The Challenge of Durable Waterproofing

Similar to other high-quality outdoor gear suppliers, Oaki relies on effective Durable Water Repellent (DWR) to provide the long-lasting functionality our customers require. Our gear is regularly subjected to extended use in very wet and cold environments and is relied upon to keep children warm and dry. The use of effective chemical compounds to treat the surface of critical items is necessary to prevent moisture saturation.

Our gear that utilizes multilayer membrane technology to impede water penetration must still repel moisture from the surface so as to prevent the material from becoming soggy, clammy, and wet-feeling. While the industry standard for DWR for many years was a compound designated as C8, Oaki and others have moved away from this treatment in favor of the environmentally superior choice C6. While C6 is in fact less durable than C8, the trade-off is acceptable given the persistence of C8 in the environment. We have found C6 to be a sufficiently durable surface treatment that research has shown also breaks down more rapidly in the environment. Of course, the industry goal is complete replacement of PFAS treatments, and there is ongoing research into commercially viable alternatives. We continue to work with our manufacturing partners in search of C6 replacements, and moving completely away from fluorocarbon-based DWR by 2025 is our goal.