For centuries, protection from the elements was a real problem for soldiers, for various reasons, first of all the waterproof material, then the practicality of movement.
From ancient times to the 19th century, things changed little, for protection from the rain there were few solutions, generally waxed wool cloaks or for those who could afford it in waxed leather. The waxed cloaks offered relative protection, better than nothing, and they were heavy. In fact they were more used for static activities or by cavalry.
With the Industrial Revolution and the use of cotton too, especially in the United Kingdom, the first military waterproof jacket began to be produced, in very dense and waxed cotton yarn, still known today in the dry Mackintosh, Ventile and “wet” Barbour versions. , products that work very well in typical British climatic conditions, both on land and at sea. The first rubberized capes also appear, forerunners of the military poncho.
During the First World War the soldier’s “waterproof” protection is purely due to waxed sheets, which sometimes become coats (trench trench coats), or for those who had access to rubber, rubberised sheets.
During the Second World War the military raincoat changed little in the materials, but more in the design. The materials remain the same with the addition of the use of leather, even if coats, jackets and anoraks are mostly in oilcloth. In this period the first military ponchos began to be used, especially in the Pacific theater.
During the war in Korea we witness the massive use of ponchos in rubber or rubberized canvas, to protect themselves not only from torrential rains but also from snow. It should be noted that one of the monuments that commemorates Korean veterans portrays soldiers covered in military ponchos.
The poncho is certainly one of the symbols of the Vietnam War, given the climatic conditions of the area. The first experiments of waterproof jacket-pants combinations are also made, which we will then see from the following years until today.
From the 80s of the twentieth century, a new technological solution appeared for the military raincoat, the Goretex Militar and or rather the waterproof and breathable membranes, products that offer the same protection from the elements but that “transpire”. Perspiration especially in temperate climates is a comfort that, taking for example the rainy Central Europe, the soldier on the move does not have with the rubberized military raincoat, which is particularly unpleasant if not really dangerous, when temperatures drop, for example the Falkland / Malvinas conflict .
Anyone who has tried to stay one day in the rain knows that if you move you will sweat and that the rubberized material will not let the rain through but will make us wet with sweat. With the use of a Goretex military waterproof combination, we will certainly be drier from the inside and no water will pass from the outside anyway.
