What we gave up by dropping PFC
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Durable water repellency is the finish on the outside of a shell that makes rain bead up and roll off. It is not what makes a jacket waterproof — the membrane does that — but when it stops working the face fabric wets out, breathability collapses, and the jacket feels like it is leaking even though it is not.
The honest comparison
PFC-based finishes are better. They shed water longer, survive more wash cycles, and resist oils that PFC-free chemistry cannot. Anyone who tells you the alternatives match them on durability is selling something.
They also do not break down. PFCs accumulate in water, in soil and in blood, and they persist for a very long time after the jacket they were applied to has stopped existing.
What this means for you
Our finish needs reactivating more often. In practice: tumble dry on low for twenty minutes after washing, or warm-iron through a cloth. Once or twice a season, reproof with a wash-in product. That is three or four extra steps a year.
We would rather ask you for those steps than put a permanent chemical into a watercourse to save you the trouble.
