Water resistance
Water resistance
As we mentioned at the top, most lightweight jackets offer a level of water resistance. It’s a funny term and seems to mean different things to different people, perhaps because water resistance is one of those things that comes in different degrees. In other words, some things can be more water resistant than others.
But it’s important that you don’t get ‘water resistant’ confused with ‘waterproof’ because to do so would be a somewhat wet mistake to make. It’s far more likely that a lightweight jacket will be the former, rather than the latter, but there are waterproof options out there.
Basically, water resistance means that a jacket will withstand rain/road spray to a certain extent, but past that point water will begin to permeate the material. Exactly where this point is differs depending on the material, and it’s certainly not the case that one moment you’re dry and the next you’re wet, but for most lightweight jackets it tends to mean that you need to be riding in more than light rain before you need to worry about a soaking. A lot of lightweight jackets will use a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) coating to shed water, while many windproof materials (which we’ll come on to) will offer an element of water resistance in their own right.
If you’re after something fully waterproof, you’ll be looking at a much steeper price tag than a jacket that’s merely water resistant, because of the more advanced fabrics required. Using Castelli as an example, their Sottile Due water resistant jacket comes in at £75 and sits at the water resistant rain cape end of the spectrum, whereas the fully waterproof Pocket Liner jacket is a hefty £290. Now obviously the difference in waterproofing isn’t the only contrast between the two jackets, but it is a key point because Castelli have had to come up with smart ways round the problems that waterproof jackets pose, like breathability and packability. What we mean by that is that plastic bags are waterproof, but they’re also about as breathable as, er, plastic bags. So making a jacket fully waterproof but also breathable enough that you wont starting sweating buckets 30 minutes into a ride is a challenge, and one that comes with a price tag.
What else do you need to know about breathability?