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Snow gear has always promised two things at once. Keep the weather out and let your body breathe. For the 2025/2026 season the best brands are delivering on both fronts with smarter membranes, more robust face fabrics, and cleaner chemistry. Dope Snow deserves real credit for publishing test data and raising the bar on transparency. At the same time Arc’teryx, Helly Hansen, Patagonia and The North Face show how big platforms can evolve materials and standards without sacrificing protection on storm days.
Dope Snow
Dope Snow’s fabric stack is built as a clean, layered system. A dense recycled polyester face fabric provides the first barrier and reduces snagging and early abrasion. A hydrophilic TPU membrane stops liquid water while allowing water vapour to escape. On top of the face sits HeiQ EcoDry, a PFAS-free durable water repellent that helps moisture bead on the surface so the membrane does not get overloaded.
For 2025/2026 the focus is not only on waterproofing and breathability but also on the way durability is measured. Waterproofness is verified using ISO 811 with results around 15,000 millimetres of hydrostatic head. Breathability is measured using JIS L1099 B1 with results over 15,000 grams per square metre per 24 hours. Water repellency is checked using the ISO 4920 spray test with a Grade 4 both before and after five washes. Resistance to heavy rain is confirmed with the Bundesmann test under ISO 9865, where results hold at Grade 5 before wash and Grade 4 after five washes. Dope also reports on adhesive strength of the laminate, seam slippage and appearance after laundering to show that performance is maintained beyond headline numbers.
Starting with the Fall/Winter 2025 collection, the brand introduced its own tear strength standards above industry minimums. While the benchmark sits at 13N x 13N, Dope’s main snow fabric achieves 32.5N x 36.0N. Every bulk fabric must remain within 10 percent of this benchmark. Each colour and each batch is lab tested before production, resulting in more than 25,000 test data points collected each season. The process also includes checks on snaps and buttons to ensure that no weak materials enter production.
This approach means the fabrics continue to perform after repeated washing and wear, and the build quality remains consistent throughout the production run.
Sources
- https://www.dopesnow.com/sustainability/why-durability-is-built-into-every-fibre/
- https://www.dopesnow.com/sustainability/from-breathability-to-sustainability-the-challenge-of-functional-fabrics/
Arc’teryx
Arc’teryx has pushed its shell collections into the PFAS free era by adopting GORE TEX with ePE and GORE TEX PRO ePE across key models. The ePE membrane maintains the familiar trio of protection, windproofing and breathability while cutting fluorinated chemistry from the membrane and shaving weight. On many shells the brand pairs the membrane with a C KNIT backer that softens the feel against mid layers and assists moisture transport away from the body. Arc’teryx also addresses the reality of wet out on face fabrics. When the surface wets it can look alarming but the membrane remains waterproof. Proper care and a refreshed DWR restore the beading so breathability returns to normal.
The practical outcome for riders is predictable protection in storms, reliable moisture transfer on climbs and a lighter drape that is easier to wear all day. The move to ePE is not a small tweak. It is a platform shift that will define the next few seasons of high mountain shells.
Sources
- https://arcteryx.com/es/es/shop/epe-fabric
- https://arcteryx.com/us/en/help/product-care/protect-gore-tex
Helly Hansen
Helly Hansen’s answer to chemical heavy water repellents is to reduce reliance on them altogether. LIFA INFINITY PRO builds waterproofness into the fabric and membrane structure so the surface sheds water without the traditional reproofing routine. The company positions LIFA INFINITY and LIFA INFINITY PRO as fully waterproof and breathable systems that block liquid water while moving vapour outward. In practice that means protection that does not fade after a handful of washes and a simpler care cycle for riders who live in their shells.
Helly Tech Professional continues as the top tier for sustained exposure. The emphasis is on seam sealing, long term impermeability and breathability suitable for patrol work, sled laps and storm skiing. The brand’s direction for 2025/2026 is clear. Deliver waterproof breathable protection that remains consistent after real use and do it with less reliance on persistent chemistries.
Sources
Patagonia
Patagonia frames waterproofing and breathability around the H2No Performance Standard. It is not a single fabric. It is a benchmark that combines hydrostatic head testing, moisture vapour transfer testing, wet flex, abrasion and extended field use before a fabric earns the H2No label. That approach matters because riders get durability rolled into the definition of waterproof and breathable rather than a lab only snapshot.
For 2025/2026 Patagonia is also deep into expanded polyethylene membranes. ePE allows the brand to build durably waterproof and breathable shells without relying on perfluorinated chemicals in the membrane. Many alpine and snow shells pair ePE or H2No constructions with PFAS free DWR finishes. The big picture is a company standard that treats breathability and longevity as part of the same promise, not competing goals.
Sources
- https://www.patagonia.com/our-footprint/h2no-performance-standard.html
- https://www.patagonia.com/our-footprint/expanded-polyethylene.html
The North Face
The North Face runs two complementary systems. FUTURELIGHT is a nanospun polyurethane membrane that allows airflow at the microscopic level while maintaining waterproof integrity. The intent is straightforward. Keep the membrane breathable enough to reduce heat buildup during variable weather and high output, but lock out liquid water so you can keep moving when the sky opens.
DryVent is the workhorse construction that uses a multi layer polyurethane approach with full seam sealing and a durable water repellent on the face. The company positions DryVent as fully waterproof, windproof and breathable. FUTURELIGHT sits above it as the most breathable waterproof option. Taken together the range gives riders a choice between maximum breathability with FUTURELIGHT for tour and storm travel days, or reliable all weather protection with DryVent for everyday lift laps and resort mileage.
Why this season feels different
The story running through these brands is a move away from old tradeoffs. Breathability no longer means flimsy. Waterproofing no longer means plastic feeling or suffocating. Dope Snow’s clear test reporting shows how a recycled face fabric and a hydrophilic membrane can hit real world numbers and still look sharp after multiple wash cycles. Arc’teryx folds PFAS free ePE into its mountain shells and keeps the fit and comfort that pros rely on. Helly Hansen threads permanent water shedding into the fabric so upkeep is easier. Patagonia uses H2No as a performance gate while adopting ePE to lower the chemical footprint. The North Face leans on membrane engineering so air and vapour move while you stay sealed from weather.
If you spend your winters riding storms and skin tracks this is what you feel when everything works. The jacket that vents on the climb. The bibs that do not saturate on the chair. The kit that still beads water in April because the membrane, the DWR and the construction were designed to work together. That is the 2025/2026 difference.
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