What is DWR Durable Water Repellent Coating?

DWR is a durable water repellent coating used on some snowboard and ski jackets, hiking jackets or pants.

DWR has revolutionised winter sports clothing because it allows clothing to use materials that would not otherwise have been considered waterproof. Gone are the days when, to stay dry, you needed to wear a nylon anorak or cagoule.

DWR - 2 BIG Benefits

DWR - Types of Clothing

DWR is primarily used on two types of snowboard/ski jacket:

Softshells
In years gone by no one would have considered wearing a cotton hoody to ski or snowboard in, but not anymore. With a DWR coating, a hoody can be transformed into a technical high performance garment. In fact, here at Absolute-Snow, our navigation menu now lists DWR coated garments in their own category of “Technical Apparel & Softshells” where you can find a full range of technical clothing and outerwear for snowboarding and skiing.

Premium Waterproof And Breathable Fabrics
DWR is often used on high end snowboard and ski jackets in conjunction with Goretex, or other premium waterproof and breathable fabrics, to prevent the outer layer of fabric from becoming saturated with water.

This saturation, called 'wetting out' or water logging and has 2 serious consequences:
1. It reduces a jacket’s breathability which, in turn, causes the wearer to become cold and wet. Because the jacket can no longer breathe, it traps evaporated sweat which cools and condenses. In extreme conditions condensation can freeze making hyperthermia a real concern.
2. A saturated or waterlogged jacket becomes heavy and the damp fabric sags and presses heavily against your skin or base layers. As soon as this happens, water ingression occurs and the wearer can become very wet, very quickly.

Check out our full range of Snowboard Jackets or Waterproof Outdoor Jackets today!

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