Our parka in Japanese Cordura, eVent and Climashield membrane

Older readers know that I am obsessed with the weather.

In fact, I can't stand the weather being a nuisance in my daily life, because it shouldn't stop you from being in the present moment. It shouldn't stop you from having beautiful moments, with the people you love, because of the cold or the rain.

Indeed, what a shame to have a walk spoiled by a downpour because you have nothing to protect yourself from the rain. What a shame to be in a hurry to get home because you are cold while walking with your friends.

We wanted to deal with these constraints in winter using drastic measures, in order to make you forget the cold and the rain.

For such an outerwear, we immediately thought of a parka, this garment created for the military to protect them from bad weather.

The goal was therefore to make a parka without compromises, namely waterproof, resistant and breathable .

The item of clothing I am most satisfied with?

I don't like it when brands use the word "ultimate", but this time, I'm comfortable saying that this parka is the ultimate for facing winter.

To combine resistance, impermeability, breathability and warmth, three high-performance materials were used.

The three nominees are therefore…

Cordura + eVent + Climashield: the triforce unlocked

I have a lot to tell you, so let's get straight to the point:

• the outer fabric is a durable Japanese Cordura
• the membrane guaranteeing waterproofness and breathability is eVent
• the insulation is a Climashield from the APEX range
• and yes, there are welded seams!

Here's what you need to know about this parka if you only had 30 seconds to spare.

For the rest of you, let the show begin!

Important note: yes, this parka is vegan due to its total absence of fur on the hood, goose down padding, or horn buttons. Notice to those interested, who are increasingly numerous to read us.

FROM THE EVENT MOUNTED ON A JAPANESE CORDURA

The identity card of our fabric

The outer fabric is made of two layers:

1. Japanese Cordura resistant to the elements, whose colors were developed just for us
2. A breathable and waterproof eVent membrane

We chose an urban navy blue:

And because I wanted a more casual, more adventure-oriented color, we also have a khaki version:

Here, the Cordura comes from Japan and the two colours – navy blue and khaki – were specially developed for us.

But this Cordura alone is not enough. Because as strong and durable as it is, it is not waterproof. That is why we have combined it with an eVent membrane, made in the United States.

Before talking about the eVent, let's do a quick reminder of what a membrane is...

How to protect yourself from the rain?

Let's start from the very beginning: at the base, comes the need to protect oneself from the rain.

So we invented raincoats, but they had a big problem: they were absolutely not breathable. While they prevented rain from getting on the wearer, they also prevented sweat from getting out. Hello, the sauna effect.

This is where waterproof AND breathable membranes come in...

ANATOMY OF A MEMBRANE

It all starts with the first layer ; here, our Japanese Cordura. It’s the outer fabric you see, plain and simple.

Below, you have this famous membrane. Here too, the principle is very simple: the pores are large enough to evacuate sweat but too small to let a drop of rain enter. Exactly like on human skin. Gore-Tex, eVent, but also Neoshell and Pertex work on this principle. This is the second layer .

Then finally comes the third layer, necessary when wearing the membrane "next to the skin", without a lining. It is a "backer" which protects the membrane.

On our parka, since the membrane is not directly in contact with your clothes, it is not necessary to have a 3-layer fabric. It is therefore a 2-layer fabric used for our parka , and in addition it allows to have a more competitive price since there is one less operation (applying the third layer)!

eVent is considered the great rival of Gore-Tex. Both materials are waterproof, but eVent claims that its membrane is more breathable ... I'll explain why.

EVENT VS GORE-TEX: THE MATCH OF THE MEMBRANE

FOCUS ON GORE-TEX

Among the elements likely to "contaminate" the Gore-Tex membrane are grease, sunscreen, insecticides... And if the membrane is contaminated, it's not complicated: it leaks and no longer ensures waterproofing .

To protect the membrane, Gore-Tex then applies a thin layer of polyurethane (the "PU" that you can read everywhere).

Do you see the paradox?

A material that is ultimately not very breathable (PU) is applied to the membrane that is supposed to be breathable! All of this is done inside the material, not outside.

So what happens to the sweat? Gore-Tex has found a way around this by making the PU hydrophilic. It will attract your sweat and expel it as quickly as possible towards the breathable membrane, which itself will expel it to the outside. This is why the breathability of a jacket is measured by its evaporation capacity (to put it simply).

The problem is that PU still creates an additional physical barrier between your sweaty skin and the outside air. And for the evacuation process to start, you have to start sweating a little bit, so that the PU starts to "push" your sweat out, thanks to its hydrophilic properties.

eVent's solution to not put PU

This is the fundamental difference between Gore Tex and eVent: eVent does not have PU . The membrane is protected without resorting to it, we fall directly on the very breathable membrane .

A WELL-KEPT SECRET...

In video, Direct Venting, this technology which makes the eVent very breathable, looks like this:

For the more curious, other videos await you here .

If you have been following along, you must be wondering how the eVent membrane can be protected from "contaminants" without PU.

The answer will disappoint you... or intrigue you!

In fact, it is a trade secret .

A textile engineer spoke about an oleophobic coating applied through a supercritical fluid process . The secret is to apply this famous coating between each pore, without compromising the circulation of air and moisture. In short, without touching the opening of the pores . We won't know more...

For this reason, the eVent is said to "ventilate" perspiration directly . He has also acquired the reputation of being the most breathable material on the market.

For the more curious, there are plenty of comparison videos . This one is particularly funny...

The eVent and the competition

⚠️ Attention, hardcore tech geeks are going to love the following paragraph… ⚠️

To give you an idea of ​​the eEvent's performance, I invite you to look carefully at this graph...

(watch your eyes, because it's a bit of a... "dry" graph at first glance, but it's very, very interesting)

So, what does this graph tell us? How do we decipher it?

Fact #1: It comes from the US military

First thing: it is advanced scientific work and carried out in a US military research center , nothing less.

This is not a test invented by a membrane manufacturer to highlight its products compared to the competition.

No no, this is serious, it is neutral, objective work, without commercial bias , and this data is intended for the US Army so that it can make the best decision in choosing its uniforms.

Fact #2: It measures stuff

In fact, here, it is the resistance to the diffusion of water vapor which is measured… as a function of the humidity of the environment .

Basically, we are trying to reproduce the behavior of the human body in activity, where the humidity between the skin and the membrane will necessarily increase as physical activity increases.

Y axis = resistance to vapor diffusion. So the higher the point, the less it breathes, basically. And the lower the point in the graph, the more breathable it is!

X-axis = change in humidity . The further to the left the point is, the drier the environment is, and the further to the right the point is, the more humid the environment is…. Logical.

Fact #3: but these downward curves are weird, right?

No, this is perfectly normal. It means that some membranes become more and more breathable as physical activity increases (= body moisture increases).

Basically, the more you sweat and the more you move, the more it breathes!

Here, complex mechanisms come into play, where it is the difference in pressure between the outside of the garment and body moisture that activates breathability.

Fact #4: The eEvent is doing extremely well

I was very (pleasantly) surprised by the eEvent's performance.

Look carefully , on the graph, the eVent corresponds to curve #2 . We notice two things:

1. The curve is very "low" on the ordinate scale, this shows that among the 15 membranes tested, the eVent has one of the lowest resistances to vapor diffusion, that is to say that breath can very easily cross the membrane . I let you compare this figure with Gore-Tex (curve n°11)…
2. The curve remains constant regardless of humidity. Basically, whether the environment is dry or not, breathability is immediately "activated". And you don't have to wait until you sweat a little for it to work! This is also eVent's greatest pride: they have managed to create a membrane with uniform breathability, regardless of the wearer's level of humidity. It's perfect for an urban environment where you need breathable material as soon as you leave the house, from the first steps.

I could just leave it there, and praise the extreme breathability of the eVent and therefore of our parka, but it's a little more complex.

Sure, the membrane is very breathable, but don't forget that these performances indicated in the graph, they concern precisely ONLY the membrane . And in this case, on this parka, this membrane is laminated with Japanese Cordura (yes, as we have seen, it is a two-layer fabric).

This is a bit what I blame membrane manufacturers for, they proudly announce breathability performance, except that they only refer to their membrane, hiding the outer fabric.

So it is the performance of the eVent + Cordura assembly "glued" together that we need to look at...

The performance of this Cordura + eVent blend

Hold on tight, we're going to talk more about technology.

Tech Moment #1: How Waterproof Is This Fabric?

There, as usual, I take out my ultimate bible of waterproof and breathable materials, namely the voluminous " Waterproof and Water Repellent Textiles and Clothing Book "!

One table will particularly interest us:

You will print this table, display it in your closet and look at it every time a brand sells you waterproofing.

On the fabric of our parka, we are on a resistance greater than 20,000 mm of water column . Basically, this means that if a water column measuring 20 meters "presses" on the membrane, the water does not pass (knowing that a fabric is considered waterproof to 5,000 mm).

So you see that we are in the last line of the table, the one where you can take heavy rain or snow showers without any problem with this parka.

Tech Moment #2: How Breathable Is This Fabric?

To answer this question, we will use a second table, still from my waterproof bible:

You have to look at the column on the far right, it indicates the amount of water in grams per square meter that the fabric can let pass in 24 hours , depending on physical activity.

We call this the MVTR, for Moisture Vapor Transport Rate.

Please note: a minimum MVTR of 10,000 is required for hiking clothing .

Here our Cordura + eVent blend gives an MVTR of approximately 13,700 g/m2/day .

Basically, according to the table, it corresponds to the amount of water released during a walk at a good pace, halfway between carrying a light backpack or not.

For our urban parka, this is more than enough.

Technical moment #3: welded seams? Of course!

Yes, you know my dilemma of whether or not to put welded seams on a raincoat:

• Argument against: it requires more careful, longer production and increases the price
• argument for: this makes the part completely waterproof, water cannot seep in and there we have "real" waterproofing

There, on this winter piece which must be of exemplary reliability in the face of the weather, it was clear that welded seams ("taped seams" as they say in the jargon) were obligatory.

So, YES, there are welded seams on our parka.

Because bothering to use Japanese Cordura, eVent, Climashield (we'll talk about it later) together without using welded seams is like climbing Everest and stopping three meters before the summit!

Note: for those who want a raincoat without welded seams, with a sober design, with good resistance to rain, without insulation , don't forget our Schoeller rain coat!

Technical moment #4: we put everything into perspective…

It's all well and good to delve into the numbers, but remember that these are all laboratory-measured values. If you wear a chunky knit under your parka and start running, you may have an MVTR of 13,700 g/m2/day, but your chunky sweater is bound to make you sweat.

Same if it's not that cold and you're wearing a thick blazer, you're the type to sweat easily and you walk very quickly.

There you go, I know that brands don't hold back from talking about extreme breathability , amazing waterproofness , extreme conditions for use , but it's also good to be more realistic in the conditions of use.

Besides, as Japanese as this fabric is, as efficient as the eVent is, this fabric alone is not enough to keep you warm. That's where we called on a third technology to protect you from the cold, this insulation that I love, it's Climashield.

A top-of-the-range insulator: the famous Climashield

As the months go by, I fall more and more in love with Climashield.

As part of writing this article, I did some binge reading on this insulator.

And there's no denying that in outdoor forums, there is a kind of fascination with Climashield, much more than with Primaloft™ or Thermolite™ for example.

And every time, always the same question: but why do the designer brands in our ecosystem use generic insulators, about which we know nothing? Why don't they clearly say what insulation is used? Because it is so key for a winter garment!

I am therefore very proud that BonneGueule is one of the rare brands in the world (yes, yes, I am not afraid to say " in the world ") to use this insulation for urban clothing.

For those who already have our sleeveless vest, our first garment using Climashield, you know what I mean.

As you can see, it's Climashield that will keep you warm this winter, chosen from the APEX range (weight of 133g/m²).

Because this is the range that offers the best warmth/lightness ratio.

For fans of technical clothing, be aware that its CLO is 0.024 (this is a unit that measures the warmth/weight ratio which is quite complex to understand).

Climashield informs us that, according to them, weight for weight, APEX insulation is the most efficient on the market. For your information, this is a fairly recent range, since it was launched in 2008, while Climashield has been around since 1974.

Very good, but why do these brands use Climashied and not another insulation?

WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT CLIMASHIELD?

The first thing is that Climashield is the pioneer of “continuous filaments” .

I have to be transparent, I was able to see that its competitor, Primaloft had similar technology, but I don't know more.

In a video that manufacturers of technical materials have the secret to, we can clearly see how the insulation works:

In fact, "classic" wadding is like pharmacy cotton, it disintegrates .

This is a problem for clothing because with repeated use, movement, washing or humidity, your insulation no longer looks like much at the end.

But this is not the case with Climashield.

They are long continuous filaments which makes them, in a way, a "tear-proof" insulator . It's like trying to break a string by pulling on each side, lengthwise. Impossible, I tell you!

And this gives us two very interesting advantages:

• Perfect hold over time : Climashield does not tear when stretched, it does not clump together and does not separate.
• Highly compressible : it will return to its original shape very quickly, which makes it very practical when you wear this parka with a backpack.

A TECHNOLOGY THAT COMBATS FABRIC HUMIDITY

Finally, our Climashield insulation features so-called " Aquaban " technology (yes, I know, they're very good at names): it keeps you warm even when wet, while allowing perspiration to wick away quickly.

You might think that I am a real perfectionist but, having already done tests with lower quality insulation, I can assure you that it is much less pleasant : the feeling of dampness can set in and it does not keep you as warm as that.

A cut that must be adapted

Another important thing to know: for the Climashield to work well, it needs to have some loft , must not be excessively pressed against your body, so that the insulation is not crushed. This is why you can't make a cut as tight as a coat in a woolen cloth.

This parka just has to sit on your chest when it's closed, and that's it.

So it's not a piece to choose too tight. I simply advise you to choose your usual size .

How hot is it?

My answer “in theory”…

That’s THE question. And as I began to write this paragraph with a flower in my rifle, I quickly realized that things were more complicated than I thought.

There aren't many brands that use Climashield, but those that communicate on the weight of Climashield used can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Even Wiggy's, although very forthcoming about the warmth of its parkas designed for the Arctic, says nothing about the weight used...

So it's difficult to make comparisons with our parka.

Well, to start, remember one thing: the Climashield used on our parka is 133g/m2 (= 4 oz /yd2), out of the 5 thicknesses available in the APEX range.

On the hiking and military clothing brands side, from what I've seen at Enlightened Equipment or Arc'teryx, the 68g/2 oz and 100g/3 oz ranges are used. Of course, it's lighter than our parka, don't forget that we're talking about insulation designed for sustained physical activity in the cold.

Then, as I said, there's us and our 133g/m2 (=4 oz) parka.

Then there is Kanuk, a Quebec brand that sells parkas that go from -15°c to -30°c, which uses the two thicknesses of Climashield above ours, namely the 170g version (=5 oz) and the 200g version (=6 oz).

So that gives you a good idea of ​​where to place our parka in terms of thermal amplitude.

So our parka is right in the middle, between the layers used for hiking and those used for very cold weather clothing. That describes the spirit of the piece well: plenty warm for a French winter, even when standing still.

We also tried the 5 oz version, but it's clearly too warm for a French winter, and the parka becomes too bulky for my taste (whereas the interest of the Climashield APEX range is precisely this incredible heat/volume ratio).

My answer “in practice”…

So, in practice, what does that mean?

Test #1 by: myself

The opportunities to test it in very cold weather have been rare, but I managed to get a prototype almost my size when it was 2°C in Paris, with a half-rain, half-snow shower. In short, a real treat!

I just had a flannel shirt underneath.

I put it on, walk down to the sidewalk of our office and… wait.

I wasn't cold at all , at 2°C, with just a shirt, and being completely standing, waiting (I didn't walk, I really wanted to test the insulation while being still).

After 30 minutes of standing and not moving in the rain, I started to get bored and ended the test. Good level of waterproofing, I was perfectly dry (thank goodness) and in terms of cold, I never had any difficulty despite my shirt underneath.

Test #2 by: Julien, our product manager

Julien, the product manager, tested this parka for longer than me because the prototype was the perfect size for him.

He usually wears a down jacket and a Uniqlo Blocktech jacket over it (a jacket he also advises against due to its poor performance).

So here is his return:

• He never, ever, ever felt cold . I think he tested the parka between 4°c and 15°c.
• interesting thing, when he had to run to catch the train and it was over 10°c, he was hot, but much less than with his usual down jacket + Uniqlo jacket combination, where he was clearly too hot.
• He felt that this parka regulated the temperature very well, he "always felt comfortable without being too hot or too cold whatever the outside temperature" (I quote).
• As for the rain, he reports: "no problem, nothing happens"

Test #3 by: Oana, e-commerce manager

Sure, it's a men's item, but I insisted that Oana, who runs the e-shop, try on this parka anyway.

So she wore it, when it was 2°c, she didn't have any mesh, and she was impressed by this feeling of comforting warmth perfectly dosed, she who had arrived shivering that very morning. Note: unlike me, she is not used to techwear, she only wears "classic" clothes, so it was a great discovery for her.

A functional parka

Let me recap: the Cordura is made in Japan, while the membrane and the Climashield are made in the United States. Then everything arrives in our workshop in Romania , which specializes in technical parts and is equipped with the famous machines for welded seams. It is here that the parka will be made.

We also took the opportunity to ask for a whole bunch of finishing touches:

An adjustment tab for the hood

This is a classic element that we have on parkas, it allows you to adjust the depth of the hood. Here, we made sure to choose an element in a beautiful metal rather than a banal plastic.

The traditional polar pockets

You love them on all our outerwear, they are obviously very present. And they are fleece lined, in blue in the photo:

Large snap pockets

Large exterior pockets adorn this parka, because on such a piece, you need to store your gloves and hats in pockets provided for this purpose.

From the tightening tabs to the sleeves

If a deluge of rain and snow really does fall on you, there are tightening tabs on the wrist.

A zipped chest pocket that does it all

Well, this is classic, it's a useful chest pocket for your headphones or your travel documents.

Two interior zipped pockets

Note that we have really worked on the depth of these pockets, you will see a lot of space!

A secret pocket on the wrist

We also added a small invisible zipped pocket on the right wrist, perfect for storing a transport card!

YKK zippers from the Vislon range

It was very tempting to take metal zips, but I preferred to go for the injected YKK zips from the Vislon range, because they are very light, and above all very reliable.

And I admit that YKK did a great job, because the patina effect of the zip is very successful:

Bonus: the integrated anti-cold mask

There, it's the cherry on the cake. Internally, we affectionately nicknamed it the "blizzard mask".

If there is ever a lot of wind/rain/snow, there is an additional protection, a pull-on mask that can even replace a scarf in an emergency.

The inspiration comes from our trip to Japan last March, where I was absolutely impressed to see the sophistication of the scarves from some outdoor brands, which had nothing to do with a simple rectangular piece of fabric.

And ice "mask" is even equipped with:

• with a small opening to facilitate breathing
• with an inner mesh lining
• and two drawstrings to adjust it perfectly

Casually, if this mask was supposed to be a little bonus - almost an easter egg - its design was really not easy .

It was necessary to find the right balance between its length, its hold, the tension of the jersey bands which hold it, its ventilation, etc.

But we are incredibly proud of it. Because even for one more element, we pushed the thing to the limit. And above all, this storm mask amused me a lot, and I hope it will be the case for you too!

NOTE : For those who don't want to hear about techwear, rest assured, the use of this mask is completely optional ! When you're not using it, it stays at the bottom of the hood, and no one will suspect anything. If you put the hood on without the mask, you won't feel anything, unless you're a descendant of the Princess and the Pea .

When to wear this parka?

I would say that between -10°C with a big sweater, and +10°C with a sweatshirt, you are fine.

At the moment, with -3°C in the morning and 2°C in the afternoon in France, we are right at the usual temperature.

How to wear this parka?

With a cardigan and a denim shirt

With this layering piece, you have the space to wear your favorite chunky knit comfortably, so don't deprive yourself.

In this entirely BonneGueule outfit, we are in the easy way: essential raw jeans, a faded denim shirt for contrast, and the alpaca cardigan which will bring light.

With a textured gray sweater

I have often repeated it, gray is a color that allows you to integrate more varied colors than blue in an outfit, because it "calms" the colors.

This is why it goes well with the olive parka. The jogpants, due to their cut, add dynamism to the outfit and fall nicely over our boots.

With more daring pants

Of course, our navy blue color goes well with an outfit with more formal connotations. To avoid having a slightly sad result, think about wearing more fun pants, like our Ferla suit pants.

To conclude: a parka that will make you forget the cold

And here we are, we have reached the end of these 6304 words dedicated to this parka. I hope you have been able to see the pleasure and passion behind it.

I also feel a great pride. Yes, because usually, the brands that venture into this kind of product have much more substantial means than us and/or a long experience in technical clothing.

I am therefore proud to offer a parka that combines three major textile technologies (Cordura, eVent, Climashield) and performance intended for urban use, because I would have liked to see this type of piece more often from contemporary French brands .

I am also tired of reading very laconic descriptions of clothing like "waterproof technical fabric", because at the price at which these types of clothing are sold, you deserve to have all the information, all the data necessary to make your choice. This is healthy transparency , not "marketing transparency".

And even if this parka is the least of your worries, the fact that you now know how to decipher a water column impermeability test, understand MVTR in the context of physical activity, have a general idea of ​​how continuous filament insulation works, that fills me with joy . For real.

On that note, I wish you to stay warm! See you soon on the other side, this Saturday, December 15, for the launch!

Benoit