Waterproof jackets are getting worse, but here’s seven reasons why it doesn’t actually matter

I have made it my main goal each season to bring you the best advice on how to stay dry on the bike. My guide to the best waterproof cycling jackets is distilled down from having over 50 jackets come across my desk in the last three or so years. Having tested so many I’m in a pretty good position to say with confidence that waterproof jackets, not just in cycling, are getting worse. 

This is almost totally down to changing regulations. The future of waterproof clothing is a market free from PFAS – or so called ‘forever chemicals’ – and while this is better for the environment it is worse for staying dry. I’ve written at length on the chemistry behind these changes, but in simple terms for the purposes of this article the key thing is that fluorine is getting axed from manufacturing. That means no more PTFE membranes, and durable water repellent (DWR) treatments are becoming less D, and also less WR.