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Cold and foul weather apparel helps your outdoor customers stay outdoors.
The need to keep dry during inclement weather is pretty universal; the ways in which people go about meeting that need are more individual.
What all have in common is that they are outside—there's not much need for a poncho or parka indoors unless the roof is leaky—which is why surplus and outdoor retailers are particularly well suited to outfitting them against the elements.
As your customers may have varying reasons for being outdoors in bad weather, their need also differ. A utility lineman and a mountain bicyclist may both be out in the same downpour, but the lineman will benefit from apparel that offers some degree of safety and visibility, while the cyclist will want apparel that does not impede his or her movement. Both of these customers' needs can be met.
For work and play
One option for meeting the requirements of the lineman comes in the form of the rain and thermal foul-weather gear Ergodyne introduced to GloWEAR High-Visibility Apparel line in late 2005. It's intended to shield workers from rain, sleet, snow, cold, and wind while keeping them standing out on the job with high-visibility, ANSI-certified materials.
The collection includes a rain jacket, rain pant, thermal jacket, thermal pant, and a 4-in-1 jacket with detachable sleeves. Each item has a polyester weatherproof outer shell that uses a breathable PU material and ANSI 107-certified 3M Scotchlite reflective tape, according to Ergodyne.
For cyclists who aren't going to let a drenching rain deter them, "soft-shell" apparel is a possibility. The term "soft-shell" describes outerwear that performs the tasks of two or more garments (generally the insulating and outer layers) in traditional layering systems. These jackets, vests, and pants are designed to be soft to the touch, highly water resistant, highly wind resistant, highly breathable, and more often than not, stretchable.
The fabrics employed fall into three main categories: stretch wovens, laminated stretch wovens, and encapsulated fibers. There is, however, some tradeoff in terms of the garments not being completely waterproof.
You can help steer your outdoors-loving customers to the rainwear that best suits their needs by asking them about the temperature range they expect to encounter, what type of precipitation they expect to encounter and how much of it, and what types of sporting activities they'll be engaged in while suited up.
Military solutions
The needs of other customer groups can be met more generally. The Extreme Cold Weather System (ECWS) format, developed for U.S. military personnel and now in its second generation, has taken its place in both the public-safety and commercial sectors. Although soldiers are the primary beneficiaries of ECWS wear, law-enforcement personnel also don ECWS clothing, and there are children's sizes of this type of apparel.
W.L. Gore & Associates has staked plenty of opportunity in the strictly commercial sector as well. Its Windstopper shell insulated jackets, available from manufacturers such as Marmot and The North Face, are described as "completely windproof with maximum breathability. They provide maximum warmth by keeping warm air in and cold air out, while allowing perspiration to escape.
"By allowing moisture vapor to escape, the Windstopper jacket wearer stays warm and comfortable longer without overheating," according to W.L. Gore. "In addition to the unique combination of windproofness and maximum breathability, Windstopper garments are water resistant to shed snow, ice, light rain and other moisture.
As the ECWS format had made inroads into the civilian clothing market, so too has the Protective Combat Uniform (PCU), an interchangeable 15-piece, seven-level ensemble developed by the Special Operations Forces Special Projects Team at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick, MA. The Soldier Systems Center describes the seven levels of the PCU as follows:
- Level 1. "A durable, silkweight Polartec Power Dry fabric worn next to the skin wicks away moisture and dries fast. It consists of a crew neck T-shirt and boxer shorts, or is available in long-sleeve top with invisible zipper and pants, built for comfort and minimal weight."
Level 2. "A long-sleeve shirt and pants made from Polartec Power Dry fabric are worn next to the skin for extra warmth in extreme conditions, but still wicks away moisture quickly from skin and dries fast. An inserted side panel of Polartec X-Static fabric enhances fit and flexibility.
"The top has a front 15-inch zip for extra venting and a soft lining around the collar. Comfort features include an articulated side seam on the pants to minimize chafe on the kneecap."
- Level 3. "An insulative mid-layer jacket made from Polartec Thermal Pro fabric is water-repellent yet breathable. It is worn as an outer jacket in mild temperatures or as a heavy insulative layer in extreme cold. Seamless shoulders minimize chafe, which are then lined for extra warmth and padding for heavy pack straps."
- Level 4. "The soft windshirt is made from an encapsulated microfiber that repels water but also breathes for a variety of conditions. It's designed to pair with a next-to-skin layer for intense activity in cooler temperatures or with the Level 5 soft shell as a mid-layer. It stuffs into its own pocket for easy packing."
- Level 5. "The key to the entire system, this soft shell fabric jacket and pants are made with fibers encapsulated with silicone that are highly stretchable, windproof, water repellant and breathable. They are paired with Level 1 or 2 next-to-skin layers, ready for any cold weather aerobic activity."
- Level 6. "A lightweight waterproof and coated nylon hard shell is slightly oversized to fit easily and quickly over gear. The jacket features water-resistant zippers and armpit zips for maximum ventilation, pocket openings to quickly access inside layers and a hood that incorporates a stiff brim. The pants borrow the same design from Level 5 but provide waterproof protection."
- Level 7. "For extreme conditions, this lightweight, loft-insulated level in a jacket, vest and pants has the feel of down but retains its warmth when wet. Silicone-encapsulated fabric sheds water and is paired with Primaloft insulation for maximum warmth while the liner pulls away moisture."
author: BY PAUL BUBNY