[fourteen410]

Saw this article in the Seattle Times today and thought it might be of interest: The Race to Waterproof Your Outdoor Gear Without Toxic Chemicals I've been blissfully naive and never put much thought into waterproof jackets. I suppose it's not surprising. Per the article, it sounds like many outdoor retailers plan to start selling water repellent jackets in lieu of waterproof ones. A lawsuit pertaining to this issue was filed against REI last fall: https://www.cmbg3.com/library/REI-Lawsuit.pdf Personally, I can't stand water repellent gear. Waterproof goretex is the only thing that works for me, but now I'm wondering if the health risks are worth it. Anyone else concerned about this?

[HitTheTrail]

Goretex fabric is not waterproof in and of itself. You have to apply DWR treatment to make it waterproof. And DWR is known to physically wear off with use so you have to re-apply the stuff periodically to stay dry. The only truly waterproof materials are things like plastic, or dyneema that will not breath at all. And they will wet out on the inside from body perspiration. I don't know how toxic DWR is, but in my opinion, the best solution is to get a breathable fabric like Goretex and just re-apply DWR every few trips. When water is no longer beading up on the jacket it needs more DWR.

[Cyclopath]

Modern DWR is dramatically less durable than the old stuff, but much more environmentally friendly (as far as we currently know). All of Arc'teryx recent jackets use the new DWR and probably most other top shelf manufacturers. ShakeDry doesn't need DWR and is fantastic, but fragile too.

[Randito]

Isn't this a bit like the California prop 65 warnings that warn of "potentially cancer causing" substances on a huge range of items, including wood sawdust.

[Cyclopath]

[Shred]

“Including wood sawdust” MDF, Micro laminates, OSB, and any engineered wood building product has adhesives that are certainly not good for your health.

[Malachai Constant]

The problem with prop 65is that it has no threshold. Millions of people chew Coca leaves with no apparent I’ll effects on the other hand Crack will get you down down in the ground.

[thunderhead]

Sigh. My search for the perfect rain shell continues. Scratch that. It doesnt need to be perfect. I will settle for it to be halfway decent at this point. Over any sustained period of time, goretex isnt waterproof and isnt breathable and isnt durable. Maybe the week after you buy it? Even with the old "environmentally unfriendly" DWR i never thought goretex lasted long. I put that in quotes because i doubt reapplying the new crappy DWR all the time and then throwing out the jacket cause it still doesnt work is any good for the environment. Non-breathable with big zips seems to be the way to go. It also needs to be long enough to cover my waist, and have pockets. Lightheart gear and antigravity gear are supposed to be pretty good but lack pockets and are not long enough. Im on a columbia outdry at the moment which at least has pockets, but is about 5 inches too short. Durability is way better than goretex but is a question mark. Why is it so hard to design a good shell for people in humid cool climates?

[Randito]

[fourteen410]

[Malachai Constant]

The most waterproof goretex jacket is a Moonstone boarding jacket I got on clearance when they closed the outlet in North Bend. Problem is it is heavy and stiff. I never put DWP on it. Truth of the matter is nothing can breathe when covered with a film of liquid water. You pay your money and take your chances.

[texasbb]

[Waterman]

Rain jackets have always been a disappointment in the long run. The old 60/40 parkas back in the days of yore worked pretty good so long as the scotch guard was applied yearly. Looking at the Filson rain jacket, wax paraffin cotten aka tin cloth. Wee bit heavier than I like.

[Cyclopath]

[Cyclopath]