Outerwear Guide

On the surface, outerwear should always match your style. But the details within are what combine to hide you from winter’s cold gaze. Here’s a quick breakdown of the tech and language used to describe the depth of a kit’s design, and its performance efficacy.

• An outerwear membrane is a thin, semipermeable layer of material that's bonded to the outside of a jacket to make it waterproof and breathable.
• Two-layer (2L) membranes consist of a waterproof membrane applied to the face fabric, while 2.5 layer membranes feature a protective coating applied directly to the membrane’s inner surface. This half-layer protects the membrane from abrasion and skin oils but keeps the overall fabric lighter and more packable than a true 3-layer construction.

• Three-layer (3L) membranes have a waterproof-breathable membrane sandwiched between a face fabric and a protective inner lining that is bonded to the membrane. Three-layer jackets are more durable and perform better than two-layer jackets, making them ideal for harsher environments. They are lighter, more breathable, more rigid, and generally more expensive than two-layer jackets.

• DWR, or Durable Water Repellent, is a coating applied to the exterior of outerwear to make it water-resistant. It enhances its performance by preventing the outer fabric from becoming saturated. This is especially important because if the fabric gets wet, it loses breathability and can make you feel damp and clammy.

• Denier (D) is a unit of measurement that refers to the thickness of the fibers in a fabric. Touring shells are usually the thinnest, ranging from 40D to 70D. Jackets for resort skiing are usually around 100D or thicker.

• Waterproof ratings of outerwear are determined by a hydrostatic head (HH) test, which measures how much water pressure the fabric can withstand before it leaks. The higher the rating, the more waterproof the jacket.

• 10,000mm is a decent rating for several hours on the mountain each day.

• 15,000mm or greater is a great waterproof rating, resistant to most snowy weather.

• Fully sealed seams are essential for achieving high waterproof ratings in outerwear as they prevent water from seeping through the stitching, which is otherwise a vulnerable point in most garments.

• Breathability ratings indicate how well the fabric allows moisture (sweat) to escape from the inside of the jacket, measured in grams of water vapor that can pass through a square meter of fabric over a 24-hour period.

• A solid rating for most riders would be between 10,000g and 15,000g, with higher numbers signifying greater breathability, ideal for high-activity or backcountry use.

• Hardshell jackets and pants provide superior wind, rain, and rough weather protection. Hardshells are often waterproof and windproof, and are built to cover you all day in wet weather.

• Softshell jackets and pants are more breathable, comfortable, and less expensive than hardshells. They are great for moderate and variable conditions, or adventures where comfort is more important than protection.

• Insulated jackets and pants offer more warmth, but less layering versatility compared to non-insulated jackets or shells.