Waterproofness and breathability - this is where the money is. The higher the waterproofness and higher the breathability the more expensive the item.
Especially if this is combined with a stretch in the fabric
Our minimum waterproof rating is 10,000. This means 10,000mm of water is placed on 1 square inch of fabric under pressure for 24hrs before water penetrates through.
Breathability is achieved at the same time by pushing air up through the fabric with out letting the water penetrate.
DWR - Durable Water Repellent, This is the first line of defence for the garment.. It is a coating the outside that makes water bead off the garment. A majority of our jackets are now PFC Free DWR Being very environmentally friendly
Waterproof - means that it has a membrane to stop water permeating into the jacket.
Seamsealing - this means the tape that holds makes the seams waterproof. Garments can either be critically seam sealed or fully seam taped. Critical - only in necessary zones - shoulders and sides on jackets.
Goretex - is the most waterproof and breathable fabric available. It is guaranteed to keep you dry. The entire garment is made in specially approved factories. It has over 9million pores per square inch of fabric. On the flip side, the pores are larger than the water vapour pores that our body produces therefor making is super breathable. There is no waterproof rating for Goretex but it does exceed 20,000mm
Waterproof Zips - the majority of outerwear will use YKK zips. These are Waterproof zips or zips covered with a flap. Waterproof zips are a little bit harder to do up sometimes.
2 ways zips are on some jackets, this allows the use to open up the jacket either from the bottom or the top.
Insulation - there are many forms of insulation, they will be synthetic or down. Most synthetic insualtions is made form receycled bottles