October is the season of **golden autumn**, and nature presents a splendid and colorful landscape that is intoxicating, with a particularly pleasant and comfortable climate. This season is undoubtedly one of the ideal times of the year to engage in outdoor activities such as **mountaineering, hiking, cross-country running**, and **exploration**. The size of these tiny holes is one twenty-thousandth of a liquid water droplet, yet their size is seven hundred times that of a water molecule, so water droplets cannot infiltrate these holes, while water vapor can easily escape. Bonding the membrane to the inside of nylon or other fabrics, this design makes clothes, boots, pants, hats, etc., have windproof, waterproof, and breathable functions, ensuring that outdoor enthusiasts stay dry, warm, and comfortable. GORE-TEXePTFEeVentDry.Q As the inventor of ePTFE microporous waterproof and breathable membranes, it dominates the field of waterproof and breathable fabric technology worldwide, holding a monopoly in the market. Whether it's a hardshell jacket, pants, or outdoor hiking boots, and walking shoes, you can see the Gore-Tex logo. The most prominent feature as a top waterproof and breathable technology fabric on par with Gore-Tex is its Direct Venting™ technology. In addition to the ePTFE membrane, there is the more common PU membrane. The PU membrane is a smart membrane, mainly made of a polymer elastomer PU (polyurethane), an environmentally friendly film with no pores. PU resin consists of hard segment and soft segment. The hard segment contains hydrophobic chemical bonds that can prevent water droplets from passing through, thus playing a waterproof role; the soft segment contains hydrophilic chemical bonds, interacting with water molecules through hydrophilic groups, relying on hydrogen bonds, and other intermolecular forces, following the steps of adsorption-diffusion-desorption, transferring water vapor from the high humidity side to the low humidity side, achieving moisture permeability. The main drawbacks of the PU membrane include poor breathability, insufficient high-temperature resistance, easy yellowing, not resistant to alkaline substances erosion, and poor liquid absorption capacity. Currently, ePTFE waterproof and breathable membranes are used primarily in the world's professional-grade high-end hardshell jackets, while mid-range jackets mainly use PU membranes. Facing various types of hardshell jackets, in addition to discerning whether they use ePTFE waterproof and breathable membranes or PU membranes, more importantly, choose the suitable hardshell jacket based on the outdoor environment. If you are an outdoor worker requiring long-term operations outside, or a professional outdoor enthusiast conducting activities like mountaineering and hiking in harsh and complex environments, it is recommended to choose professional-grade high-end hardshell jackets that use ePTFE waterproof and breathable membranes. If you mainly commute in the city and occasionally engage in some low-altitude light outdoor activities, Gore-Tex, as a renowned waterproof and breathable fabric brand,
for example, the new Montbell Rain Dancer GTX 3-Layer Men's Windproof Waterproof Coach Jacket from the Japanese brand combines sports and waterproof features, making it a good choice for commuting and outdoor activities.
It is worth noting that waterproof and breathable technical fabrics are usually composite materials, available in versions with 3 layers, 2.5 layers, and 2 layers with adhesive processes. These different structures often need to be chosen according to different outdoor experience scenarios.
Choosing the right hard shell jacket and understanding its performance characteristics and applicable scenarios is very important. I hope this content can help with your choice.