Home/ UK/ Waterproof Jackets Est. 2014

Waterproof jacket
manufacturer for UK brands

Membrane shells, taped seams and specifications that mean what they say — built for a country where it rains sideways. Thirty pieces per style, first sample in 7–10 working days.

30
Pieces Min. Order
20k
Membranes Available
100%
Seams Tapeable
DDP
To Your Door
The Numbers

Read the figures,
then read what they leave out

Every fabric supplier quotes two numbers and most brands buy on them alone. They are useful, they are measured to real standards, and they describe a rectangle of new fabric in a laboratory — not a jacket with forty seams, a two-way zip and a hood, worn for a season. Here is what they mean and where they stop being helpful.

RatingHolds outHonest use
1,500–5,000mmLight rain, short exposureShowerproof. Do not call it waterproof.
10,000mmSteady rain, a few hoursThe working floor for a British field jacket
15,000–20,000mmSustained rain, pressure from a pack or a sitting positionA full day on a peg or on the hill
Above 20,000mmEverything the weather hasReal, but rarely the limiting factor — spend on taping and the hood instead
Breathability is the number that matters more in Britain. Our climate is wet and mild, so the usual failure is not water coming in but sweat failing to get out. A 20,000mm shell that does not breathe leaves the wearer as wet as the rain would have. If you must trade one against the other at a price point, trade water resistance down and keep breathability up — unless the garment is for standing still in a downpour, in which case do the opposite.
How Jackets Leak

Three routes in,
and only one is the fabric

Through the seams

Every needle makes a hole. A shell is only as waterproof as its taping, and the shoulder seam under a gun or a pack strap is where it shows first. Fully taped is the honest specification for anything sold for a day in the wet; critical taping is a price-point decision that belongs on the spec sheet, not hidden.

Through the openings

Zips, cuffs, hem and hood. A plain zip is a channel for water; it needs a storm flap over it, a water-resistant coating, or both. Cuffs need to seal over or under a glove without a gap. A hood without a decent peak and a rear volume adjuster funnels rain straight down the neck, and no fabric rating saves it.

Through the fabric — the rarest one

Genuine fabric failure is unusual on a properly specified garment. What is usually mistaken for it is wet-out: the face fabric saturates, breathability collapses, condensation forms inside, and the wearer concludes the jacket leaks. The membrane is intact. The water-repellent finish has worn off and needs restoring.

Constructions

Four ways to keep rain out,
and what each one costs you

ConstructionHow it worksTrade-offSuits
Laminated membrane
2L, 2.5L, 3L		A microporous or hydrophilic film bonded to the face fabricBest performance, highest cost; 3-layer is the most durable and the noisiestTechnical shells, stalking, hill kit
Coated fabric
PU or acrylic		A waterproof layer applied to the back of the face fabricMuch cheaper; lower breathability and a shorter lifePackable rain shells, over-trousers, entry price points
Laminated softshellFace fabric, membrane and backing bonded into oneQuiet, stretchy and comfortable; usually water-resistant rather than fully waterproofShooting coats, mid-season country jackets
Waxed cottonDense cotton impregnated with a wax or paraffin dressingHeavy, not breathable, needs reproofing — and sells anyway on look and feelTraditional countrywear
DWR is not the waterproofing. The durable water repellent finish sits on the outside of the face fabric and makes rain bead and run off. It is what stops wet-out, it wears away with use and washing, and it is restorable with a wash-in or spray-on proofer and gentle heat. Every garment we make for the UK goes out with that stated in plain English on the swing ticket, because a customer who reproofs a jacket at the end of season 1 keeps it until season 5 and buys from you again.
What We Build

Specifications we run
for British weather

GarmentTypical buildDetail that earns its keep
Waterproof shooting coat15k/15k membrane, fully taped, quiet brushed faceAction back, bellows cartridge pockets, recoil patch, drop-back hem
Stalking jacket15k–20k membrane, fully taped, peached quiet faceSilent cuff closure, hardware behind flaps, pit zips, sling-clear pockets
Country parka10k–15k membrane, fully taped, longer bodyRoll-away hood, corduroy collar, two-way zip under a storm flap
Packable rain shellCoated or 2.5L membrane, critically or fully tapedPacks into its own pocket; state the taping honestly
Over-trousers10k–15k, fully tapedFull-length side zips over boots, articulated knee, elasticated back
Waterproof smock15k–20k, fully taped, no front zipFewer failure points, quieter, kangaroo pocket, two-way hood
We test the bulk fabric, not the data sheet

Suppliers quote what the mill claims. We check the roll that will actually be cut, and if it does not match we tell you before it becomes 300 jackets. See fabric testing.

The specification says what it is

Fully or critically taped, the real hydrostatic head, the real breathability figure, and whether the DWR is fluorine-free. Your ticket can then claim exactly that and nothing more.

Sample in real rain

Put the sample on somebody and stand them outside for two hours. It is the only test that finds a hood that funnels or a cuff that wicks, and it is free.

Fabric library →Membranes, softshells, coatings and what each is actually for. Choosing a fabric →A longer walk through the numbers and the trade-offs. UK labelling requirements →Care wording for membranes and taped seams, and what not to claim.
Waterproofing FAQ

What buyers should be asking

What do the numbers 10k/10k actually mean?
The first is hydrostatic head in millimetres — how tall a column of water the fabric holds before it leaks, tested to ISO 811. The second is breathability, usually moisture vapour transmission in grams per square metre per 24 hours; bigger is better. So 10k/10k means 10,000mm of water resistance and 10,000g of vapour transmission. Both are laboratory figures on new fabric, and neither tells you how the finished jacket behaves once it has seams, a zip and a year of wear.
How waterproof does a jacket actually need to be?
For British weather, 10,000mm is a sensible working floor for a jacket that will be stood about in, and 15,000 to 20,000mm is comfortable for a full day in the wet under a pack strap, where pressure forces water through. Above roughly 20,000mm the extra number is mostly marketing — the money is better spent on taping, a decent hood and a face fabric that does not wet out.
What is the difference between fully taped and critically taped?
Fully taped means every seam is sealed. Critically taped means only the shoulders, hood and upper body are done, and the rest are left. Critical taping is a legitimate way to hit a price point on a light rain shell, but it is not honest to call the result a waterproof jacket for a full day on a peg — the lower seams will let water in. We will build either, and we put which one it is on the specification so your swing ticket does not overclaim.
Can you make PFAS-free or PFC-free water repellents?
Yes. The durable water repellent finish on the outside of the face fabric is separate from the waterproof membrane underneath, and fluorine-free chemistries are readily available now. They are slightly less durable against oils and need reproofing a little more often, which is worth saying on the care label rather than hiding. Ask at the fabric stage — it is a fabric decision, not something that can be changed after bulk is bought.
My jacket leaked but the fabric is 20,000mm. Why?
Almost always one of three things that have nothing to do with the fabric rating: an untaped or badly taped seam, water tracking in through a zip or a cuff, or the face fabric wetting out so it feels wet inside even though nothing has come through. The third is the most commonly misdiagnosed. It is a worn DWR finish, and it is fixed by washing and reproofing rather than by buying a higher number.
What is your minimum order quantity?
30 pieces per style per colourway. Waterproof outerwear is the one category where we would push you to spend more on the sample stage than on breadth — one shell got genuinely right, tested in real rain, is worth more than three specified from a data sheet.

Ready to spec a shell?

Tell us the price point and where it will be worn and we will propose two or three fabrics with real figures, then sample the one you pick within 7–10 working days.

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