Let’s take a minute to talk about the ins and outs, what you really need to know when it comes to water resistant versus waterproof hunting gear.
Water resistant hunting gear
We have some light rain today, I don’t know how well you can see it here on the video, but it’s not really a drizzle and it’s not a hard rain. It’s a steady light rain. Right now, I’m wearing the Hardscrabble Jacket and Pant. These pieces are water resistant. In fact, all of our outer layers at SKRE are water resistant.
The performance blend fabrics that we use for our outer layers, combined with the DWR Teflon coating, make them water resistant. For those that may not know, DWR stands for durable water repellant. And it’s a chemical process applied to the fabric during manufacturing.
All of those things, create water resistance. What that means is the fabric holds up well against saturation of water. However, with enough rain or enough prolonged exposure to moisture the water can start to penetrate and saturate the fabric. That is when you can get wet. So while it’s not waterproof, it does a very good job at repelling water as opposed to wool, cotton, and other fabrics like that.
We’ve also designed them with other features such as the billed-hood and the cuffs to help with water resistance. With all this, I can hunt on a day like today – especially if it’s on and off – and just hang my stuff up and it’ll dry right out.
That’s another great feature of buying high-quality hunting gear; It dries out quickly. Whether it’s sweat or moisture of any kind.
Waterproof hunting gear
SKRE also offers waterproof garments and that’s our Nebo Rain Jacket and pant. The Nebo series is a breathable Gore-Tex type membrane fabric that is 100% waterproof. With the Nebo, the zippers are taped and waterproof. We use the highest quality seam tape we can on every seem to make them 100% guaranteed waterproof.
These pieces are fully adjustable. You can unzip all the way up the legs of the pant, making them really easy to slip on and off when you are out in the stand or in the field. They also come in our little stuff sack like some of our other pack-in gear. So they are very lightweight and portable. You can easily take it with you.
Another thing, not only does the Nebo Rain Gear completely block out the rain – waterproof – but it also blocks wind very well.
Choosing water resistant versus waterproof hunting gear
When you’re looking into high-quality hunting clothing and you’re looking at water resistant versus waterproof, you need to consider the elements that you are planning on hunting.
For me, I don’t hunt in a lot of really hard rain. I have our Nebo Rain Gear because it’s great to have on me if I am out in the field and get caught in the really hard rain and keep everything from getting soaked. But as far as sitting prolonged in the hard rain, I’m not going to sit for long in a hard rain. Typically, I can wear the Hardscrabble as my outer layer and keep myself dry enough.
But I’m not like everybody. Some people may really like to hunt in the rain. And if you hunt in windy conditions, I would definitely recommend our Nebo Rain Gear.
Summary
All of our outer layers at SKRE have the DWR Teflon coating and are designed to be water resistant – not waterproof. They have special design features to keep you protected from wind, rain, and everything. But they are just water resistant. The water will bead up and run off of it, but over a prolonged period, it will eventually saturate into the fabric and you could get wet.
Our Nebo Rain Gear is 100% waterproof. Water cannot saturate the fabric. It cannot get in. If by chance it does, it’s under warranty. 100% waterproof seams, zippers, and everything. Both the top and bottom stuff up in these little sacks, making them really easy to pack into the field with you in case you need it.
That’s the difference between water resistant and waterproof.