It’s a sad fact that, for now at least, waterproof jackets don’t perform as well as jackets from a few years ago. The removal of harmful PFAS chemicals from the manufacturing process means that, amongst other effects, the durable water repellent (DWR) coatings that used to be based on fluorine chemistry are now less durable and less water repellent, but the LDALWR acronym has yet to catch on.
What this means in practice is that your waterproof gear – and for most of you reading this, this most likely means your waterproof cycling jacket – will more readily and more frequently wet out. Wetting out is what happens when the durable water repellent becomes overwhelmed, allowing the face fabric of your garment to become saturated with water. Once this happens, the jacket not only looks wet, but it also drastically reduces in breathability, as the water vapour from your sweat cannot pass through the layers, as it is impeded by a barrier of water.
