Since the PFAS chemical ban and the subsequent mass extinction of Shakedry waterproof technology, the cycling rain jacket landscape has looked a little bleaker.
Generally speaking, the accepted wisdom now is that the best waterproof jackets just aren’t as good as they used to be.
A press release from British brand Madison this week alerted us to its new HydroShift Waterproof technology. Madison has launched a new two-layer, PFAS-free waterproof jacket, and while the brand does not promise a return to Shakedry levels of performanceit uses a design that shares some of the features that Shakedry did; could it be a new, viable wet weather option?
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The new product set off a healthy debate in the CN Tech Slack channel: was this the return of a PFAS-free Shakedry-type product – surely the ultimate goal for ‘green’ waterproofs- or merely another ‘bin bag’?
We will be testing a sample of the Hydroshift in the coming months and will report back to you on its performance in the UK autumn and winter. The retail price for the jacket will be £199.99
Jackets using Gore-Tex Shakedry material worked incredibly well thanks to certain, now banned, ‘forever chemicals’ used in production. In a nutshell, these chemicals facilitated both amazing breathability and waterproofing.
Shakedry jackets were superlight because they eschewed any outer textile layer. They were also very breathable, and water just rolled off them; you could also, let’s not forget, as the name suggests, literally shake them dry.
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Many rain jackets, with exceptions, tend to use a DWR-coated (durable water repellent) outer textile layer, which just isn’t as effective as the Shakedry of old. Over time and use, DWR coatings become less effective, and jackets need more maintenance.
The Hydroshift tech
So what creates a link between the immortal Shakedry of old and this new HydroShift jacket? It certainly isn’t forever chemicals, as the brand confirmed to us that its jacket is PFAS-free.
The Flux HydroShift Waterproof Packable Jacket does away with a face fabric outer layer. The jacket’s ‘ultra-hydrophobic microporous polyurethane membrane’ is the outer layer of the jacket, which is what Shakedry jackets had, and is what the wet-weather race-specific Castelli Gabba R also does.
The brand’s press release says ‘a quick shake removes much of the remaining surface water’ once you stop riding. This is as close as we get to any actual Shakedry claims, but the choice of language is interesting at very least.
We asked the brand for a little more information on the jacket, and it told us the jacket is designed to deliver breathability where it’s needed, i.e climbing, and didn’t focus on the highest possible waterproof rating numbers.
‘HydroShift takes a different approach. Its microporous hydrophobic membrane allows moisture vapour to escape through open pores from the outset, helping to regulate heat and perspiration before the jacket begins to feel damp or clammy inside.
‘The membrane also forms the jacket’s outer surface, removing the conventional face fabric that can absorb rain and eventually wet out. Water instead beads and rolls away, helping the jacket remain light while allowing moisture vapour to continue escaping.’
We are verifying waterproof numbers with the brand, but recent waterproofs have shown us that good breathability often comes at the expense of top-tier waterproofing. Brands will need to successfully combine the two to get anywhere near Shakedry levels of performance.