Pioneer Camp Waterproof Jackets

Waterproof and water-resistant are two different promises and this page holds only the first. A water-resistant face beads a shower and gives up on a downpour; a waterproof one has a coating or a membrane behind it and is built to keep going. The part people miss is the seam. A seam is a line of needle holes through the fabric, and unless it is sealed with tape on the inside, water walks through it at the shoulders long before the cloth itself fails, so the card names taped seams where they are taped and stays quiet where they are not.

The ski and snowboard jackets are the largest group here, because snow melts against you and a shower rating simply will not hold for a day on a mountain. After them come the rain shells, which are the lightest waterproof things we make, and a handful of insulated jackets and snow trousers with sealed construction. Washing matters more on this shelf than anywhere else: the care label is the document that governs it, and a waterproof face that has been washed with fabric softener stops beading long before it stops being waterproof.