A “2 in 1” waterproof jacket to rule them all…
The ambition of this jacket was as follows: it had to satisfy the use of a great urban traveler. which moves from climate to climate over several weeks.
Imagine: I tell you that tomorrow you are leaving for a world tour and you are only allowed to take one jacket.
Well, this is the jacket we wanted to create, in two colors.
With a sacred set of specifications since it must face:
- a hot, humid and rainy climate in Tokyo, whether it's for a shopping trip to Harajuku or discovering Mount Fuji
- then continue to Montreal where the evenings can be very cold, even with a little snow
- then take a road trip on the west coast of the United States, thinking of the freshness of Oregon and the sun of Las Vegas
- then go to Mongolia, face rain, cold in the north of the country and heat near the Gobi desert
(yes, I was inspired by some of my travels to project myself into the use of this jacket).
Or simply, being able to wear it one day in Lille, the next day in Brittany, the day after in Biarritz, and end your escapade in Aix-en-Provence. Whatever the season or the month of the year.
So as you can see, we are very ambitious about the versatility of this jacket. I wanted to make it THE jacket of your wardrobe, if there was only one!
And I'll go even further: if this jacket makes you want to travel and explore, then my mission will be 110% successful.
Obviously, for such requirements, the question of the fabric used is of the utmost importance.
It is therefore the alloy of Ventile fabric, 100% cotton, Japanese nylon and Climashield which will work wonders…
First piece: a (very) breathable and water-resistant Ventile fabric ☔
If you had to remember only 3 things about the Ventile, they would be these:
- it is water resistant
- it is breathable
- and it's a very beautiful fabric!
Now let’s get into the details…
Why choose Ventile?💡
🌊 It is water resistant
This is THE feature of the Ventile! Its operation is easy to understand: it is a densely woven cotton that prevents water from entering.
I will tell you about my personal experience on this subject a little further on…
🌬️ It's breathable
Ventile claims that it is the most breathable waterproof fabric available. I wouldn't go that far, but it is clear that its breathability far exceeds that of any membrane. Simply because air can easily circulate between the cotton fibers, unlike the plastic film of a membrane.
🌪️ It's windproof
Since Ventile has a very dense weave, it effectively protects against the wind, and that is why it is appreciated by some Arctic explorers, the challenge for them being to have a very breathable fabric, which allows vapor to escape from the body while protecting them from the wind.
😌 It's comfortable
Because it's 100% cotton, it's as comfortable as wearing a cotton shirt. And that's THE important thing for a summer rain jacket, because you can wear it next to your skin with just a t-shirt.
Try doing the same thing with a technical fabric like Gore-Tex, you will see that it is much less comfortable.
🤫 It's quiet
A synthetic technical fabric sometimes makes a little "noise" when you move, because of its cracking hand. On Ventile, this is not the case, and it will make as much noise as if you move with a cotton shirt, namely not much.
🌦️ It's useful in many different climates
Obviously, it is a very useful jacket against the rain, but not only. Are you looking for a jacket for a seaside holiday? It will be perfect for walking in the evening, without feeling the plastic aspect of a membrane against your skin.
Facing snow? No problem! As long as you have the right thermal layers under your jacket, it will be able to withstand snowfall without any worries.
Ventile says it's a fabric you can wear "while salmon fishing in Scotland, hiking in the Alps or during a windy golf lesson."
And again, I'm being nice, but know that Ventile jackets have been worn in the high mountains to climb Everest, in the Arctic by Ranulph Fiennes or even in the jungle under the recommendation of General MacArthur!
⚒️ It's sustainable
Not only does Ventile take on a nice patina over time, but it is also a durable fabric. No delamination issues or blisters that can occur on a frequently used membrane fabric jacket.
This may seem like a trivial point, but it changes everything: Ventile is a fabric that withstands use over several years much better than a technical membrane, especially if you regularly wear a backpack with this jacket.
This is why some techwear fans are now turning to Ventile jackets for their everyday wear, and reserving their Gore-Tex jackets only for really rainy days. .
To my great surprise, I found that seasoned hikers, mountaineers and even military personnel continued to prefer the Ventile to technical membranes for all the reasons I have mentioned to you.
🖼️ And it’s BEAUTIFUL!
Since it is a 100% cotton fabric, we are light years away from a "plastic" rendering of a technical polyester fabric.
Cotton will age and patina beautifully, and it's common for high-end heritage/vintage/workwear brands to use Ventile for trench coats, parkas, windbreakers and even safari jackets.
Where does the Ventile come from?🤔
The birth of the Ventile is very romanticized, and the version relayed everywhere is not the most accurate. I conducted the investigation for you:
The "official" story, the best known, is this, short version: it is a fabric invented to allow English airplane pilots to survive in freezing water during the Second World War .
This is what is repeated, almost word for word, by the vast majority of brands that use Ventile (example here , here too , there again , and there too ), in the three lines reserved for the description of the material.
In French brands and media, it is also this same story that is repeated over and over again.
But I like to dig deeper, this explanation was unsatisfactory to me. So let's start from scratch...
The "official version" of the birth of the Ventile
In the 1930s, with the boom in textile manufacturing, the British government feared a shortage of flax, which was used to make hosepipes and buckets for firefighters.
So he encouraged research to replace linen with cotton, and after much research, they created a fabric with such a compact weave that it retained water.
And the worst part is that it almost works!
But everything accelerated with the Second World War...
War means convoys of supplies, food or equipment, and it is the English Hurricane Fighter pilots of the RAF (= Royal Air Force) who have to escort maritime convoys.
But the distance between the air base and the ship is too great for the aircraft's range. Churchill therefore proposes to take off the Hurricanes perilously from a ship using a catapult system .
On the Ventile website, the brand says that the Hurricanes had no way of landing on the boat again, and therefore had to land on water, even though they were not seaplanes.
I find it hard to believe that we were making single-use planes , incapable of landing on water without compromising the safety of the pilots, and that the pilots were prepared to risk their lives to this extent.
Despite my research, I was unable to find more details on this curious and dangerous method of operation except on the Ventile website, but anyway, let's move on.
Don's response
Don, who has delighted you with his articles on watches here and there , is also a great history enthusiast, and especially of the Second World War.
So I asked him if he knew more about this story about planes that couldn't land.
Here is his answer:
The Sea Hurricane:
So much for the story: these planes did exist, but they were supposed to land at an air base. Landing on water was only considered in desperate situations.
Precisely, let's resume our story at the moment when a pilot crash-lands in the sea, and when water enters his cockpit...
Whether it was intended or not, these pilots had to survive contact with the icy waters of the English Channel... or an even colder sea, until they could be rescued.
Yet, surprisingly, the subject of cold water immersion has only been taken seriously since World War II.
We barely knew what caused death once in the water (hypothermia, but not only). And we thought it was an inevitability, an "occupational hazard", to be accepted in all conscience.
It was really not a well-researched topic, with real scientific rigor and standard norms in conducting tests and experiments.
As a result, it cannot be said that the various maritime countries of the world coordinated much to find a solution. Even less so in the context of a world war where textile technologies were rudimentary, and where everything remained to be invented.
(And if you're really interested in cold water survival, the French Society of Maritime Medicine published a good recap here and our Canadian friends made a great video about it here )
Except that here, it was absolutely necessary to increase the chances of survival of an RAF pilot in cold water.
A comfortable fabric was needed to wear in the cockpit, which would allow perspiration to pass through, but which would become waterproof when in contact with water.
After much testing, the Shirley Institute, a research center specially dedicated to cotton, developed the famous Ventile, this 100% waterproof cotton fabric .
From a few minutes, the chances of survival in the water increase to 20 minutes, which leaves much more time for rescuers. 80% of pilots were finally able to survive after the splashdown of their Hurricane, thanks to their Ventile cotton survival suit.
Today, RAF suits are still made of Ventile, as are those of other NATO pilots.
Great story, isn't it? It has it all: bravery, adventure, survival, military, and innovation.
Except… you can’t get your hands on a WWII RAF survival suit! And it’s possible they never existed.
Because the production dates of the first Ventile survival suits do not really match those of the Second World War...
In other words, there were indeed Hurricanes (in anecdotal numbers) that were forced to ditch, but the pilots likely did not have Ventile survival suits.
What is the origin of the urban legend of the Ventile?
It was the author of the excellent Well Dressed Dad who was the first to question "the official version".
He says most of the stories surrounding the Ventile are difficult to verify.
In fact, the legend of the Ventile owes a lot to Nigel Cabourn, an English designer passionate about Ventile and workwear. His famous Ventile parka with a vintage design is the perfect illustration of his influences.
In 2003, to relaunch and make a splash, the brand called on Karol Marketing , an (easy) marketing agency.
She decides to create a book, "Ascent of Cabourn" which is inspired by " Ascent of Everest " by John Hunt. And it is in this book that Cabourn explains the origin of the Ventile in his own way (the 2nd World War, the pilots in the water, etc.).
His source? He claims to have a friend who participated in the invention of the Ventile and that it has been in mass production since 1943.
My personal theory is that since this book was created by a marketing agency for promotional purposes, and is not specialized in fashion, it is likely that they missed some specific details and/or that they stuck solely to Cabourn's claims .
The whole very romanticized story of the Ventile comes from there.
But then, what is the true origin of the Ventile? Where does it come from? The investigation is not over…
(ah, this suspense!)
The truth about the history of the Ventile
One reliable answer comes from a document that is as unexpected as it is surprising : in 2003, the Marine Safety Directorate of Transport Canada commissioned a comprehensive report on survival in cold water .
And since Canada's two official languages are English and French, all public and administrative documents must be translated into French . So you can also read this report in French !
Well, the translation is… rustic (Ventile was translated as “ventilated cotton fabric”), but… “it works” wasn’t translated using Google Translate.
The authors, who are very rigorous, note that survival suit test reports regularly fall into oblivion , whether because of the closure of a military laboratory, the end of a war, etc.
They therefore decided, once and for all, to make a complete history of survival suits over the past 60 years , for the benefit of future researchers on the subject.
And it's exciting! Everything is very well documented and rigorously sourced.
Regarding our Ventile survival suits, the truth appears in Chapter 2 : Hurricane pilots' survival suits were made of leather... during World War II. Their inventor was called Frankenstein, you couldn't make it up.
It was only after the war that RAF suits were made from Ventile.
More precisely, the first six suits called "Mk" were made of neoprene, then it was from the Mk 7 versions that they were made of Ventile, just after the war, from 1951.
It's written in black and white.
Using Ventile allowed perspiration to escape through the gaps in the fibers when the fabric was dry, but once in water, the fibers swelled and blocked the passage of water, making the fabric waterproof.
There were also two layers of fabric , because due to the water pressure, we noticed that the water was passing through the Ventile without the fibers having time to swell.
Another problem: the fabric was very expensive to produce on a large scale (long to manufacture), it was also expensive to assemble into a suit. In addition, body sebum and profuse sweating could disrupt the swelling power of the fiber when wet.
Other more general obstacles have undermined the future of the Ventile in survival suits: difficulty in finding perfectly waterproof zips, quality control largely improvable, etc.
So the RAF decided, for a while, to use so-called "wet suits", where a little water is let in to warm it up, just like a surfing or diving suit.
(and to top it all off, it was the rise of offshore oil platforms that finally allowed the creation of effective survival suits)
Ultimately, the Ventile was indeed used for RAF survival suits but only after WWII , and was then replaced for very mundane reasons: cost, difficulty of assembly, etc.
On the other hand — and this is really badass — Edmund Hillary really did use Ventile clothing for his ascent of Everest in 1953.
If Ventile was not fully satisfactory for making survival suits in icy water, I assure you that in urban use, it is a material that largely keeps its promises . Because yes, the RAF has still tested survival suits in Ventile!
Stotz's acquisition of Ventile
Stotz , to put it simply, is the Swiss-made Ventile. Their flagship product, Etaproof, is also a 100% cotton fabric that is intended to be waterproof (it's the one that Acronym and Enfin Levé sometimes use for techwear pants and jackets, for example).
Etaproof is a very, very, very similar product to Ventile, so much so that it has become difficult to differentiate the two… especially since Stotz bought Ventile!
In fact, in the 90s, the British Ministry of Defense was struggling to meet its demand for a 100% waterproof cotton fabric due to the decline of English textiles. So they decided to contact Stotz, who were already supplying 100% cotton for the Scandinavian and American armies.
The English were very happy with Stotz and it was logical that the Swiss manufacturer became the ideal candidate to buy Ventile.
In 2017, Stotz fully acquired the Ventile brand to expand its Etaproof fabric range.
Do you understand why we chose this material for our rain jacket? In fact, let's talk about it more!
How does the Ventile protect you from water? ⛈️
As we have seen, when the material becomes damp, the water causes the cotton fibres to swell, and since the weave is very tight, this prevents water from passing through.
This is how the material becomes "impermeable".
It sounds simple when you say it like that, but to have a very compact weave, you need extra-fine Supima cotton fibers, grown in the United States, which represents barely 2% of world cotton production.
It is therefore this alloy of very fine fibers and a very dense weave which gives all the properties to Ventile.
The cotton is spun in Germany and the threads then go to Switzerland to be woven into the finished product.
The Ventile and the "mass market" 📦
If this material is so fabulous, one might wonder why it hasn't become even more mainstream in men's fashion.
We must already mention the difficulties in having consistent quality. I invite you to read the timeline on the Ventile website , where we realize that dyeing such a compact fabric gave Stotz, the Swiss company that bought the Ventile brand, a lot of trouble.
So they had to develop a very specific dyeing process themselves to avoid streaks or irregularities in the color at the end of production.
And as we have seen, the Ventile requires an irreproachable quality of cotton, therefore one of the most expensive on the market. Add to that the need to have a very dense weave, a price accordingly, and that is enough to cool some ardor of men's fashion brands...
Outdoor brands have preferred to turn to Gore-Tex, with its well-established marketing and more easily accessible.
Today, Ventile's main customers are air forces that understand the value of this fabric and are prepared to pay the price.
This is why, with this piece, I am very proud to participate in the democratization of this fabric.
Ventile vs Gore-Tex/membrane: who wins? ⚔️
You may have seen that I am enthusiastic about Ventile and you also know that I am a fan of techwear and technical materials…
So I have a foot in each universe, and above all, I have been able to test both approaches quite intensively, because I am the owner:
- of an Acronym jacket in Gore-Tex Pro
- and another in Ventile .
It is clear that Gore-Tex or any other membrane remains above when it comes to waterproofing. In short, if you have to walk an entire afternoon in pouring rain, with a backpack and its straps pressing on your shoulders — outdoor conditions for which Gore-Tex was designed — it is undeniable that a material like Gore-Tex is essential.
But I remind you that as breathable as it is, it remains a membrane and therefore a plastic film that envelops your torso. And unfortunately, as soon as the temperatures rise, it is easy to get too hot.
It is very well explained in this article from the military brand UF Pro (which sells Gore-Tex and Ventile jackets).
Especially in an urban environment where we move from cool to warm all the time (metro, street, store, etc.).
Because of this - and in my experience - Ventile is much more comfortable in everyday use, because like any other cotton fabric, air circulates extremely easily through the weave, and this is incomparable to Gore-Tex.
The same goes for a summer climate: in an urban environment, the Ventile is very pleasant.
How waterproof is the Ventile? 🌧️
This is an anecdote I've already told: when we arrived in Japan for our web series, we had to walk 20-25 minutes through the streets of Tokyo to find our Airbnb, all in torrential rain like I'd never experienced before. .
It got to the point where even the X-Pac fabric on my backpack was struggling to contain all that rain. As for my Horizn Studios suitcase, the water had managed to seep in slightly, through the zip, which was nevertheless protected from the elements.
That evening I was wearing my Acronym jacket in Ventile and faced with this interminable downpour, the water had slightly infiltrated through the unwelded seams. But it was quite honorable considering the intensity of this Tokyo rain.
So I guarantee you: for urban use, this jacket will keep you dry, I promise. And if you also wear the Climashield lining underneath, you still have plenty of room!
Ventilation, water and freshness: what they will never tell you 💨
You go out into the street with a shirt and your jacket.
It's raining on your Ventile jacket.
You may have a "cool" feeling in some areas.
Don't panic, it's not water getting in! If you look inside the jacket, you'll see that everything is dry.
In fact - and like any waterproof fabric - the water that remains on the surface "refreshes" the fabric, without necessarily penetrating it.
Nothing serious, it's even rather pleasant this cooling effect when you're hot. And if it ever bothers you, just put the removable lining, a sweater or a sweatshirt between your skin and the jacket!
And what does the world of bushcraft and outdoor think?🌲
It's very simple: it's a very popular material, especially for its ability to not make noise when you move. It doesn't have the "crunchy" side of technical materials, which is why ornithologists and nature photographers appreciate this material so much.
In the outdoor/bushcraft forums, some say that it takes about 2 hours in moderate rain for the Ventile to show its limits. Another says that he spent six hours in the rain and the water only got in at the straps of his pack.
Some also praise the longevity of the Ventile (several years), which is incomparable to that of a Gore-Tex for example.
And finally, I came to the same conclusion as them:
- for everyday life: the Ventile is truly comfortable and practical
- for days when you have to walk for a long time in pouring rain forecast: a Gore-Tex/NeoShell/eVent type membrane
In conclusion ⚠️
With the Ventile, what you lose in waterproofing compared to a membrane, you gain in comfort and breathability.
The construction of our Ventile jacket 📐
Our new Polish workshop behind the making of this jacket 🇵🇱
I would like to start this paragraph with a huge THANK YOU to this new Polish workshop with whom we are working.
Rarely has a workshop been so responsive, accessible and understanding in the development of this jacket.
It's a very renowned workshop in the manufacture of outdoor clothing, and they are familiar with lots of little details that a "classic" workshop has trouble understanding: the fabric that we're going to put on the chin for softness, the fall of a hood, the thickness of a cord, etc.
So thanks to them, they tore it up.
1. A hood ready for all showers
The specifications for this hood were very clear: to provide maximum protection from rain and wind while allowing very fine adjustment.
So there is a "bonding" on the visor of the hood. This allows the fabric to be stiffened so that it keeps its shape even in the rain, by "gluing" a material that is both flexible and rigid inside the fabric (hence the term "bonding" or "thermobonding").
There is a tightening system at the back of the hood which allows you to adjust the depth to the hair, then another system which allows you to hold it firmly in place, thanks to the cords on each side of the chin.
In short, I guarantee that not a single drop will get in, and that it will stay in place, no matter the wind in your face.
2. A raglan assembly at the shoulders
Like our coach jacket , the shoulders have a raglan construction. In the case of this rain jacket, this is logical, because unlike a classic shirt shoulder construction, this prevents water from falling directly onto a seam in the event of a downpour.
3. Underarm ventilation eyelets
Not only is the Ventile highly breathable, but we have also added ventilation eyelets to wick away body moisture even more effectively.
4. Two external pockets and one internal zipped pocket
We used a new exterior pocket system to have easy access while preventing water from leaking inside.
They have been designed to be spacious, while limiting the risk of an object accidentally escaping.
And inside you will find an internal zipped pocket to store your passport or any other important personal items.
5. Snap buttons at the cuffs and a drawstring at the waist
In case of very windy weather, you can tighten the cuffs using a set of press studs:
Same for the waist, if the wind blows from below, you can tighten the piece with a cord:
How to maintain the Ventile? 🧼
Ventile is easy to maintain. It is a material that is rarely washed, and we recommend dry cleaning.
You can do it once a year, but doing it more will be useless, unless there is a real need.
In case of very localized dirt, a wipe with a sponge may be enough!
If this is not possible, put the item in the machine, without anything else, on a delicate programme at 30°C maximum, with the lowest possible spin speed.
Use some Granger's special waterproofing liquid detergent or Nikwax Cotton Proof and you'll be fine!
But I insist: for urban use, there is no need to wash this piece very often. Once every two years is quite possible, for example.
Second piece: a removable lining in Japanese nylon and Climashield
As I told you, the goal of this piece is to be very usable in as many possible situations as possible.
We have included a removable liner, with Climashield insulation.
As for the outer fabric, it is a mini ripstop nylon from the Japanese Komatsu (it is THE Japanese manufacturer specialized in this type of fabric).
Since this nylon is very light, it does not "press" on the Climashield which can fully express its swelling power.
The liner is completely wearable as is, without the Ventile jacket.
It is a system of snap buttons that allows it to be fixed in the jacket. Nice little detail: it is possible to close or open the lining independently of the Ventile jacket.
As for Climashield, I have explained at length why I love this insulation so much, so I will remind you of the key points:
- These are continuous filaments: it therefore has much better resistance over time.
- it resists compression very well, it regains its loft very quickly
- It wicks away moisture, unlike down which has trouble managing it
For more details on the Climashield, I invite you to (re)read the presentation article of our coach jacket .
A 67g insulator that owes nothing to chance… ⚖️
Precisely, like our coach jacket, the weight used here is Climashield APEX 67g.
To give you an idea, this is the weight used by all high-end outdoor or military brands for their mid-layers .
This is also the weight of the Climashield used by hikers who complete the PCT , this very long hike on the American coast, over several months, where you pass through burning deserts and snow. And they can only carry one mid layer, which must be useful in a maximum of situations, neither too cold nor too hot.
And it's the Climashield APEX 67g that everyone agrees on, which was perfect for my desire to make this jacket as versatile as possible in many places around the globe. .
If you wait until winter, I'm sure that with a good wool sweater underneath, you can go down to -5°C for example.
Those who have already purchased Climashield clothing from us know how pleasant and durable this insulation is.
By the way, at home you can do a very simple experiment: when you are sitting on your sofa, place this jacket completely unfolded on your legs and you will feel this light and exquisite warmth...
What to wear it with? 🤔
Small selection of outfits that Jordan had to shoot in confinement, all alone with his camera:
How do you get these new parts?
Find our new products on our e-shop .
Note: deliveries of this launch (jeans, sweatshirt, 2in1 jacket)
Covid-19 has caused additional production delays.
Orders will be opened this Saturday, May 9 , but deliveries will be a few days late:
- sweatshirt: delivered from May 15,
- jean: delivered from May 21 ( be careful, risk of significant sell-out on this item )
- 2 in 1 jacket: delivery end of May
You know everything! Our apologies for these little delays… and thank you for your support!