Layer
The weather shell
the outermost slot: water, and nothing else
Where this rung sits on the ladder
- shirt layerclosed — a category on this site
- knit layerclosed — a category on this site
- sweatshirt layerclosed — a category on this site
- insulationopen
- unlined outer layerclosed — a category on this site
- weather shellclosed — this page
This is the last rung and the narrowest one. A shell addresses water. It does not address anything else, and the listings here are unusually honest about that: One of them prints the word unlined itself. The coldest thing on this site is a shell with an empty slot underneath it, and that is a stacking problem rather than a shell problem.
What this slot does
It goes over everything and addresses water. Where a listing states taped or sealed seams, it states where the water was expected to get in.
What it never does
It does not add warmth. No listing in this slot claims warmth, and a shell with nothing warm under it is a shell with nothing warm under it.
The words that belong to this slot
- waterproof
- Used by most listings in this slot. Not one of them states which test produced the claim, and this site does not supply one.
- seams taped
- A construction fact about where two panels join. Two listings here state a seam treatment; the rest say nothing about seams at all.
- lined
- A second layer of fabric inside the shell. It is a construction word, not an insulation claim, and none of these listings claims insulation.
- packable
- A claim about how small it goes. One listing states a weight. None states a packed size.
What closes this slot
9 listings, across one category.
- Raincoatswater, and nothing about warmth
Conditions that ask for it
- Wet and mildRain falling, and the air is not the problem.
- Wet and coldRain falling, and the air is also the problem.
- Packing lightEverything has to go in a bag and come out of it again.
Sources
- AATCC — Standard Test Methods and ProceduresThe published list of AATCC test methods, including the ultraviolet transmission method and the hydrostatic pressure method by name.
- Federal Trade Commission — Policy Statement Regarding Advertising SubstantiationThe FTC statement that an objective product claim has to have support behind it.
- OEKO-TEX — STANDARD 100The certification program’s own description of what its label covers.