Topic:

DWR (Durable Water Repellent)

What is it?

source: Gear Junkie

Durable water repellent (DWR) is a coating added to the fabric at the factory to make it waterproof (hydrophobic).

How does it serve me?

source: Dryguywaterproofing

Water Resistant: as long as it is has the basic ability to keep some water from reaching your skin

DWR: increases the water resistance of any jacket. The DWR does this by adding  It also prevents the surface of the waterproof/breathable jacket from accumulating so that the jacket can run at maximum efficiency.

Water-Proof: the item’s fabric has abilities from stopping water sipping through it. It sounds suffocating, but some fabrics are able to achieve waterproofing & breathable at the same time, such as Gore-Tex fabric.

What is the benefit?

Keeps you dry! Common in terms of availability, and more sustainable as recently Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD, a professional term for spraying at a minimum level), is being applied.

It’s renewable too post-wear-off due to abrasion, oil stains due to frequent usage. Just wash the item (yes, wash it, with cold water) and do a heat drying. If the DWR is still not seen, then spray it with some DWR spray yourself. Such sprays are everywhere in the internet.

Note: Waterproof Items can also have DWR applied. Since it avoids water gathering on the fabric, keeping the jacket’s waterproof capability at the maximum.

What is the downside?

This coating cannot tackle heavy rain. Your need the fabric to have waterproof characteristics to handle that. Moreover, reapplication of the DWR does take some effort.

If you need extreme waterproof feature, go for waterproof-fabric-made items such as Gore-Tex items. Overall, still a very useful feature for urban & rural transit or urban technical gears.