PU and PVC coated
A waterproof layer applied directly to fabric rather than a breathable membrane. Cheap, completely waterproof and clammy.
Polyurethane or PVC is spread onto the back of the fabric to seal it. There is no microporous membrane and no vapor path, so water cannot get in and sweat cannot get out. A coated suit will keep you perfectly dry standing still in a downpour and soak you from within on a ten minute walk.
That makes it the right choice for specific situations: a cheap emergency shell that lives in the bottom of a pack, a suit for sitting in a boat, or gear for someone who fishes in rain twice a year.
PVC is heavier, cheaper and stiffer than PU, and it cracks in cold.
Coated gear does have one durability advantage: there is no DWR to wear off and no membrane to delaminate, so a cheap PVC suit that lives in a boat locker will still be waterproof in five years when a better jacket has given up.
Buy coated gear as a backup shell. Buy a breathable membrane for anything you will walk or cast in for hours.
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PU and PVC coated is one of 206 terms in the glossary.
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