HOW TO CHOOSE A HIKING JACKET?
In our store you can find 3 types of jackets; two of them are windbreakers and the third one is waterproof. I want to clarify that when we say windbreaker, these are not 100% waterproof jackets; they are jackets that will protect you from the wind and also provide some protection from rain, but not from storms.
Before showing you each of the jackets, I want to mention that none of our jackets come with an inner lining, as we want them to be as lightweight as possible.
BASIC WINDBREAKER JACKET
This jacket will protect you mostly from cold wind and rain, but not heavy rain. This jacket has an advantage: when it gets wet, it dries very quickly.
I generally use this jacket for short walks.
PRO WINDBREAKER JACKET
This jacket has a few more features that make it ideal for hiking, and its waterproof rating is slightly higher than the basic jacket.
FEATURES OF THE PRO JACKET:
- Color: the garment will not lose its color easily when washed.
- Ripstop: a grid fabric that provides greater resistance to the material, preventing it from tearing easily upon contact with branches, etc.
- Sweat stain resistant: as we mentioned before, there is nothing worse than your favorite garment being stained by sweat.
- Sun protection: UV +30 AATCC 183 standard.
- Water repellency: by this we mean that the textile will not absorb water because it repels it, but if it is put in extreme conditions such as a storm, particles could pass through the fabric.
This is a jacket that I really like, as it doesn't take up much space and can be taken anywhere.
EXTREME JACKET
Before showing this jacket, I would like to clarify some concepts so that you keep them in mind and don't end up buying a waterproof jacket that won't serve the activity you are going to perform.
We will explain the following concepts:
- Waterproofness
- Breathability
- Wind resistance
WATERPROOFNESS
The waterproof rating is expressed in mm of water or water columns, which is obtained by subjecting the textile to a hydrostatic pressure test. This consists of placing the fabric at the base of a tube and filling it with water until the pressure causes the water to filter through the fabric. The height reached by the water in the tube is expressed in mm and is known as water columns.
A fabric is considered waterproof if it has a value greater than 10,000 mm.
I'm sharing a table where you can see which activities you could use it for:
Next, we will look at another very important factor when choosing a waterproof jacket: breathability.
BREATHABILITY
When we sweat, our sweat evaporates; that evaporation is a key part of keeping us cool, so it is important that the jacket has good breathability. This value is given in g/m²/day, which indicates the amount of water vapor that passes through a square meter of the membrane in 24 hours. The higher the value, the more breathable it is. A value of 10,000 g/m²/24h indicates that a membrane is very breathable.
I'm sharing a table where you can see which activities you could use it for:
WIND RESISTANCE
Finally, and no less important, is that it should be a jacket resistant to strong wind.
Windproof ratings are often measured in cubic feet per minute (CFM) or square meters per second (m²/sec) of approximately a 48-kilometer-per-hour wind that can pass through a square measurement of the material. As such, a lower number shows that the garment is more effective when it comes to blocking the wind.
A garment is said to protect you from the wind when this value is ≤ 5 m²/sec.
CONCLUSION FOR CHOOSING A WATERPROOF JACKET
YOU SHOULD CHOOSE A JACKET:
- With waterproofness greater than 10,000 mm of water.
- Breathability above 10,000 g/m²/day.
- Wind resistance below or equal to ≤ 5 m²/sec.
THE EXTREME JACKET WE HAVE IN OUR STORE HAS:
- Waterproofness of 15,000 mm of water.
- Breathability of 18,000 g/m²/day.
- Wind resistance of 5 m²/sec.
In addition to this, our Extreme jacket has an internal membrane that allows for better performance in terms of waterproofness and breathability, and the jacket's seams are sealed at the shoulders.
If you have any questions or suggestions, you can write to us through our social media.
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