Generally speaking, in early autumn, winter and spring, outdoor clothing is usually divided into three layers:

1. Close-fitting layer, quick-drying, sweat-wicking and tight-fitting thin underwear. For example, general short/long sleeves made of quick-drying materials, from thin to thick, can be worn as needed. Because I live in Zhejiang, I personally like thin underwear. Bata’s C3 is the limit, and the thickness of C4 is uncomfortable.

2. The insulation layer mainly includes fleece, cotton, and down. The soft shell is between the insulation layer and the outer layer and can be worn inside or outside.

3. The outer layer is what we call the jacket. Common ones include hard-shell jackets and skin windbreakers.

Here we mainly talk about the matching of jackets, and talk about the more common ones:

1. Hard shell + fleece. This is the most common type. The hard shell jacket has comprehensive properties: windproof, rainproof, wear-resistant, moderate in weight, easy to put on and take off, and can adapt to a wide temperature range, making it suitable for most outdoor sports.

2. Skin windbreaker + fleece. Suitable for close-range, short-term outdoor activities, or activities in stable weather supported by weather forecasts. The characteristic is that the entire system has excellent breathability, is thinner, and is easy to put on, take off, and store. However, compared with the hard shell method, it is much weaker in waterproofing and wear resistance, and is suitable for light outdoor activities in dry areas.

3. Fleece + soft shell + light hard shell (skin windbreaker). Usually, soft shells are mainly used. The performance of soft shells is about the same as that of fleece plus half a hard shell. It has good breathability, wear resistance and windproof capabilities, but its waterproofness is much lower than that of hard shells. Soft shells can only be worn for a short time. It is resistant to light rain and relies on a hydrophobic film on the surface. It has a short lifespan and requires frequent repairs. Therefore, if the weather is changeable over a long distance, you also need to put a thin hard shell or skin windbreaker in your bag. When a soft shell is combined with a hard shell, the breathability is very poor, but this is just an emergency way to wear it in bad weather. The advantages of soft shells as outerwear are obvious: they are soft and comfortable, breathable and windproof, and have good wear resistance. As long as the weather is not too bad, it is a good way to wear it.

Let’s talk about the main point. Simply put, a jacket is a breathable wind and raincoat. It is a layer of plastic film laminated/coated on the fabric of the clothing fabric. This plastic film has a microporous structure. The size of the micropores is smaller than liquid water (rainwater, etc.) and larger than gaseous water (water vapor), making it Water droplets cannot pass through, but water vapor can pass through, achieving a waterproof and breathable effect. Therefore, this membrane or coating is the most critical factor in the waterproof and breathable performance of a jacket.

We can understand this film (coating) from two directions: how the film (coating) is combined with the surface textile layer, and how the film (coating) is combined with the surface textile layer. The material and structure of (the coating) itself.

First of all, let’s talk about how the membrane (coating) is combined with the surface textile layer: there are three common ones, two-layer (2L) structure, three-layer ( 3L) structure and two-and-a-half-story (2.5L) structure.

1. 2L structure refers to the method in which the surface layer and waterproof membrane are directly pressed/coated together. In this way, the waterproof and breathable membrane is directly exposed to the inner surface of the fabric, and the membrane will be easily worn when worn. Therefore, 2L jackets also need to add an inner lining (usually a mesh lining and a thin lining) to protect the waterproof membrane. The disadvantages of the 2L production method are that the durability of the waterproof membrane is not high and the clothes are heavy. It is usually used in low-end products, so its performance is suitable for general use. For example, my G-film Nordsilan travel jacket is a typical representative.

2. 3L structure refers to the production method in which the surface layer, waterproof film, and protective film are directly combined together. In this structure, the protective layers are directly pressed together without additional protective lining. Because the entire garment is made of a single layer of fabric, it has good durability, light weight, and good performance. It is the mainstream structure of current jackets. Look inside the bird:

3. The 2.5L structure is essentially a 3L structure using a thin protective film. It is characterized by being thin and light, with enhanced breathability. . In terms of performance, 2.5L has the best lightweight and breathability, but it is somewhat lacking in durability and wear resistance. For example, the GearLab Combustion Equipment Laboratory ultra-light jacket.

Next, let’s talk about the material of the membrane. There are two main materials, PTFE polytetrafluoroethylene and PU polyurethane.

Gore’s Gore-Tex and GE’s Event are both PTFE membranes. There are also membranes with other names, but the materials and principles are similar.

PU film has relatively low technological content and its air permeability is worse than PTFE, but because of its scientificThe high-end 2L structure is not cheap, especially the 3-in-1 fleece, which has a particularly low cost performance. Isn’t Decathlon’s fleece magic garment costing more than 30 yuan delicious? If the inner layer is down, you can still buy it.

3. As long as the price is right for jackets from casual brands and trendy brands, you can buy them and wear them as you like. But it’s best not to wear it when you really go outdoors. Just use it to keep warm and prevent rain during daily walks.

Cleaning and maintenance of jackets:

There is often a big misunderstanding, that is Jackets cannot be washed frequently as it will damage the waterproof layer. In fact, this is wrong. Gore recommends that we machine wash…

The following are Gore’s recommended cleaning and maintenance methods:

First Steps

• Before washing the garment, zip up the front zipper and fully zip the pockets.
• Tie all flaps and straps.

The second step

• Wash in a washing machine (40°C)
• Use a small amount of laundry detergent
• and rinse twice. At the same time, reduce the speed of the washing machine
• Avoid using Products containing laundry detergent, fabric softener, stain remover or bleach.
• Avoid washing together with heavily soiled clothes

Drying

First Steps

• Line dry or tumble dry on a medium gentle cycle
• Avoid using High temperature drying

Step 2

• After the garment is dry, use a dryer for 20 minutes to activate the water repellent (DWR) effect of the fabric.
• If you don’t have a dryer, iron your garments on a gentle setting.
• Place a piece of cloth over the garment before ironing to protect the garment.
• Avoid using a steam iron.
• You can do this at any time once you find that the water repellency of your clothing needs to be improved.

Restore water-repellent performance

The first step

• If water does not bead up and roll off the garment after washing, you need to restore the water-repellent properties.
• Choose a pump-type water repellent spray or lotion depending on your situation.

Second step

• Follow the instructions and tumble dry for 20 minutes to activate the DWR effect of the fabric.
• Or iron the garment on a gentle setting (gentle, no steam). Place a towel or cloth between the garment and the iron.
• Avoid restoring the water-repellent effect on the surface of GORE-TEX SHAKEDRY™ products. Please refer to the following special care instructions.

Special cleaning and maintenance

GORE-TEX SHAKEDRY™ garments have no surface fabric—the outer layer is GORE- TEX films therefore do not require DWR treatment.

• – Machine wash at 105°F/40°C, delicate cycle.
• – Avoid dry cleaning.
• – Avoid tumble drying.
• – Avoid ironing.
• – Avoid bleaching.

– Avoid DWR processing.

I poured the jacket cleaning solution into the “detergent” tank, and the water-washing waterproofing agent into the “fabric softener” tank of the washing machine, and selected the gentle setting. Fully automatic cleaning. I use all STORM products.

After washing and drying, the water droplets cannot penetrate and turn into round water droplets. It seems that the effect is good.

Okay, this is the end of my “nonsense” about jackets. My personal ability is limited and it is difficult to cover everything, or there may be outdated information. Please give me some advice. Correct it in the comments. grateful!