Rain Shower Test
We use a waterproof softshell fabric to make the outer shell of The Original sPARKA. It is coated with DWR, and bonded to a waterproof membrane. The waterproof membrane blocks out large water droplets while allowing tiny water vapours (sweat) to escape.
We ran a 10 minute Rain Shower Test on the outer shell fabric (white). We compared it to a non-waterproof fabric (black). We're aware that this is not a scientific test to quantify waterproofness. We did what we could as a start-up to give a straightforward demonstration.
That was fun! All silliness aside, the outer shell fabric has the following certifications from the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC):
- AATCC-42 Level 3 (Impact Penetration Test determines the ability of a material to resist water penetration under spray impact)
- AATCC-127 Level 3 (Hydrostatic Pressure Test determines the ability of a material to resist water penetration under constant contact with increasing pressure)
Water resistance classification:
- Level 1 - minimal resistance
- Level 2 - low resistance
- Level 3 - moderate resistance
- Level 4 - blood and viral resistance