Raincoat
Encyclopedia
A raincoat is a waterproof or water-resistant coat
Coat (clothing)
A coat is a long garment worn by both men and women, for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, toggles, a belt, or a combination of some of these...

 worn to protect the body from rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...

. The term rain jacket is sometimes used to refer to raincoats that are waist length. A rain jacket may be combined with a pair of rain pants to make a rain suit.

Modern raincoats are often constructed of breathable, waterproof fabrics such as Gore-Tex
Gore-Tex
Gore-Tex is a waterproof/breathable fabric, and a registered trademark of W. L. Gore and Associates. It was co-invented by Wilbert L. Gore, Rowena Taylor, and Gore's son, Robert W. Gore. Robert Gore was granted on April 27, 1976, for a porous form of polytetrafluoroethylene with a...

 and coated nylons. These fabrics allow some air to pass through, allowing the garment to 'breathe' so that sweat vapour can escape. The amount of pouring rain a raincoat can handle is sometimes meassured in the unit millimeters, water gauge
Millimeters, water gauge
mm.Wg means millimeters, water gauge. It is the pressure required to support a water column of the specified height . As a pressure unit it varies with temperature, but approximately 1 mm H2O = 9.8 Pa...

.
Important styles of raincoat include:
  • Mackintosh
    Mackintosh
    The Mackintosh or Macintosh is a form of waterproof raincoat, first sold in 1824, made out of rubberised fabric...

    , rubberised cloth
  • Gannex
    Gannex
    Gannex is a waterproof fabric invented in 1951 by Joseph Kagan, a British industrialist and the founder of Kagan Textiles, of Elland, which made raincoats...

  • Waxed jacket
    Waxed jacket
    A Waxed jacket is a type of hip-length raincoat made from waxed cotton cloth, iconic of British country life. Today it is commonly worn for outdoor rural pursuits such as hunting, shooting and fishing....

  • Anorak
    Anorak
    An anorak or parka is a type of heavy jacket with a hood, often lined with fur or fake fur, so as to protect the face from a combination of freezing temperatures and wind...

    , derived from traditional Inuit designs
  • Cagoule
    Cagoule (raincoat)
    A cagoule, cagoul, kagoule or kagool is the British English term for a lightweight , weatherproof raincoat or anorak with a hood, which often comes in knee-length....

    , also Cagoul, Kagoule, Kagool
  • Poncho
  • Sou'wester
  • Trench coat
    Trench coat
    A trench coat or trenchcoat is a raincoat made of waterproof heavy-duty cotton drill or poplin, wool gabardine, or leather. It generally has a removable insulated lining; and it is usually knee-length.-History:...

  • Driza-Bone
    Driza-Bone
    Driza-Bone, originating from the phrase "dry as a bone", is a trade name for the company making full-length waterproof riding coats and apparel. The company was established in 1898 and is currently Australian owned and manufactures its products in Australia...

    , Australian oiled cotton
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