Nylon has some desirable properties.

It is:

 tough
 lightweight
 waterproof
Unfortunately, nylon does not let water vapour pass through it. This means that,
although nylon waterproof clothing stops the rain getting in, it traps your sweat
inside. After a while the clothing inside becomes wet and unpleasant to wear.

Breathable fabrics are composite materials. They have the desirable properties of
nylon, but are 'breathable' – they stop raindrops getting in while letting water vapour
from sweat pass to the outside. Clothing made of such material is very useful to
hikers and other people who work or play outside.

There are several layers in breathable fabrics, each one doing a different job
Nylon or polyester is usually used for the outer layer, as they are strong. The inner
layer is often made from polyurethane fibres, as these are soft and elastic. The
membrane at the centre is made from PTFE, the polymer used to coat the surface of
non-stick pans. It contains billions of tiny holes. Each one is too small for water
droplets to pass through, but big enough to let water molecules from sweat out.