The wind is rising, temperatures are dropping, gray clouds are covering the sky and rain showers are taking over our lives. In short, autumn has made its comeback in our daily life, and for that an essential is to have: a raincoat ! Best companions for the daily life, the rain jackets are essential to face the showers of the season. Often windproof and waterproof, these technological jewels (almost) have everything to please you ☔️
THE ADVANTAGES OF A RAINCOAT
The waterproof jacket is a real must-have for the fall season, but not only! It is very useful on a daily basis and all year round, as soon as it rains, in town or in the country, on vacation or at work... A raincoat has many advantages, starting of course with its optimal protection against the rain. But a rain jacket is not only about that, it has many more advantageous features and ingenious details to keep you dry.
All about waterproofing
A waterproof jacket is not just a jacket that has been sprayed with waterproofing or water-repellent spray (that would be too simple). First of all, when you go looking for your essential mid-season jacketjacket, pay attention to the protection offered against rain. There are water-repellent jackets that will offer you minimal protection against rain, occasional at best, but will not be made to handle heavy downpours. 🌧
To make a jacket waterproof, several solutions exist:
- Or a waterproof coating is applied to it using the process of coatingwhich will prevent water from passing through but only temporarily.
- Either it is designed directly with a membrane on the inside of the garment. The membrane is a hydrophilic film that prevents water from coming in, and lets the water vapor from your body escape! This solution is known to be more efficient and durable than the first one.
In short, a raincoat is designed and thought to resist to bad weather as long as possible. Moreover, there are different levels of protection, these levels are measured in millimeters of water. For a good protection, choose preferably a resistance to 10,000 mm of water. 💧
If you want a little more info on waterproofing, how it works and how it is tested, it's here !
How to choose a raincoat?
Making a fabric waterproof is good, but keeping water out is better! So when choosing your raincoat, look at all the details that will ensure maximum protection. In addition to the waterproofing specifications, there are other specifics to consider.
On a waterproof jacket, if the openings are not well thought out, you are likely to end up wet anyway. So, to ensure an effective barrier, the seams of waterproof jackets are often heat-bonded or heat-sealedTo ensure an effective barrier, the seams of waterproof jackets are often heat-bonded or heat-welded, and the zippers are equipped with a flap that doubles as a waterproof zipper for your jacket.
And because we know that today nobody really walks around empty-handed (a phone, a wallet, maybe even tissues because it's cold season...) the pockets of raincoats are also thought to keep water out. They can have the same zippers as the rest of the jacket, or work with a buttoned, snap flap, cutting off access to rain and moisture! ❌
A raincoat is often equipped with many advantageous details designed to keep you dry (and warm, down with the wind!). Often you will find adjustment elastics and stoppers placed at the hood, waist, bottom of the jacket, and sometimes on the cuffs too! With these, you can adjust your protection as you see fit, depending on how much rain is falling or how much wind is blowing. 🌬
It is even possible to find raincoats with an even more optimized adjustment. For cycling enthusiasts, for example, adjustable hoods length, width and even depth are available on raincoats! So you can say goodbye to the hoods that prevent you from seeing as soon as you turn your head. Not practical in life, and even less so on a bike.
When we tell you that theraincoat is the essential of the mid-season, we are not lying to you, everything is thought to perfect it!
Why choose a breathable raincoat?
In addition to being waterproof, rain jackets are often windproof. They serve as a barrier, not only against the rain, but also against the cool breeze of the season. Saves money and time: no more wondering " Which jacket will I be able to opt for this morning? ". A raincoat guarantees you THE ideal two-in-one!
Who says windbreaker necessarily says that the wind will not pass. Thus, the last technical detail to take into account is the breathability of the raincoat. Important detail, it is the one that will allow you not to sweat like an ox inside your rain jacket. However, we agree, there is no magic solution to not sweating AT ALL, it's human 🥵
When choosing your raincoat, pay special attention to the information regarding the breathability of your garment. It will define the capacity of your jacket to evacuate the water vapor that emanates from your body due to the difference between its temperature and the outside temperature.
How to know the breathability of a waterproof jacket?
Breathability is measured in g / m2 / 24h, i.e. the amount of water vapour evacuated over 1 m2 in 24h by the jacket. As an indication, we consider that a raincoat is breathable at 10 000 g / m2 / 24h and that, on the contrary, it will not be very breathable below this measurement. If you look closely at the labels on your raincoat, you will certainly find this information!
How to wear a raincoat?
Waterproof jackets, there are a lot of them. Raincoats longThese are the ones that generally seduce the most, for the simple reason that in rainy weather, you put your protection on top of a suit. over an already already well provided. The raincoats are thought and designed to be practical, to be able to answer a real need: to protect you, while being comfortable!
Some of you may also choose to opt for more elaborate modelssuch as bombers, straight cuts straight cuts, shortor even trench coat !
And whether it is for parents or childrenThe choice is always wide, the list of models is growing, the colors and patterns too. In short, finding your favorite raincoat is almost child's play!
Today, we find stylish and colorful raincoats for women and men, we are no longer satisfied with basic and bland rain jackets.
The raincoat, a practical jacket
Any self-respecting waterproof jacket will also accept the need to be stored. We all know that, after the rain comes the good weather. So when the sun finally shows its face, we usually don't need to wear a rain jacket anymore.
Being practical is the key word for every waterproof jacket. Very often, they are designed to be stored in a pocket, the hood, or in a integrated bag ! 🎒
So there you have it, we've given you all the reasons why the raincoat is the mid-season essential (and of a wardrobe altogether). Now you have all the details you need to know to make the best choice, so it's up to you! Go in search of your raincoat favorite ☔️
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