I know what you are thinking, what a huge range of Waterproof Jackets how will I decide what is the best one for me? Well actually its quite easy once you have a clear understanding of what you want the jacket to do for you and in what environments you you want to use the jacket. If you have any questions please give us a call and speak to one of our highly trained customer service team, we are all enthusiasts and we should be able to help you decide which waterproof jacket is best for you.

Waterproof jackets use two types of technology to keep you dry.

Membrane Technology
Waterproof membranes such as Gore-Tex and Event contain lots of little holes which are smaller than water in droplet form but larger than water in vapor form which makes them both waterproof and breathable. These membranes will be bonded to different face fabric s depending on the intended end use of the jacket, so a mountaineering waterproof jacket will have a very heavy wear fabric while a everyday commuting jacket will have a lighter softer fabric. The heavier more durable fabrics are more expensive to produce and this will be reflected in the price of the complete jacket.

Coated Technology
All coated jackets are based around a PU coating. These jackets are generally less expensive than the Membrane waterproof jackets but will be less Breathable and Durable. The way in which this coating is added to the face fabric determines it performance once manufactured into a garment. Many brands will use a branded process such as High Vent from the North Face and Membrane Strata from Marmot. Broadly the lighter the coating the greater the breathability but the lower the durability. If you are looking for something to use every day for lower intensity activities chose one of the heavier coating as this will last you longer.

Some of the other features to look out for when trying to decide on what waterproof jacket is right for you is the type and style of the hoods and pockets

Hoods
All waterproof jackets will feature a hood of some sort. There are two types of hood design used in outdoor waterproof jackets. The first is where the hood folds away into the collar offering a much tidier look when the hood is not in use. The other is a fixed hood design where the hood is tidied via a tab and Velcro system. The Fixed hoods will offer you better left and right vision as the hood moves with your head, and some will also accommodate a helmet, while the fold away hoods by the very nature of how they are constructed dont offer such good all round vision. If you need a Jacket for general low level walking, commuting, or walking the dog a fold away system will work for you but if you are going up higher into the mountains and you want the jacket to perform in the worst conditions it is best to go for a fixed hood design.

Pockets
Think about what you want to put in the pockets. Not all jackets will offer OS sized map pockets. The external pockets on waterproof jackets are not guaranteed to be waterproof so please store any items you want to keep dry in the internal pockets. Some waterproof jackets will have fully taped pocket bags which means you will not get wet even if the pocket is open which is great in heavy driving rain and others will be venting style where the pocket bag is mesh or a nylon fabric which will offer greater levels of breathability. Some styles will also feature higher hand pockets which can still be accessed when wearing a backpack or climbing harness, you will usually see this configuration on a mountaineering jacket.

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