Comparison and Materials
Comparison and Materials
How technical fabrics actually differ, what the numbers on a swing tag mean, and why most brand-to-brand comparisons are built on figures that cannot be compared.
Start with the ratings guide. It is the piece the other three depend on, and it is the one that will change how you read every jacket description you see afterwards.
Read this first
- Waterproof and breathability ratings explained: what 20,000 mm means, why five different test methods produce five different breathability numbers from the same fabric, and what GORE-TEX, Sympatex and VEAR actually publish.
Construction and materials
- Softshell vs hardshell for travel: waterproofing against comfort, and why the hardshell usually wins for a carry-on.
- Packable vs structured travel jackets: the volume arithmetic, and what thin fabric costs you.
- Merino vs synthetic base layers: GSM, micron, blends, and why synthetics smell.
Our test data
Every performance figure we quote traces back to one page, with report numbers, standards, dates and scope limits.
- VEAR lab test results: SGS, June 2023, ISO 811 and JIS L 1099 B-1, plus what was not tested.
Related
- The practical travel wardrobe: where these choices fit together.
- Care and problem solving: keeping the performance you paid for.
- Glossary and all travel guides.
- VEAR Jacket and all products.