Myths of the Outdoors
Myth No 3 - Breathable waterproofs stop you sweating
Breathable fabrics do not prevent sweating.
If you have perspiration on the surface of exposed skin it means you are producing moisture at a greater rate than the atmosphere can absorb it. No fabric can alter this.
Your Waterproof forms a boundary between the warm moist air inside and the cold air outside.
Condensation will form in a similar way to on your windows at home. How fast this condensation can be moved through the fabric depends upon the breathing rate. The higher the breathing rate the less apparent is the condensation.
Eventually a 'threshhold level' is reached when the condensation starts to build rapidly.
This threshold level can vary depending on a variety of factors. These include temperature and humidity differences between inside and outside, temperature of the material and the degree of 'wetting out' on the fabric surface (breathable fabrics can't breathe through a solid film of water).
