Comparative evaluation of different fabrics

Although the various fabric manufacturers claim the superiority of breathable characteristics of fabrics, most often the fabrics are not tested following similar test procedures and also under simulations of practical situations. Further, an objective comparison in terms of waterproofing and comfort is often difficult owing to the following factors  

Many fabrics can withstand a hydrostatic head of 130cm but the vapour transmission rates are often difficult to compare because of the variety of the test methods and also because the conditions during the tests do not even remotely reflect the extreme external conditions (e.g. rainy weather) for which the fabrics are designed. 

In a series of investigations, it was found that the vapour transfer behaviour of different types of product are quite different under steady state, raining, windy and rainy and windy conditions. In general, wind increases while rain decreases the water vapour transfer rate of fabrics. Breathability of most of the fabric ultimately ceases after long exposure to prolonged severe rainy conditions. 

Properties Cotton Ventile PTFE Laminates GORE-TEX PU coating 

Based on the vapour permeability test following BS 7209 (with some modification), Holmes et ranked the breathable fabric in order of decreasing performance as follows  

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