But if staying dry and comfortable in the worst weather- without futzing with DWR treatments-is your top priority, this is your jacket. The fabric’s thick, rubbery feel turned off some testers at first, and ultralighters will scoff. (That’s still true after 22 total cycles, and counting.) And in our controlled laundry test, a typical DWR-treated shell wet out after 12 wash cycles, but water still dripped off the Diamond like it was brand-new. Columbia says the spaces between the overlay’s tiny diamond shapes enhance breathability.Īfter seven months of testing in pouring rain and wet snow from Alaska to Yellowstone, precip still runs off the Diamond like mercury. It has the durability of a rubber rain slicker without the sweat-testers found the shell plenty breathable. ![]() How? The shell’s waterproof/breathable membrane is on the outside, so the surface needs no extra waterproofing (a polymer overlay protects the membrane). Columbia’s new OutDry Extreme technology solves the problem of disappearing DWR by skipping the DWR altogether. And while the fabric doesn’t actually leak-you’re still protected by a waterproof/ breathable membrane-you’ll feel chilled, clammy, and generally uncomfortable until you take steps to revive the chemical DWR treatment. Instead of beading off the surface, water soaks in. Eventually, the durable water repellent (DWR) on the fabric’s exterior deteriorates. This post is sponsored by Columbia Sportswear. Be sure to check out its line of OutDry Extreme gear.Even the best hard shells have a weakness. Plus, they’ll stay dry as the dirt floats away. It also has one of the great characteristics of rubber – just hose it down to clean! Muddy boots or shoes? Hit them with the hose. The faces of garments and shoes made from OutDry Extreme feel similar to very soft rubber. In 2017, it launched its OutDry Extreme Eco line, which is made without fluorocarbons and contains recycled fabrics and trims. While many brands are working to make less hazardous DWR chemicals, Columbia is ahead of the curve by eliminating the DWR layer entirely.Īnd the brand took it a step further. That DWR layer also tends to be made of ecologically nasty PFCs. That’s important because, as Blackford noted, you don’t have a washing machine or dryer – both required to re-treat a jacket – in the field. OutDry Extreme has a “permanent beading layer” that will never wet out. If you’ve used a jacket with DWR, you know it works great for a while, but it wears off pretty fast, requiring re-treatment. ![]() Unlike most waterproof-breathable fabrics, OutDry Extreme does not need a DWR finish. “It’s tougher than the textile products out there.” 3) No re-treating “I’ve seen a lot of light shells out there, but the durability for OutDry Extreme is off the charts,” Blackford said. OutDry Extreme from Columbia Sportswear is a new kind of jacket that is more durable than most breathable hard-shell jackets, and it's possibly more waterproof, too. ![]() Removing the textile exterior from a waterproof-breathable jacket solves the problem of “wetting out,” which makes a traditional jacket feel soggy when its DWR (durable water repellent) fails.Ģ016: Waterproof/Breathable Rebirth With New 'Exterior Membrane' Shell “There had been a convention that was a barrier to making it better.” “It was a big deal, a major breakthrough in waterproof-breathable fabrics,” he added. It helps keep them comfortable for the adventures no matter the weather. OutDry Extreme changes how people experience the outdoors when it’s wet. “‘I was the only person who was dry’ is something I’ve been told by several people, and it rings true to me.” ![]() “If you want to be dry in a wet environment, you haven’t experienced anything else like it,” Blackford said. Columbia OutDry Extreme: Why Try It? 1) You’ll stay dry We chatted with Woody Blackford, Columbia vice president of Global Innovation and Design, to find out why you should give this relatively new technology a try. That’s because it puts the waterproof layer on the outside, instead of sandwiched between protective fabrics like most waterproof-breathable materials. It is visibly different from other waterproof-breathable fabrics. The technology continues to evolve and has found its way across the brand’s top products in footwear, pants, gloves, and more.įew products stand out from the crowd like Columbia’s OutDry Extreme. Columbia launched OutDry Extreme in 2016 as a waterproof-breathable solution in its jackets.
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