It is believed that an umbrella is the best item for walking in the rain. However, there is another, no less wonderful invention - a raincoat. Most often it looks like a raincoat with a hood, but in modern stores you can find different models that help protect not only clothes, but also prams, backpacks and even pets from rain.
@gampstore
The first raincoat appeared in ancient times. There is an assumption that the primitive hunter, upon returning home, threw the skin of the animal he had killed over the shoulders of his “wife”. In this way he demonstrated his success, but the woman approached this gift practically, using it as a cape that protected from rain and bad weather.
A little later, people learned to sew a raincoat, which provided good protection from snow and wind, but was a completely unnecessary item in rainy weather only because they sewed it from materials that quickly absorbed water. This continued until 1822, when the hitherto unknown scientist C. Mackintosh, while working in his laboratory, stained his jacket with rubber.He did not attach much importance to this fact, and perhaps the story would have turned out differently if he had not been caught in the rain on his way home. McIntosh noticed that all his clothes were soaked through, and the section of his sleeve, stained with rubber, not only remained dry: the water literally flowed down in large drops, without being absorbed at all.
The enterprising Scot soaked his clothes in this material and repeated the experiment again. The success was stunning: a year later, Charles Mackintosh patented his invention, and they began to actively sew equipment for sailors and fishermen from rubber-impregnated fabric.
However, they quickly noticed a significant drawback of the first rubber raincoats: water seeped through the seams, and therefore the clothes underneath got wet. Then the inventor finalized his creation, coming up with a technology for sealing seams that was unique by those standards.
After this, the raincoat became almost perfect, with one exception: the scientist was unable to rid the raincoat of the smell of rubber.
In this form, the raincoat was used for a long time, and not only by sailors, but also by ordinary residents of European cities. It would seem that the invention was perfect and did not require modification. But the rubber made the raincoat very heavy, and besides, it melted and became sticky in the hot sun. Therefore, one day the American Charles Goodyear decided to improve it, and in 1839, after numerous experiments, he obtained an elastic and lightweight material that became ideal for such clothing.
@cutcut.kidswear
There are enough varieties of modern raincoats. So, there are disposable and reusable raincoats. If the former are most often made of polyethylene and in appearance they look like large bags - thin and transparent, then the latter are sewn from much more durable materials, for example, from bologna.
Raincoats also differ in style.The most common model is cut like a raincoat. It is wide, quite long, with sleeves and a hood. The rain poncho is interesting. It is a cape with a hood, which is most often worn over the head.
There is also an option that resembles a coat. This is an independent wardrobe item that not only protects from rain, but also provides warmth due to the insulated lining sewn to the top protective layer.
@pupszemli
There are also differences in the way the raincoat is used. For example, the accessory kit of any modern stroller includes a transparent oilcloth rain cover. There are also special raincoats that look like a canopy and are used by tourists.
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