WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WATER-REPELLENT (WR), WATERPROOF (WP) AND WATERPROOF-BREATHABLE (WPB)?
is usually found on general outerwear or recreational apparel. It will have either a lightweight coating of some type or maybe made of waterproof materials, but the seams are not taped or somehow sealed and therefore cannot be called waterproof. In time (not absolute, but in the neighborhood of 2 hrs. max), the water will either come through the coating or find it’s way through the seams. The coating is simply designed to give you some time to find shelter. Not sealing the seams is usually (not always) a cost cutting effort. • WP…is generally when the fabric used has a fairly heavy coating of some type (ie., PVC, Polyurethane) applied throughout. The seams are sealed, either by welding, (electronically), sewn, or dabbed by a liquid sealer of some type. Frequently two process’s are combined (sewn & welded) for best results. Waterproof (primary mission), also means it’s not going to breath…and if you over work or over dress, you can generate a lot of heat, which if it doesn’t escape…can
