If you're buying a waterproof jacket in Huddersfield, there's one thing you can be fairly confident about.
It'll get tested.
Pennine weather doesn't mess about. Rain coming sideways, wind whipping down the valley and that special Huddersfield drizzle that somehow gets everywhere. So when we're specifying branded workwear, "water resistant" isn't always good enough.
Two jackets demonstrate nicely why specification matters – but so does what you're buying it for.
The quick win: Regatta Professional 4-Tex
At roughly £75–£95 per jacket before branding, the Regatta Professional 4-Tex Stretch Waterproof Shell packs some serious specification for the money.
We're talking 10,000mm waterproof protection, 10,000g breathability, stretch fabric and taped seams.
And taped seams matter.
Every time a waterproof fabric is stitched, you're effectively punching tiny holes through it. Taping those seams seals them from the inside, helping make the finished garment properly waterproof rather than simply using waterproof fabric.
For a business wanting to get a team into good-quality waterproof branded workwear without blowing the budget, Regatta Professional is a reyt sensible choice.
The longer-term investment: Stormtech Scirocco
Then there's the Stormtech Scirocco.
Again, 10,000mm waterproof. 10,000g breathability. Fully sealed seams. But Stormtech adds waterproof zips, articulated sleeves, adjustable cuffs and hem, recycled polyester construction and its H2XTREME® technical outer shell.
Expect roughly £110–£150 before branding, depending on supplier and quantity.
That's a fair jump.
But here's the bit we like: Stormtech backs its products with a five-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship.
That tells you something about where the manufacturer believes the product sits.
So which would we recommend?
Neither automatically.
That's the whole point.
If you need to kit out a larger workforce, control the budget and still want proper 10K/10K waterproof performance, the Regatta Professional is a cracking quick win.
If someone's wearing that jacket regularly, working outside, representing your business every day and you want something you're investing in rather than simply issuing, we'd spend the extra on Stormtech.
Same principle. Different investment.
Because around Huddersfield, waterproof workwear isn't something you buy for the three days a year it rains.
It's what you wear for the other 362.
