Columbia Sportswear has spent the last few years designing a new kind of waterproof clothing technology called OutDry Extreme. It’s a nifty reversal of waterproof gear design that promises to deliver unheard of dryness and comfort. But will it work or is it all marketing BS?
Good waterproof gear is indispensable in the outdoors. It’s also really hard to make, especially when you’re trying to design wearable waterproof stuff like rain jackets. As Wes’ giant explainer points out, there’s a core tension when it comes to rain gear: You’ve got to keep heavy rainfall out while also allowing water vapor to escape from within, so that your body doesn’t become a clammy, uncomfortable, hypothermic mess.
Take for example, a huge rubber fisherman’s rain coat that’s completely impervious to water in both directions. No water gets in, no water gets out. Sure you don’t get wet from the rain or from ocean spray, but you’re still soaked because the water vapor your body is always exhausting has nowhere to go.
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