Ever wonder how jackets stay waterproof? Here’s how.
On rainy days, many outdoor jobs must go on. It is up to the company to provide sufficient workwear to outdoor workers for their health and safety. If you have ever wondered about the technicalities of what makes work jackets waterproof, you can find out below through our brief explanation. What’s more, you can discover how to design and maintain waterproof work jackets with Lord Baltimore Uniform Rental.
Parts of a Waterproof Work Jacket: An Overview
A Breathable Liner
The best waterproof work jackets are also breathable. If they did not have some breathability, they would trap the heat and sweat of the wearer, especially if it is a work jacket. The underlayer of the jacket usually has tiny holes that make the jacket breathable. The sweat droplets that evaporate and escape through the jacket are generally much smaller than the rain droplets that fall on the jacket’s exterior, so there is no need to worry about rain entering through the breathable layer, especially in light of the other component of a waterproof work jacket.
A Durable Water Repellant Laminate or Coating on the Shell
The garment’s shell, or outer fabric, will have a laminate layer on the underside or a durable water repellent (DWR) coating on the exterior. This DWR coating has microscopic spikes that prevent the rain droplets from spreading out and soaking into the fabric. Instead, they stay beaded and roll off.
Additional Features
- Fully-sealed seams: Fabric seams can have tiny spaces that would allow rain and wind to come through them, but the best waterproof garments use heat-sealed tape to close those gaps entirely.
- Waterproof zips or flaps: The jacket’s opening uses waterproof zips or flaps to prevent rain from entering from the front as well.
- Hydrostatic rating: Waterproof work jackets can stay waterproof up to a certain psi, measured in millimeters. 3 psi or 2,109 mm or higher is considered waterproof for general rainy day needs.
Designing & Maintaining a Waterproof Work Jacket
Lord Baltimore Uniform Rental can help you choose the best work jacket for your needs, whether it needs to be waterproof, windproof, insulating, or a combination, from a selection of name-brand workwear manufacturers. We can also customize the design for your brand. If you opt to use our rental program, we can also commercially launder and care for your work jackets and any other work uniforms you choose to source from us.
Trust Your Employee Uniforms to the Professionals at Lord Baltimore
For over forty years, Lord Baltimore has provided cost-effective uniform rental services throughout the East Coast, including Maryland, Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, Southern Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
To learn more about how employee uniforms can help your business, please contact Joe Bateman at Lord Baltimore by calling 800-292-1224 or visit LordBaltimoreUniform.com. We also handle uniform and mat rentals and purchases for restaurants. Additionally, we also sell and rent uniforms, shop towels, fender covers, and mats for the manufacturing and automotive industries.