Windbreaker

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A windbreaker, or a windcheater, is a thin fabric jacket designed to resist wind chill and light rain, making it a lighter version of the jacket. It is usually of lightweight construction and characteristically made of a synthetic material. A windbreaker often incorporates an elastic waistband, elastic armbands and a zipper to allow adjustment for weather conditions.

Regular jackets or coats may include a type of windbreaker as an interlining that can be removed when desired. Windbreakers sometimes include a hood that may be removable and/or stowable. Many windbreakers may also include large pockets on the inside or the outside which allow belongings to be protected from the weather. Windbreakers may offer light to moderate insulating protection, more so than a sweater, but less than an overcoat.^[1]

Windbreakers are primarily worn during the warmer seasons when wind or rain are expected, or as part of a layering strategy during colder seasons.^[2] Brightly colored windbreakers may also be worn by runners as protection from the weather, and as a reflective garment used for safety.^{[citation needed]} A 2012 study demonstrated that adding windbreaker pants and jackets is a lightweight but effective means of delaying hypothermia if the user is outside walking and encounters unexpected low temperatures.^[3]