Showerthought: That $80 'waterproof' jacket I bought on clearance was a total lie

I grabbed this jacket from a bargain bin at a hiking store last spring, thought I scored big. First real rain hit during a walk in Portland last October, and I was soaked through in 15 minutes flat. The tag said 10,000mm rating but it beaded water for maybe the first two wears. Anyone else get tricked by those clearance tags that seem too good to be true?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_amy28d ago

That 10,000mm rating probably meant the fabric itself was waterproof, but the seams and zippers were the weak points that let the rain in. Once those cheap seals start to break down, even a decent fabric won't save you from getting drenched. Clearance gear is a gamble because the waterproofing technology on budget jackets often fails way faster than the expensive stuff.

anthony12928d agoMost Upvoted

@the_amy nails it. Seams and zippers are always where the cheap stuff fails first. Bought a clearance jacket once that looked solid, first solid downpour came through the pit zips like they weren't even there. The fabric was fine but the tape on the inner seams peeled off after two months. Might as well have worn a trash bag at that point. What brand let you down?

diana_west2728d ago

Did you ever have one of those jacket zippers that just splits open from the bottom while you're walking? I had a North Face fleece do that to me in a freezing wind once, and it was the most annoying thing because the zipper pull looked fine but the teeth just gave up on life. Sometimes the hardware is a total mystery, like the company spent all the money on the logo and forgot about the actual parts that keep you dry.