Nothing in the Hand

There's a measurement called denier that describes how fine a thread is. Seven is finer than most dress shirt fabrics. It's also where our thinking on the Canard travel jacket currently sits for the face fabric, which is either a contradiction or the point, depending on how you think about it.

How 2.5-Layer Waterproofing Works

The conventional waterproof jacket construction uses three layers: a face fabric, a waterproof membrane, and a separate inner liner. The liner protects the membrane and adds comfort but also adds weight and bulk. A 2.5-layer construction removes the liner and replaces it with a printed surface bonded to the underside of the membrane, which protects the membrane face without the weight of a full inner. Less material. Flatter when folded. Considerably more packable.

We're currently evaluating Pertex Shield at 51gsm as the face fabric, with a 20,000mm hydrostatic head and 20,000g/m²/24hr breathability rating. At 7 denier the face is fine enough that the jacket weighs almost nothing in the hand, but the membrane underneath does the work. The DWR direction is fluorocarbon-free. The outdoor industry has been moving away from perfluorinated compounds under sustained regulatory pressure, and the performance of fluorocarbon-free alternatives has reached the point where the substitution doesn't require a performance compromise at this rating level.

The Colourway We're Working Towards

The colour direction we're exploring is a pale cool grey, the kind that reads differently in different light, cooler under cloud and warmer in direct sun. That quality is what makes it genuinely neutral rather than a pale with a lean. It carries well against the rest of the Canard system without requiring coordination, and it holds visual clarity over extended wear in a way that white wouldn't.

The case for a light colourway over black is worth making at this stage of development. A jacket this fine picks up the visual character of what's beneath it and around it. The cool grey we're testing sits quietly in that context without either disappearing or drawing attention to itself, which is the behaviour we're looking for.

The Hood That Packs Into Itself

One of the design directions we're committed to at this stage is the hood doubling as a storage pocket. The roll-away hood folds back and secures to clean the collar line when not needed. When packing the jacket, the hood opens out and becomes the stuff pocket the whole jacket packs into. There's no separate bag, no accessory to misplace, no additional step. The hood serves two functions at different times, and the total item count of the carry system stays lower as a result.

At this weight and packed size, the jacket earns its place in a bag for a trip where the weather is uncertain, which is most trips. That's the direction we're moving in.