A few easily confused questions:
1 Water-repellent ≠ waterproof!
Water-repellent is processed through the surface of the fabric, which only repels water droplets for a short time and slides off quickly. It looks very effective, but it cannot be waterproof for a long time. Even Niu B’s Bird Brand will last. The water-repellent function will also lose its effectiveness after a few minutes of rain, and water droplets will seep into the fabric or adhere to the clothes. Water-repellent, only suitable for short to moderate rain. To be truly “waterproof” outdoors for a long time, the national standard needs to reach a waterproof index of 3000+, and a better one should be 10000+
2 Waterproof fabric ≠ waterproof clothing (jacket)
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Waterproof fabric must be “fully glued” on each seam to be called waterproof clothing. If there is no glue at the seams, it will seep into the interior from the gaps in ten minutes. The cost of lamination will increase by at least 100 yuan. Some irregular brands do not have lamination (big pitfall)!
Big pit! Big pit! Big pit!
Because of the camping trend, many leisure brands (such as Peacebird, GXG, Semir) and sports brands (Anta, Li Ning) also want to get a share of the pie and start “so-called Jackets.” I bought them back and made a comparison. The seams of these non-outdoor brand jackets are all not taped with glue. Moreover, the tag certificate also says “jacket”, and the implementation standard is not the GB/T for jackets.
32614-2016, but FZ/T for ordinary jackets
81008-2021. (In other words, under the guise of a jacket, the jacket is sold, and it is just a demonstration of water repellency. As mentioned before, “water repellent” is easy to achieve, but it is not truly “waterproof”. It’s not even fully patchwork and waterproof!). Their anchors, or the title said it was a jacket, and the store did not supervise it. It is too confusing for a well-known casual sports brand to do this trick. I don’t know what lamination is, but I can compare to selling professional outdoor brand jackets, such as the international brand Shizun, the domestic outdoor brand Pathfinder, etc.
3 Moisture permeability is more important than waterproofing:
If the jacket can’t let out sweat and moisture, it’s better to buy a plastic poncho for 9.9 yuan! The national standard needs to reach 3000+, and the better one should be 8000+. In fact, waterproofing is easy to do, but moisture permeability is more difficult. The so-called original ones (fake birds) have poor moisture permeability.
How to identify whether moisture permeability is good or bad?
It’s very simple. You can sell genuine products through regular channels and compare them with the clothes you have. Pour a cup of hot water (not boiling water, 50 degrees is about right), put clothes tightly over the mouth of the cup, put glasses or glass on the clothes, usually there will be white mist on the glass in 3 seconds, sometimes it will take a long time before there is a trace of white. fog. Comparing the two clothes, whose white mist appears earlier. Because this method is relatively crude and everyone’s hot water temperature is different, two pieces of clothing need to be compared at the same time. You cannot make a conclusion based on the time when white fog appears on one piece of clothing alone.
4 The “breathability” of ordinary clothes ≠ the “moisture permeability” of jackets
The “breathability” of ordinary clothes: you can directly feel the breathability by blowing air through your mouth, and the gas is directly transmitted through the small pores visible to the naked eye.
The “moisture permeability” of the jacket: moisture (sweat) penetrates through micropores invisible to the naked eye and cannot be blown by the mouth. If you can blow out the air directly with your mouth, it will not be waterproof.
So no matter how good the jacket fabrics are, such as GTX, event, etc., they will be a bit stuffy when you sweat during a big exercise, and they are not as breathable as ordinary jackets, so don’t use ordinary clothing. Ask for a jacket with a breathable feel!
5 Is a double-layer lining jacket better than a single-layer lining jacket?
Big mistake! Climbing long distances outdoors takes a lot of energy, so carry as little as you can under safe conditions. Therefore, high-performance jackets should not be too heavy. Those who play in advanced outdoor activities usually wear “unlined” 3L (3-layer sticker) jackets. Because there is no lining, it reduces at least 200 grams, and it is mainly waterproof and laminated. The strips can be clearly seen at a glance, preventing the adhesive strips from being hidden in the lining and making it impossible to confirm whether the adhesive strips are neatly integrated and fit tightly. Lined jackets are generally entry-level and casual outdoor wear. Domestic 3L single-layer jackets (without lining) are mainly made of Pathfinder and Kailer Stone. Camel is a basic casual jacket, relatively low-end and entry-level (many people in the outdoor circle did not think that Camel was an outdoor brand at first, but a casual brand with an outdoor look).
6 Are jackets warmer than down jackets?
Most people who are new to the outdoors have this understanding, but you will be disappointed immediately. The warmth of a jacket is mainly achieved by protecting it from wind and rain, and protecting the middle layer (fleece jacket or down jacket) inside from being disturbed. The main function of a jacket is “protection”. If it is a weather with little wind and rain, a jacket is actually not as warm as a down jacket. In the cold season, the warmth of a jacket alone is not enough. You need to add a fleece jacket inside. If it gets colder, you need a fleece jacket+.Down jacket. This is what is often called three-layer dressing and four-layer dressing methods for outdoor use.
After talking so much, which brands are worth buying?
If you are not short of money, you can go directly to Archaeopteryx (but don’t sell fakes, anything under 2,000 yuan from Archaeoptery is definitely fake! We only recommend going to the official store).
If you want a good brand of domestic products with good performance and high cost performance, domestic products are the first choice. Domestic products costing a few hundred yuan are comparable to foreign brands that cost a thousand yuan.
If you are hiking in Tibet and Xinjiang, choose the trailblazer, Kailer Stone.
If it is an outing in the city, fishing or riding a scooter to protect yourself from the wind and rain, you can choose any outdoor brand. However, don’t buy so-called jackets from casual brands (even the well-known PEACEBIRD, ANTA, and Li-Ning). Their seams are not taped, and the certificate says “windproof jacket,” but their anchors or titles dare to leave the mark. Said it was a jacket. Outdoor products are a technical job, and even the largest casual or sports brand jackets are not as good as professional outdoor brands. Some people say that I only recognize big international brands. International big brands are indeed right, but this is 2022. If you want affordable and durable, you can’t go wrong with well-known domestic brands. The prices are conscientious and there is no IQ tax. The rise of domestic products is an inevitable trend, and Chinese brands will eventually become international brands.
