UFC-QUE CHOISSIR - FIRST CONSUMER ASSOCIATION IN FRANCEE.g.: electric scooter and Segway, choosing an electric bikeDiscover High-Tech contentDiscover Household Appliances contentDiscover Home contentDiscover Auto contentDiscover Health Well-being contentDiscover Argent Assurance contentDiscover Food contentAfter choosing your hiking shoes, you should focus on the jacket.The adventure cannot be improvised and no one is safe from a shower... The market for hiking jackets is vast and while a large part are offered by sports brands (Millet, Lafuma, The North Face, Mammut, Eider, etc.), there are also private labels in sports brands (Decathlon, Go Sport, Gamme Sport, etc.) and in mass distribution (Carrefour, Auchan, La halle aux clothes, etc.).Since hiking jackets are generally of good quality, your attention must be on the intended use or on details.If some are obvious and are a matter of personal appreciation, such as the cut or the color, other aspects are to be monitored.Waterproof and windproof, the rain jacket protects you from the rain and prevents heat loss due to the wind.In addition, it evacuates perspiration in the form of water vapour.But it is better to do without a rain jacket during the effort if it is not raining, because the perspiration will be evacuated much better naturally.In addition, the thermal protection of a rain jacket being very low, it will be necessary, most of the time, to equip yourself with a fleece.Under this Anglicism that can be translated as "soft shell", a type of jacket is emerging that is supposed to replace the fleece and rain jacket duo.Indeed, it is ultimately quite rare, during short hikes, to encounter extreme weather forcing you to put on a waterproof jacket over your fleece.Thus, softshells offer both windproof and water-repellent protection resistant to light rain for 30 to 40 minutes, lined with an inner fleece to provide a small thermal contribution.Some still contain a membrane making them waterproof.A water-repellent jacket should not be confused with a waterproof jacket.Water repellency is the ability of a fabric to make water slide down its length in droplets.This prevents him from gorging himself with water and therefore becoming heavier.But this property is limited: a water-repellent fabric will not resist a long or intense downpour for long and will eventually let the water through.The disadvantage of the water repellent treatment is that it fades over time, washing and rubbing.The garment must therefore be retreated regularly with a suitable solution.Impermeability is the ability of the fabric to prevent the penetration of water.A waterproof fabric can absorb a certain amount of water (unlike a water-repellent fabric), but will not let it reach the inside of the garment.A waterproof jacket is made with a microporous material: its pores are 20,000 times smaller than a drop of water, which allows you to stay dry, while letting the body breathe.That's all the difference with a raincoat which is waterproof but not at all breathable.Be careful however, when the waterproof fabric is saturated with water on the surface, the perspiration inside is trapped and cannot be evacuated.The weight is a less decisive criterion than in the choice of hiking boots, but to be taken into account, because the differences are significant.Starting from the idea that you can always put on a fleece under your jacket in cool weather if it is a little light, the featherweight is an asset to lighten the backpack and allows you to hike without sweating when the path or the temperature rises. .The hood, detachable or fixed, can be stored in the collar.Avoid fixed hoods if you are cycling because they catch the wind.Check for Velcro or an adjustment strap on the top and sides.A good adjustment allows the hood to follow the movements of the head.The cuffs are generally adjustable, using Velcro (which allows the sleeves to be tight) or rubber bands.Pockets should be well checked, as they can be the source of minor hassles!Too small, they become inaccessible to gloved hands.Badly placed, they fall just under the shoulder strap of the backpack and turn out to be useless.It is best to start from the use you will make of your jacket.When hiking, you will need to frequently manipulate a geographical map.You need a pocket high enough to store it in and easy to open.You will eventually need a smaller pocket for a cell phone to keep handy and an interior wallet pocket.Everything else will fit better in a backpack.It is highly desirable that the closures of your pockets be waterproof.The collar is a point to watch because it is a source of friction on a fairly sensitive skin area and a privileged entry route for rainwater.A badly placed snap or an unsuitable fit can quickly become annoying.Think about it when trying on.It's not really a criterion, because none of these jackets are warm.They are intended to be worn with t-shirts or more or less thin fleeces.Take this into account and choose yours wide enough if you plan to walk in cool weather.Also note that if you occasionally practice cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, a hiking jacket and a fleece are perfectly adequate equipment.Avoid wearing cotton or wool under your jacket: natural fibers wick away sweat badly.Do not imagine going hiking with a raincoat or with a simple plastic poncho: the breathability of the jackets is important, because there is no point in preventing the rain from entering if it is to be soaked with perspiration.Also, if your skin is damp or in contact with something wet, you will get cold more easily.The garment must therefore be breathable, that is to say allow the evacuation of the humidity produced by the body, in other words perspiration.The microscopic pores of the jackets stop the drops of water, but must allow the vapor released by the body to pass through.Some jackets have zippers under the arms that allow you to ventilate without taking off your jacket and without opening the central zipper.It is rather practical in warm and humid weather to regulate its temperature.Whichever model you choose, your hiking jacket shouldn't cause you a lot of worry on this side.Water-repellent fabrics stain very little and rarely need washing.A simple wipe with a damp cloth is usually enough.If the water-repellent effect fades, there are sprays to reactivate it.Some products display their waterproof and breathability characteristics on their label.The others usually detail them on their website.Impermeability is measured in Schmerber (or mm), unit defined by standard EN 20811 (ISO 811).In the rain, the pressure exerted by the water on the garment can reach 1,300 to 2,000 Schmerber, to which must be added the pressure exerted by the user (at the level of the straps of the hiking bag for example).For short day hikes, a waterproof rating of 2,000mm may be sufficient, but for a multi-day hike, a minimum of 10,000mm is recommended.A jacket will be perfectly waterproof to 20,000mm, and garments up to 30,000mm are reserved for extreme use.Note that this data also applies to rain pants and tents.Schmerber waterproofing applies to the fabric and not to the entire garment.In our hiking jacket test, we chose to check the waterproofness of the complete jacket on a mannequin and not on a sample of the main fabric, because some jackets showed water ingress through their zipper or their tightening cord.Breathability can be displayed in two ways.The MVTR value (Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate) corresponds to the quantity of water (in grams) which evaporates from one m² of fabric in 24 hours.It is displayed as g/m²/24h.The higher the number, the more the jacket breathes: good breathability starts at 10,000 g/m²/24h.The RET (resistance, evaporation, transmission) determines the resistance that a textile opposes to the evacuation of moisture from the body and is expressed in Pa × m²/W.Contrary to the MVTR value, here the breathability is all the better as the coefficient is low: a RET lower than 12 indicates a very breathable fabric, whereas a RET beyond 20 is not very breathable.Solid, "breathable" and affordable, hiking jackets have everything to seduce.Those of our test…Solid, "breathable" and affordable, hiking jackets have everything to seduce.Those of our test…We tested fleece jackets and softshells.The second are distinguished from the first by their effect…Each foot is different, but the number of shoe models on the market is limited.Choosing a pair is…Association independent of the state, unions, producers and distributors since 1951News, tests, surveys carried out by expertsHow to find your subscriber number?Your subscriber number can be found on the transparent shipping film of your monthly magazine and in our letters.