Work Rain Gear: Jackets, Trousers & More

Rainproof Workwear
Discover the ideal water-repellent or rainproof workwear to tackle the rainy months

Not just for rain, but also for snow, fog, or high humidity, working outdoors often makes it essential to wear rainproof or water-repellent workwear. And it's not just for outdoor settings: protecting oneself from moisture is crucial for many types of workers, from those handling water jets to those in the food industry.
The best water-repellent clothing not only keeps you dry but also serves another important function for workplace safety and health: ensuring adequate breathability. If this weren't essential for our health and comfort, we'd simply wear plastic clothes.
How do you choose the most suitable rainproof clothing for your needs? First, based on the performance required by your work environment and the weather conditions.
There is a specific standard for measuring and certifying the level of protection against water and moisture, the UNI EN 343 standard.
Protective Clothing Against Rain: The EN 343 Standard
The UNI EN 343:2019 standard defines "the requirements and test methods applicable to garments, materials, and seams of protective clothing against the effects of precipitation (e.g., rain, snow), fog, and ground moisture."
Rainproof workwear certified according to the EN 343 standard is identifiable by this pictogram:

Rainproof workwear certified under this standard has high resistance to rain, snow, fog, and moisture. According to the UNI EN 343 standard, rainproof workwear is classified based on two criteria:
- Water penetration resistance
- Evaporative resistance

Water penetration resistance is measured by testing both the fabric and the seams. Based on risk assessment and environmental conditions, four classes of water penetration resistance have been established, each providing increasing levels of resistance, starting from a water pressure equal to or greater than 8000 Pa for class 1. The water penetration resistance class is indicated by the top number in the pictogram.
Evaporative resistance measures the resistance of the fabric to water vapor passage, acting as a barrier to sweat evaporation. This criterion thus ensures that a fabric is not only water-resistant but also breathable. Here too, there are four performance classes for water vapor resistance (Ret), indicated by the second number in the pictogram: the higher the performance class, the lower the water vapor resistance, and the higher the breathability. Rainproof workwear with class 1 for evaporative resistance is the least breathable and is recommended for limited use, especially in high temperatures: check that the usage time recommendations are included in the information notes of the rainproof clothing you have purchased.

The Diadora Utility RAIN JKT TECH EN 343 rainproof work jacket, available in black and ivy green, is EN 343 certified and combines water resistance with the high breathability of the Breathing System technology developed and licensed by Geox. This system allows sweat to escape through a ventilation strip (breathing tape) equipped with a special breathable and waterproof membrane, which facilitates sweat evaporation while preventing water entry.
When choosing rainproof workwear that effectively protects against water and moisture, it's also important to ensure that, like the RAIN JKT TECH and the lighter RAIN JACKET LITEWORK, the zipper is waterproof!
If your outdoor work involves prolonged exposure to rain and weather conditions, as well as low visibility, you may need to wear rainproof clothing that also has high-visibility certification. This is the case with the HV JACKET, a dual detachable rainproof jacket that is breathable and features a high-visibility outer layer in fluorescent yellow or fluorescent orange.

Water-Repellent Workwear
How does water-repellent clothing differ from certified rainproof clothing? Water-repellent workwear protects against water and moisture but withstands lower pressure compared to garments tested according to the EN 343 standard.
Water-repellent clothes and shoes keep you dry in most non-extreme working conditions but won't prevent you from getting wet if you work for long periods directly exposed to water or the elements. That said, excellent water-repellent workwear offers adequate protection for most uses that do not involve working for hours in heavy rain.
We conclude with two recommendations for finding the ideal water-repellent jacket for transitioning from winter to spring. The SOFTSHELL SAIL, windproof, and the SOFTSHELL TECH CARBON, highly breathable thanks to Geox's Breathing System technology, are softshell work jackets made of water-repellent fabric suitable for both work and off-work use. The non-deformable MEMBRANE FZ HOODIE has the classic look of full-zip hoodies.