What are raincoats made of?« Back to Questions List

The rain coats protect our body from getting wet during the rainy days. They are made of fabric which repels water as well as let some air pass through. This helps allow some sweat vapor from the body to pass through. 

There are many kinds of raincoats made of many types of fabric like polyester, vinyl etc. The fabric has to have two important properties for its use in raincoats - absorption and penetration. Raincoats could either be absorbent or repellant. Absorbent materials are treated with a water resistant coating before being used for making raincoats. Absorption is how much water can be soaked by the fabric and penetration is how much water can sink into the fabric. 

The raincoat fabric is mostly made of a blend of two or more of the following materials – cotton, polyester, Gore-Tex, nylon, vinyl and rayon. The fabric is treated with chemical compounds depending on the kind of fabric. A coating of resin, pyridinium or melamine, polyurethane, acrylic, fluorine or Teflon makes them waterproof.

Vinyl and other plastics are used in children’s rainwear and accessories. Gore-Tex fabric is light weight, breathable and is used to make garments for camping, hiking and outdoor sports. Nylon is easily foldable and packable. Woolen jackets are used for military and high fashion raincoats.

Today’s raincoats are made of synthetic polymers. They are light weight, flexible and allow your sweat to pass through.

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