What is a waterproof rating?  What does this actually mean?

 

The pieces that Loki has with waterproof ratings fall within these three levels:

8,000mm - Rainproof and Waterproof under light pressure (Light rain, average snow, light pressure.)

  • Mountain Jacket

10,000mm - Rainproof and Waterproof under light pressure (Light rain, average snow, light pressure.)

  • Meta Snowsport Jacket
  • Valhalla 2-Layer Shell
  • Valhalla Pants
  • Massif Parka
  • All In One Light Shell
  • Glacier Parka

15,000mm - Rainproof and Waterproof except under high pressure (Moderate rain, average snow, light pressure.)

  • Alpine Shell
  • Alpine Pants
  • Men's Storm Shell

     Manufacturers typically describe the waterproof breathability of fabrics using two numbers. The first is in millimeters (mm) and is a measure of how waterproof a fabric is. In the case of a 10k or 10,000 mm fabric, if you put a square tube with inner dimensions of 1” x 1” over a piece of said fabric, you could fill it with water to a height of 10,000 mm (32.8 feet) before water would begin to leak through. The higher the number, the more waterproof the fabric.

     The second number is a measure of how breathable the fabric is, and is normally expressed in terms of how many grams (g) of water vapor can pass through a square meter (m2) of the fabric from the inside to the outside in a 24 hour period. In the case of a 20k (20,000 g) fabric, this would be 20,000 grams. The larger the number, the more breathable the fabric.