If you are a snowboarder in the Northwest or anywhere for that matter, breathability is a topic you should be familiar with. Our climate is warm and very wet in winter and it’s something that comes into play each and every time we go snowboarding. One of the main elements that make Homeschool Snowboarding outerwear “technical” is its ability to breathe. Without it you’re soaked on the inside.
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| photo: D. Smalley |
We are all familiar with waterproofness and what that means. We are used to that number being expressed in MM’s and see it all over the place in hangtags and on labels. It’s often one of the first things snowboarders look at when shopping for outerwear, and rightfully so...it’s important…BUT if you are only paying attention to that Waterproofness number you are really missing half the picture. I like to say “you can wear a garbage bag and be waterproof” and it’s true but you’ll also be enjoying the sauna underneath it. A technical garment is really a compromise or “balance” between waterproofness and breathability and if the balance is right you will be comfortable and not even think about it, if it’s wrong you may get cold, clammy, wet and generally not stoked.
What it all boils down to is how comfortable will you be and that determines how long you can stay out there and ride. There IS a balance where you have the right amount of waterproofness protection and a very high amount of breathability, that number comes in right around 10k mm. With 10k mm waterproofness you are very protected from moisture from the outside and leave the door open for optimum breathability from the inside. Unless a fire hose is blasting you, you are not likely to see pressures beyond that in the real world. When you go beyond 10k in a lot of cases you start to lose breathability. They are inversely proportional.
What it all boils down to is how comfortable will you be and that determines how long you can stay out there and ride. There IS a balance where you have the right amount of waterproofness protection and a very high amount of breathability, that number comes in right around 10k mm. With 10k mm waterproofness you are very protected from moisture from the outside and leave the door open for optimum breathability from the inside. Unless a fire hose is blasting you, you are not likely to see pressures beyond that in the real world. When you go beyond 10k in a lot of cases you start to lose breathability. They are inversely proportional.
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| photo: J. Kober |
Cocona Xcelerator technology addresses the breathability issue through the use of an activated Carbon. This technology increases the surface area and aids in dramatically increasing moisture transfer through the fabric membrane. This also aids in evaporation and dry time (baselayer) and transfer through the membrane (outerwear). By combining this with the right waterproof number you achieve the correct equilibrium between the moisture your body is putting out and what is moving through the membrane. 10k mm is more than enough waterproofness to keep water out while allowing moisture from the inside to quickly escape when coupled with Cocona activated carbon.
Homeschool Snowboarding is one of the first outerwear companies to use this technology and we are using it in a complete top to bottom system, a first in the snowboard industry. We have been wear-testing this system for 2 years and it works. We strive to make the best outerwear available for snowboarding. Designed for the Northwest, if it works here it works anywhere.
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| photo: D. Smalley |