sheeted is not waterproof. All waterproof garments either have a waterproof laminate (i.e. Goretex, urethane coating, many other brands) or are made of waterproof material (urethane again - i.e. Raincoat).

Most of the fancier brands have a weatherproof finish added (one good brand is revivex by wl gore) which wears off over time and use and needs to be refreshed periodically.

Something like revivex can be applied to most any garment to make it weather resistant (it's basically the same concept as scotchgard - hydrophobia), but it may affect fabric properties and comfort.

Get a quality weatherproof softshell if you're going to be out in the elements. Something by mountain hardware, gore tex, or outdoor research will do nicely. They are pricey, but worth every fucking penny when the chips are down. Getting wet when away from civilization is one of the easiest ways to put your life in danger. Go hardshell if we're talking serious elements, like travel during rain/snow/etc storms.

Also, don't forget your lower half - it can get wet too...and your footwear. And read up on layering. One of the biggest mistakes made by neophyte wilderness travelers is over-layering and getting themselves sweaty, and thus cold and wet from the inside. Remember: A working human body can produce up to 1600% (that's not a typo sixteen hundred percent) as much heat as one at rest. This is why you will commonly see experienced backcountry travelers moving in nothing but their baselayer in temperatures well into the teens-below-zero if the terrain is strenuous.

Feel free to pm with other questions if you have them.
Click to expand...


thank you!
 
J

ja1484

Platinum Member
Dec 31, 2007
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IronWing said:
If you are out in an eight hour rainstorm, you will get wet.
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Very true. Just as important as how well a garment keeps water out is how well it deals with water once it's already in. This is why almost all backcountry technical wear is mostly polyester - it's hydrophobic and dries quickly, and it carries very little water when fully saturated.

Know what to do when you're already damp, because more than a few hours in the elements and you're going to end up some degree of moist. This is why softshells took outdoor technical wear by storm when Schoeller introduced the concept - they flex with movement, are weatherproof in everything but a hurricane, and dry more quickly and with better insulation than traditional hardshells. Basically, a good softshell significantly simplifies the layering system.

keird said:
Rephrase your question. I don't understand it.

The best type of nylon for activity is encapsulated nylon. It's water resistant not waterproof, but has good breathability when wet. Pure nylon is hydrophilic - it absorbs water.

Gore-Tex® allows air flow when dry, but as soon as the nylon shell that it’s laminated to gets saturated, it no longer permits air flow. Gore-Tex® is no longer considered the miracle textile it has oft been touted as.
Click to expand...

It never was, really. That was all just marketing. Anyone actually using the products knows that breathable laminates are maybe, at best, 20 to 30% less sweaty than a pure waterproof (i.e. raincoat).
 
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ja1484

Platinum Member
Dec 31, 2007
2,438
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sygyzy said:
Waterproof means 100% of water can never get in. This is seldom needed.
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Not true. Most modern garments are water proof to a certain pressure level...not that this matters, because they are rarely submerged. The one time this actually counts is during a howling gale with lots of rain and high winds. If you look up the technical info on most weatherproof clothing, you'll see that they're rated waterproof to a certain PSI (I've always wondered how they test this...blast them with a fire hose?) and windproof to a certain windspeed.

The only 100% "water will never get in" clothing is a submarine.
 
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KillerCharlie

Diamond Member
Aug 21, 2005
3,691
68
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You don't need anything more than water resistant for a hike in light rain. In fact, you don't really need much water resistance at all.
 
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