The secrets of staying dry
A decent hard shell jacket could be your most important and costly investment in mountain attire… so it’s time to delve into the wondrous world of waterproofing.
Every year, Snowdonia, the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands get doused with more than 4 metres of rainfall. It’s no coincidence that most of the UK’s soggiest places are also its pointier bits. Which means that for most UK hillwalkers, a waterproof jacket tends to be near the top of their kit list.
But the range available today can be bewildering, not helped by a slew of pseudo-science and confusing marketing hype. It’s probably this barrage of jargon that causes waterproofs to be one of the most misunderstood (and therefore most frequently criticised) bits of outdoor kit. So let’s start our guide to staying dry with some simple explanations of the most common (baffling) terms you’ll come across in gear reviews, or on all those product tags in outdoor shops...