Whether you’re in the back country for work or recreation, staying dry isn’t just an issue of enjoyment— it can be critical to survival.

Have you ever found that in cold, wet conditions, your expensive outdoor gear gets just as wet from the inside as it does from the outside? This is because the exterior surface of your jacket’s fabric is cooler than its interior, causing trapped water vapor to condense on the inside.

Waterproof/breathable fabrics used in outerwear rely solely on a microporous membrane made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to transport water vapor outside of your jacket and away from your body. It works well in a laboratory, but as any outdoor enthusiast will tell you, the reality falls short. The microscopic pores quickly become saturated, inhibiting your jacket’s breathability and causing moisture to build up inside. What’s really needed is to combine this chemical membrane with a mechanical ventilation feature.

Bored of Authority’s® new Venti-Layer™ technology provides the needed solution. BOA combines the best technology in waterproof/breathable fabrics with a 3D Air Mesh fabric originally designed to provide airflow in multiple industrial applications.

Venti-Layer 3D Air Mesh is a mesh fabric about 4mm thick, constructed entirely with holes. This technology is zone-engineered into several styles of BOA outerwear and mid-layer designs — behind the neck, across the shoulders, and part way down the back and arms where the build-up of condensation tends to concentrate.

The three dimensional structure of the 3D Air Mesh fabric creates an airspace between the inside of the waterproof “breathable” fabric and the mid-layer, allowing air to circulate between the layers, inhibiting the process of condensation. The result is staying drier longer in extreme conditions.