BARMA
Our membrane platform. Waterproof, breathable, and made without intentionally added PFAS.
20,000 MM · >29,000 G/M²/24H
What BARMA is
BARMA is our membrane selection and development platform. It is not a single membrane, nor a single number: it is the programme through which we select and develop the best membrane for the job, together with first-tier manufacturing partners, according to the qualities we want from the garment. All BARMA membranes are waterproof, breathable and made without intentionally added PFAS.
Why BARMA
BARMA is a word from the Alpine valleys. A barma is a rock overhang, a slab of stone that leans out far enough to keep the rain off. Shepherds, hunters and climbers have used them for centuries, and the word survives in dozens of place names across the Aosta Valley.
A barma works for four reasons, and they are the four we ask of a membrane. It keeps the weather off. It is a roof and nothing more, open on every side, so the air moves and nothing stays damp. It is rock, so it takes wear without changing. And it is only rock: nothing was added to make it work, and it leaves nothing behind.
A barma is not equipment. It is shelter that is already there. You find it, you use it, you leave it. A shell does the same job. It is not the reason you went up. It is what keeps you working when the weather turns.
Four pillars
Shelter
WATERPROOF 20,000 MMBoth BARMA membranes hold a 20,000 mm water column. That figure matters less than where it is measured. We ask for it on the finished laminate, not on the membrane alone, because a shell leaks at the seams and the zips long before it leaks through the face.
A roof, not a box
BREATHABLE >29,000 G/M²/24HA barma keeps the rain off and lets the air through, because it is open on every side. A shell cannot be open, so the membrane has to do that work. Both BARMA membranes move more than 29,000 g of water vapour per square metre per day. On the label and across the collection we round this to 20/30. The measured value is the one above.
Rock
RIPSTOPEvery BARMA laminate is built on a ripstop face. The reinforcement grid holds the bond between face and membrane under load, and a shell spends most of its life compressed in a pack, folded over the same creases. Ripstop is where that wear goes.
On both fabrics the ripstop grid is visible. That is a choice. The reinforcement is there to do work, and we see no reason to hide it.
It was there before you
DURABILITY, NOTHING ADDEDA barma asks for nothing and leaves nothing. Both face fabrics carry a C0 finish, which contains no fluorinated chemistry. The membranes are ePE and PU. Our supplier declares the face fabrics free of PFA and PFC. No PFAS are intentionally added at any stage we control.
The two membranes of the collection
BARMA is a platform, so there is no single BARMA membrane. There are two in the collection, built to the same values and tuned for different days.
BARMA Flow
Three layers, ePE and PU. A wider ripstop grid, which packs down smaller and stays softer and quieter in the hand. Built for climbing and ski mountaineering, where the shell is carried more than it is worn. On the Cogne Jacket.
BARMA Storm
Three layers, ePE and PU, on a lighter nylon ripstop. The tighter grid and the finer yarn give a crisper hand: the fabric holds its shape instead of draping, which is what you want on a shell worn over a layer in deep snow. Built for freeride. On the Lyskamm.
| Spec | BARMA Flow | BARMA Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 3 layers, ePE / PU | 3 layers, ePE / PU |
| Waterproof | 20,000 mm | 20,000 mm |
| Breathable | >29,000 g/m²/24h | >29,000 g/m²/24h |
| Face fabric | 100% polyester, 50D x 50D + 100D ripstop | 100% nylon, 30D x 30D + 30D ripstop |
| Fabric weight | 129 g/m² | 110 g/m² |
| Backer | tricot | tricot |
| Finish | C0, fluorine-free | C0, fluorine-free |
| Ripstop grid | wider | tighter |
| Hand | softer, quieter, packs smaller | crisper, holds its shape |
| Built for | climbing, ski mountaineering | freeride, deep snow |
Garments with BARMA
Questions
What is BARMA?
BARMA is the membrane platform of AlpineStandards. It is not one membrane. It is the programme we use to select and develop a membrane for each job with our manufacturing partners. The collection carries two BARMA membranes, Flow and Storm.
How waterproof is BARMA?
Both BARMA membranes hold 20,000 mm of water column and move more than 29,000 g/m²/24h of water vapour. The collection label rounds this to 20/30.
What is the difference between BARMA Flow and BARMA Storm?
Both are three layer ePE and PU laminates with the same waterproof and breathability values, and both use a tricot backer. BARMA Flow has a 50D polyester ripstop with a 100D reinforcement, a wider grid, and a softer hand that packs smaller. It is built for climbing and ski mountaineering. BARMA Storm has a 30D nylon ripstop with a tighter grid, which feels crisper and holds its shape. It is built for freeride and deep snow.
Does BARMA contain PFAS?
No PFAS are intentionally added at any stage we control. Both face fabrics carry a C0 finish, which contains no fluorinated chemistry, and our supplier declares them free of PFA and PFC. No BARMA membrane is a fluoropolymer: both are ePE and PU.
Is OURA waterproof?
OURA is a face fabric family, not a membrane, so it carries no waterproof or breathability rating. On a BARMA shell the waterproof barrier is the BARMA membrane behind the OURA face.