The North Face teases its most breathable waterproof gear yet

As great as waterproof apparel is to keep you protected from bad weather, most jackets, pants and other gear tend to be too bulky or uncomfortable. That's a problem The North Face is well aware of, and it has come up with a new material that it believes will fix this: Futurelight, which the company is calling "the most advanced breathable waterproof outerwear technology." According to The North Face, Futurelight is its most comfortable waterproof gear yet, thanks to a design that lets air move through fabric more easily and provide "more venting than ever before.'

The Futurelight materials, which are also said to be extremely lightweight, were created with sustainability in mind, too. Not only will every garment be produced at a solar-powered factory, but they'll all feature recycled materials and go through a process that cuts chemical consumption. Futurelight will debut in the North Face's 2019 jackets, gloves and tents, with more products expected to join the list later on.

Scott Mellin, The North Face's global general manager of mountain sports, said that currently the expectation is that waterproof apparel is "loud, crunchy, muggy and unpackable," but with Futurelight it doesn't have to be that way, he said. "Imagine a waterproof t-shirt, sweater or even denim that you actually want to wear," Mellin added. "Today we start with jackets, tents and gloves, but the possibilities could be endless."

To celebrate the launch of Futurelight, The North Face worked with Designworks (a firm owned by the BMW Group) on a virtual reality experience that will let CES 2019 attendees experience how the technology came to be. If you're here in Las Vegas, you can check it out for yourself starting January 8th, otherwise it won't be long before you can physically try on the gear at TNF stores across the world.