It seems unimportant!. You would like to purchase a raincoat and when you see the words " waterproof " or " water-repellent " you think that this is a raincoat that can easily be worn for hours in the rain, without the rain leaking through the fabric. After all, it's not called a ' raincoat ' for nothing.
However, this is not always true, there is a big difference between waterproof and water-repellent and we would like to explain this to you briefly and concisely.
Water repellent
A raincoat made of water-repellent fabric is ideal for lighter, milder rain showers and will keep you dry. However, during prolonged heavy rain showers, this jacket will leak through at some point. There is a lot of difference between various types of water-repellent fabrics, one resists rain more and longer than the other. A water column of 0 – 1,000 mm may be referred to as water-repellent.
Unfortunately, in many stores jackets are sold as 'raincoats', but this is often a water-repellent jacket that does not or hardly stop rain. You often only find out after you have worn the jacket during a rain shower and for this reason you are no longer allowed to exchange or return the jacket. It is best to test the jacket by holding it under the tap. This means you will quickly notice whether a fabric is resistant to water or not.
Waterproof
A raincoat made of waterproof fabric will keep you dry, even during prolonged heavy rain showers . Waterproof means that water cannot penetrate through the material. However, raincoats made of waterproof fabric also have size differences in how much water they can retain.
Water columns indicate the waterproofness rating of the fabric. In general, a water column of 1,000mm or more is considered waterproof, but there are also fabrics with a water column of 28,000mm, but these fabrics are often not pleasant to use in rainwear. A water column indicates the number of mm of water that a material can tolerate per m2. You can assume that if a jacket is called waterproof, it can withstand rain showers.
Waterproof seams and zippers
Whether a raincoat is waterproof depends not only on the fabric, but also on the seams and zippers. Rain can come through the seams of a raincoat, which is why most raincoats have taped seams. This prevents rain from leaking through the seams. Water can also enter the jackets through the zippers, so when purchasing a raincoat, pay close attention to the measures taken to ensure that water cannot penetrate through the zippers. This can be done using waterproof zippers, but also by using an extra flap over the zipper, which ensures that water cannot reach the zipper.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We are happy to provide you with appropriate advice.