Choosing Your Clothing
Welcome to our guide to choosing your outdoor clothing. We've put together some helpful information on this page to help you find what you need.
We make the most reliable, innovative product where form follows function and necessity is the mother of invention. When you use and know our brand, you'll see the difference. Every innovation has an "ah ha" that will deliver a guaranteed brand promise, no matter where you are in the wilderness or everyday life.
Green Effect™
Going green is second nature to us - over the years we've grown accustomed to considering the environmental impacts of running our company as much as any other factor in our business. For us, doing right by the consumer, the retailer, and Mother Earth matter equally. Our ultimate goal is to apply this green-inspired mindset to each of our product segments. Our Cyclone™ Eco and Hurricane™ hard shells withstand rainforest downpours, while helping to keep our air and water free of toxic-and-nasty poly-vinyl chloride - a good idea for consumers, and a great idea for the natural places we love the most. Solvent-free membranes in our hard shell jackets and pants protect water resources and give trout streams and estuaries a break from harsh chemicals. Solvents disrupt ecosystems and take generations to break down, but using solvent-free membranes in many of our shells avoids the problem entirely. For more info, see our Green Effect™ Program page.
Soft Shell
The term "soft shell" refers to jackets and pants made from fabrics that combine serious wind and weather resistance, exceptional breathability, durability, and stretch performance. Incredibly versatile, soft shells can be used as an outer layer 90% of the time you're out there, the exception being really wet conditions. In a downpour, they can function as a midlayer under a waterproof shell.
In Fall 2007 we brought you our Icon Soft Shell program - all weather protection expected in a soft shell on the outside with the benefits of Cocona (natural technology) fleece on the inside.
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The importance of ventilation
Sweating is a part of the body's response to a warm environment. It's one of the things the body does to try to keep its core temperature at a safe level. When you're too hot, your body brings sweat to the skin surface where it can evaporate. This process of evaporation provides cooling. When you're active in a cold environment and your clothing does not allow built-up heat to escape, you may begin sweating. If you are not cooled quickly, it's because your clothing is creating a barrier to sweat evaporating and is losing its insulative properties. The result is you'll feel chilled and your enjoyment of and safety in the outdoors will be compromised.
That's why Sierra Designs incorporates Pit Zips, allowing ventilation and mesh pockets in it's mid and outer layer styles. These torso and arm vents allow moisture to move from the body to the outside where it can evaporate, keeping you dry and comfortable.
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Waterproof Breathable Performance Fabric
Making sense of waterproof-breathable fabrics can be a chore—there are more than five different tests to gauge a fabric's "waterproofness" and its breathability. We've streamlined the process by developing icons that help indicate the range of our fabrics' characteristics, both in terms of breathability and waterproofing. Below you'll find a simplified, easy-to-understand rating system showing which of our fabrics breathe the best, and which offer good, better and the best protection from the elements.
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Waterproofness
Different treatments and membranes offer more or less waterproofing. A DWR is simply a treatment to any material's outer surface that helps block water from penetrating the interior. DWRs help resist light moisture and keep a jacket or pant drier, longer. Coatings and membranes (like our Tropozone™ Green) offer substantially more protection from snow and rain than a DWR, so our full-protection shells and pants employ several different technologies to fully block rain, snow, and even wind.
Three levels of waterproofness in fabric:
- Water Resistant: the fabric has a DWR and allows water to bead up, but water will eventually soak into the fabric.
- Waterproof: the fabric has a DWR and coating or laminate that does not allow any water drops to penetrate the fabric. Seams on the garment are taped or welded to prevent leakage at the stitch lines.
- Highly Waterproof: the fabric has a DWR and coating or laminate with a rating of over 15,000 mm of water pressure without leaking. Seams on the garment are taped or welded to prevent leakage at the stitch lines.
Moisture Vapor Transmission (MVT) + Ventilation Capabilities = Breathability
A garment's breathability is a function of several variables, including fabric type, design, and even the user's own metabolism. Different fabrics allow moisture to escape at varying levels. We also need to keep in mind that a jacket or pant's design accounts as much for its breathability as its fabrics—vents, mesh-backed pockets, and full zips help increase breathability tremendously.
Three levels of breathability in fabric:
- Slightly Breathable
- Breathable
- Highly Breathable
By constructing a jacket with Pit Zips, a full-front zipper, and mesh-backed pockets, we can greatly increase performance, making a jacket constructed of a less-breathable fabric (by testing standards) more breathable in real-world function.
Many other attributes play a role in comfort: Comfort in the outdoors starts with quality gear and smart design. It's also important to educate consumers about how to use their high-performance equipment. For example, strategic and intelligent dressing matters as much as a garment's fabric in preventing overheating or catching a chill. Those outdoor adventurers who tend to "run hotter" are usually the ones who sweat more, too—these folks should dress in wicking layers and in the most breathable fabrics possible. These same consumers will also benefit from garment designs incorporating Pit Vents, mesh-backed pockets, full side-zip pants, and full zippers in a jacket. In the end, the right fabrics, dressing properly, and adapting on the fly ensure performance and comfort in the backcountry.
How to choose insulation
When faced with the decision of which insulation is best, it's important to know how each performs. Sierra Designs utilizes down and Synthetic insulations in its clothing.
Goose Down is nature's best insulation. It is the warmest insulation available for its weight. It has superior ability to trap heat and keep you warm. It results in a lofty, lightweight and comfortable garment.
When down becomes wet it loses its insulative value. To guard against this the face fabric in our down-filled garments is treated with a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) finish to shed water. If you're planning to use your insulating garment in cold, dry conditions, down is your best choice. If you want warmth in wet conditions, choose a synthetic.
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