So we’ve just had 22 days of rain for January in Ireland and February is not going much better!
For those days when it’s raining at the start of the ride and the forecast looks grim - I’ve been using the Albion All Road rain jacket (Pertex shield 20,000 water column/ 20,000 MVTR) - and it’s been solid.
Having read Suvi’s articles on PFAS - I’m trying to find a packable emergency jacket that is as close as possible to a Shakedry and PFAS free - if anything like this exists? It would be for throwing over a winter jacket when it rains heavy and would be an emergency jacket. Ideally with 20,000 to 30,000 water column.
Current options I’ve looked at are the 7mesh Mission; and some of the newer S11 Assos rain jackets.
Would appreciate any guidance or suggestions 
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Endura has high waterproof/breathability rating gear. You can filter on their website for the value you want.
I have their GV500 jacket. Fluorine-free 3-layer fabrics. Don’t know if the DWR is PFAS-free, I would assume it’s something wax-based. It’s packable, but not tiny. It’s supposed to be very breathable but I still get sweaty as an otter in that jacket - don’t wear it above 5°C, or even 0°C.
They also have waterproof race layers that pack much smaller. The Races Cape has 15k waterproof/20k breathable, so a bit below your requirements. They mention PU layers, but don’t mention outright that there’s no PFAS for the Race Cape. I’ve been really happy with the Race Cape though, have had it for 7 years now.
Endura also have a repair service - haven’t used it yet, but good to know it’s an option. And their prices are honestly reasonable. They also used to reply quickly on Twitter, for what it’s worth 
They’re weirdly quiet about PFAS on their website though.
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Is wearing pfas clothing harmful (to me or the environment when I wear it), should I put the jacket I still own into the waste?
It is a forever chemical, but should I get rid of the jacket immediately and buy something new? Am I getting exposed to the chemical when wearing pfas or are parts of it landing in the environment?
I’m genuinely curious, not trying to trigger anything.
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From my memory of Suvi’s article, they said reasonable to use what you got, even if it’s pfas, and bin it properly when it is starting to detriorate, and shop wisely for your next one. Rather than binning perfectly functioning clothing and spending money/carbon/other chemicals on an alternative.
The concerns about pfas involve buildup in our water supply and our environment, rather than the exact piece of clothing you wear at any one time. As I understand it
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Pfas are inherently harmful to the environment, so it kind of depends what angle you’re looking at it from. The recommendation from pretty much every expert I’ve spoken to is to keep using what you already have because if you bin a perfectly good jacket and buy a new one, you’re not getting rid of the chemicals. You’re pretty much just moving the problem somewhere else, while also creating extra carbon/chemical footprint from the replacement (just like Warren said).
On the is it harmful to wear a pfas-containing jacket question: there is research suggesting pfas can enter the bloodstream through skin exposure, but there isn’t a clear consensus on what that means in practice, and most studies focus on a small number of pfas, when there are thousands of different types in use, and they all behave slightly differently. What is clear is that pfas can and do shed/leach from products over time, which is part of how they end up in waterways and the environment in the first place.
I’ll be honest that researching pfas first made me want to throw anything containing them out, and definitely I wouldn’t judge anyone for doing that if it gives them peace of mind. But once you realise the core issue is that these chemicals persist for ages and are pretty much everywhere, it can change how you think. Absolutely, limit exposure where possible (look at, for example, cosmetics that you might use on a daily basis and rub into the skin, and food), and when you need to replace something, opt for better alternatives. But for a rain jacket you’re not wearing every day for hours on end, I personally wouldn’t bin it immediately.
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I feel for you on the rain front, it’s not been much better in Scotland 
I’ve been testing a few rain jackets over the winter and been really impressed by the Rapha Pro Team lightweight one. The Velcro tab on the chest isn’t my favourite, but in terms of waterproofness, I just did a soaking wet 3h ride in it over the weekend and was dry underneath. Maap Atmos is another lightweight one, though I have had mixed results on the waterproofness front with it – it seems to need a little more tlc than the Rapha.
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Does anyone have experience with Gorewear’s Spinshift jacket, their own PFAS free Shakedry alternative?
With W.L. Gore & Associates shutting down their Gorewear cycling and running apparel brand these jackets can be found with a nice discount. Was considering to get one when the prices drop far enough.
From a technical standpoint, it will not be possible to replicate the performance of the fluoropolymer based systems with any other chemical system: the low surface energy of these systems is due to the inherent properties of fluorine, not available with other atom. The same set of properties result in their environmental persistence.
The current hope lies in systems that use a combination of surface chemistry and surface texture; the “lotus effect” creating a superhydrophobic interface using tiny spikes that stop the water reaching the surface. There has been a lot of research on this topic but I do not know of any flexible commercial product, my understanding is that durability is an issue (if the tiny spikes get flattened the thing stops working).
When I was developing chain waxes I made an experimental superhydrophobic wax, unfortunately it doesn’t last long enough to make any practical difference. Fun watching the water not being able to wet the metal though.
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I’ll keep using mine (bought 2), don’t think using it now will be worse then throwing it away.
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