Windproof fabrics for outdoor clothing

Wearing problems in the cold season have been plaguing outdoor sports enthusiasts, wearing more bulky, wearing less cold. In addition to down products, wool products used to be traditional fabrics for climbers in the first half of the last century. When the wool is damp, there is a certain degree of warmth, but the wool is heavier and it can make people feel itchy. With the continuous development of science and technology in the textile industry, a large number of chemical fiber products have entered the apparel sector and have solved the drawbacks of traditional fabrics such as cotton and wool. First, the use of polypropylene (Polypropylene) fabric, which is not hydrophilic (hydrophobic) to pass through the sweat very smoothly, but Polypropylene electrostatic adsorption of the skin, but also easy to pilling, so Polyester (Polyester) replaced Polypropylene.

Polyester is currently the most widely used chemical fiber apparel fabric, light weight and warm, not easy to pilling, with good breathability and moisture absorption, as well as strong acid and alkaline resistance and UV resistance, but easy to produce static electricity, easily contaminated with dust The issue has not yet been completely resolved.

Material: Polartec thriving

The Fleece made mainly from Polyester (it is known in China as fleece, fleece) is the main winter outdoor sports insulation fabric. Simply put, fleece is made of superfine chemical fibers made of wool yarn, woven into a fabric, wire brush brushed, and the surface is made by shearing with a machine such as a mower. Today's fleece is a high-tech, high-performance fabric that feels very warm and soft, sucks away moisture through capillary action, and is easy to dry even when wet. Polyester born with water extraction, the development of micro-fiber technology, and DWR (Durable Water Repellent) applied to some of the heavier surface of the fleece, so that the flanging water extracting performance has been greatly improved. Traditional fleece is basically not windproof. Over the past years, the trend of new material research and development is to improve the windproof performance of fleece to improve the warmth. There are many varieties of fleece, with different functions. One of the most famous is the Polartec series.

Polartec is a fabric introduced by Malden Mills, USA. It has more than 10 brand names and more than 100 different fabrics. It can basically be divided into three series: N2S series mainly used as underwear, Insulation series used as warming layer and Weather protection series for wind protection.

The N2S (Next to skin) series is divided into Power Dry and Power Streth. Power Dry is a kind of multi-layer composite material. The special fiber weave method makes the fabrics have different characteristics on both sides. It absorbs sweat on one side and quick-dry on the Other side. It is mainly used as a clothing layer for clothing. Power Streth has a double-layered structure. The surface layer is windproof and wear-resistant. The fine suede inner layer enhances warmth and comfort. It also has four-way elasticity, which makes it not only can be used as underwear, but also can be used as a lightweight thermal layer.

Insulation series has our common Classic and Thermal Pro. Classic is the first of three different weight fleece fabrics produced by Malden Mills. The 100 series, also known as microfleece, is the lightest conventional fleece that can be used except in cold weather; the 200 series is twice the weight of a 100 series per square meter, and is warmer than the 100 series. No 300 series is so heavy; the 300 series is the warmest. Thermal Pro used to be the warmest fabric in Polartec. Compared with Classic, it has better durability and can maintain good warmth after repeated washing. Thermal Pro has a good temperature-to-mass ratio, low density but high performance, provides excellent air permeability and guarantees maximum warmth.

There are five brands under the Weather protection series: Wind Pro, Windbloc, Windbloc-ACT, Power Shield and Aqua Shell. The lightweight Wind Pro fabric is 4 times more windproof than the traditional fleece fabrics. The fabric performance is still good after repeated use and washing. Windbloc is a film that can block 100% of the wind, to provide the maximum protection in the cold wind to the human body. The fleece jacket made by Windbloc is very warm, but the air permeability is very general. It can be worn directly, reducing the warm clothing. Layers and weight. Windbloc-ACT is an improved version of Windbloc. The Air Control Technology (ACT) technology allows fabrics to block 98% of the wind. The remaining 2% can circulate inside the fabric. The sweat vapor is emitted faster than other windproof fleece fabrics. 2 times. Power Shield is a better windbreaker with two-way elasticity. The human body does not feel constrained in various sports. Aqua Shell, with four-way elasticity, windproof, waterproof and anti-UV, is mainly used for water sports.

In addition to Polartec, Gore's WindStopper is also a famous windproof material for fleece. WindStopper, which is equivalent to Windbloc of Malden Mills, is a thin film that is not waterproof but breathable. In addition, there is also Mountain Equipment's Ultrafleece, Lowe Alpine, DuPont's Warm Zone and Columbia's Omni-Stop and other products that can be windproof, warm, and breathable.

Function: Complex for simplicity

The continuous improvement of people’s comfort and functional requirements has prompted people to adopt various new technologies to improve the performance of fabrics. The combination of different processes and technologies is the main means for giving new functions to fabrics. Pressure technology is one of the important methods. Now, mid-to-high grade fleece products need to be ultra-light, windproof, waterproof, breathable, easy to clean, etc. Basically all SANDWICH processes are used to synthesize a variety of materials to replace the original two with a fleece. Layers or three layers of outdoor dressing methods.

Take WINDSTOPPER N2S grab fleece as an example. This is a three-in-one functional garment. It is both an inner garment, a light warm layer, and a windbreaker. WINDSTOPPER N2S combines the windproof and breathable comfort features of WINDSTOPPER. The inner fiber can absorb the sweat of the skin surface, and then discharge the N2S fabric through the WINDSTOPPER film, replacing the traditional layers of perspiration and stratification. WINDSTOPPER N2S material in the WINDSTOPPER film also prevents sweat backflow, the skin can keep dry, but also can block the cold wind outside to enter. Therefore, good perspiration, breathability and wind protection functions are particularly suitable as close-fitting clothing, which is comfortable, light and warm, and greatly reduces the increase and decrease in the amount of activity and temperature in outdoor sports.

Recently, the famous outdoor products companies such as Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, Mountain Equipment and so on have abandoned the traditional layered dress code of jackets and fleece clothes and introduced the concept of Soft Shell. The appearance of the Soft Shell is the textile nylon outer surface material rather than the traditional suede. This has the advantage of preventing pilling and contamination and facilitating DWR extraction. Mountain Hardwear's Conduit SOFT SHELL 2-in-1 fleece, water-repellent surface fabric is combined with a breathable breathable film and a fleece-like inner liner. It has good elasticity and is more comfortable to exercise or stretch. Its waterproof and windproof composite structure fabric with external elastic rubber strip can really waterproof. And it is more comfortable than Gore-tex XCR in terms of breathability; Gore uses SoftStopper Trango fabric SOFT SHELL in one catching fleece, which is made of tight, durable textile exterior, windproof polymer film and super DWR resistant to water The resulting combination of treatments gives the product a water resistance that is unmatched by other fleece clothing.

Soft Shell can be translated as "soft shell", "soft", which means that this type of clothing is born out of soft and warm fleece; "shell" means that it can also be worn as a coat with a little or complete waterproof function. Marmot's definition is: Soft Shell = comfortable + breathable + durable + versatile.

Soft Shell is indeed an alternative to Windbreaker, Wind Pro or Windbloc, which only possesses windproof and warm-feather fleece. It extends the performance of traditional fleece jackets, making it suitable for a wider range of activity areas and more weather conditions. .

Design: Complex for convenience

Clothing design is an art that not only determines the aesthetic appearance of the clothing style, but also determines the comfort of wearing the clothing. According to the requirements of the laws of outdoor sports and countless wearing practices, the design and tailoring methods of fleece have been constantly revised and perfected, making the adaptability of fleece clothing to outdoor sports unparalleled.

Ideal style fleece clothing is usually designed according to the body curve size, three-dimensional cut. The compact cutting manner enables the garment to be small and lightweight under the premise of guaranteeing the movement function. At the same time, the compact cutting can not only reduce the friction of the garment in the movement, but also improve the individuality.

In order to facilitate the activity, the active parts adopt special prefabricated shapes, such as elbow, knee joint joint arcs, and prefabricated wrinkles under the armpit; long upper body design, slightly longer back trim, avoiding exposure during climbing The back waist is a great help; the collar is high and the cheeks are guarded, and a weatherproof hat can be included; the shoulders, elbows and cuffs are reinforced with a wear-resistant fabric; the concealed zipper and pockets on the upper arm are designed - GPS or intercom, etc. . The knees and buttocks of the fleece trousers should not be too tight during bending and squatting so as to ensure the relaxed comfort of both legs during climbing and crossing.

In order to keep the body dry during exercise, the garment is lined with a woven mesh in a weatherproof fabric to separate the body from the waterproof membrane.

In order to maintain a large amount of air circulation during strenuous exercise, a ventilation zipper opening is designed in the armpit; the pocket openings on both sides are high, even if wearing a seatbelt and a backpack belt will not hinder; close-fitting waterproof inserting pocket lining down cashmere, using Waterproof zipper; elastic cuffs, single-hand adjustable tightening straps at the collar and hem.

When it comes to outdoor clothing, many people immediately think of Jackets. And many of the friends who have joined the outdoors tend to place the charge clothes at a higher priority when they first purchase outdoor gear. When going out, it is also very important for charge clothes. Everyone is willing to spend a thousand dollars to buy a Jackets, but not necessarily willing to spend so much money to buy a windproof warm clothing. In fact, we believe that warm clothing is often more important than emergency clothing. In most cases, as long as it is windproof and warm, we can freely carry out our activities. In any case, we actually have more extensive choices. When engaged in outdoor activities, according to the actual situation of flexible collocation, will enable us to have a more comfortable experience. Not only monotonous: Jackets, fleece, sweat underwear this one choice.

We try to carry out our analysis and propose our opinions from the following aspects:

The principle of warmth and the cause of temperature loss.

Several warm outdoor materials are introduced.

1, the principle of warmth and the cause of temperature loss.

An important role of Jackets is to prevent wind and rain, and to prevent warm clothing in the ice and snow conditions. The ultimate function is to maintain body temperature and prevent frostbite. Once the human body is in a state of declining temperature, it may die within a few hours. We can responsibly say that the consequences are serious. The charge of clothing, it is not warm in itself, its role is to avoid the cold and cold water effect. This will be mentioned later.

How does the human body maintain body temperature with the help of clothing? In fact, air plays a vital role in maintaining temperature. It is the air in the clothing room that blocks heat conduction from the human body and the outside world. It is not the clothing itself that insulates but the air between the fibers of the clothing. Good warm clothing locks in the air, slows the convection between the hot air between the fibers and the outside cold air, and avoids taking heat away. Thermal insulation is an important indicator of the warmth of clothing.

About wind and cold effects. We know that in addition to the heat loss caused by direct heat transfer, we have outdoor wind and cold effects. For example, the temperature you measure may be -4 degrees, but in the wind of 50KM/H per hour, the temperature you actually experience should be -14 degrees.

For the precise calculation of the wind-chill effect, there is a very negative formula, C=0.323 x (18.97 x V-V+37.62) x (33-T) where: C is the wind chill factor (W/m2) V is The wind speed (km/h)T is the temperature (oC) 33 estimated body temperature. For us, just know that the wind has a serious effect on body temperature. This was a profound experience when everyone crossed the bridge.

With regard to the cold water effect, only a little better understanding. Everyone wears wet clothes for a few hours in the cold, and ten people have to catch a cold. In the meantime, everyone may have little experience with this. However, if you have a large amount of exercise and sweat in the cold, everyone will feel right away. Because if the sweat can not be quickly discharged, water vapor condenses into water droplets on the body surface and underwear due to temperature differences. Then need to evaporate it with body temperature. In this process of evaporation, the body will lose a lot of heat. This is the simplest expression of the cold water effect. You can make a little experimentation yourself and get some alcohol on your skin. You will soon feel cool. Because the evaporation of alcohol took away calories.

Well, we can say that it is very important for thermal insulation to do thermal insulation and to prevent cold and cold water effects.

2, several warm outdoor material introduction.

To keep warm, it is important to choose good thermal insulation. But apart from that, clothing that protects from the effects of cold and water is also of equal importance. Together, they maintain the microclimate of the human body. However, it is not always necessary to use the jacket. Our outdoor enthusiasts also have a tendency to despise the BASE LAYER-underwear. In fact, good underwear has the effect of perspiration and quick-drying, which can minimize the effect of cold water. Therefore, here we introduce windproof materials and quick-drying materials.

When it comes to warm materials, we must mention POLARTEC. This is the outdoor material brand under the MALDEN MILLS company in the United States. POLARTEC mainly has three series:

A, Next to skin - This series is mainly used as underwear.

B, Insulation - This series is mainly used as the middle insulation layer.

C, Weather protection - This series is mainly used for wind protection.

There are two brands in the Next to skin series, one is POWER DRY and the other is POWER STRETH. POWER DRY has a very good wicking and breathable function and is suitable for underwear. POWER STRETH is an interesting fabric that is sweaty, breathable, and warm and windproof. And it is four-way elastic. This makes it not only can be used as underwear, but it can also be used as a light warm middle layer. It has a double structure, a layer of wear-resistant windproof layer, a layer of warm velvet, clothing made with it can be worn on both sides, suitable for different environments. This is awesome.

There are two brands under the INSULATION series. One is common CLASSIC and the other is THERMPRO. CLASSIC is the most common POLARTEC fleece, divided into three levels of 100,200,300. CLASSIC is lighter than normal fleece, warmer and better, and does not pill. The warming effect of 200 is already close to down. THERMPRO is the warmest material in POPLRTEC. Compared with CLASSIC, it has better durability and can maintain good warmth after repeated washing.

There are five brands under the WEATHER PROTECTION series, one is WINDPRO, one is WINDBLOC, one is WINDBLOC ACT, one is POWER SHIELD, and one is AQUA SHELL. WINDPRO is a good windproof material with the best air permeability in all POLARTEC windproof materials. WINDBLOC, with the best windproof, but breathable. WINDBLOC ACT, an improved version of WINDBLOC, enhances breathability. POWER SHIELD, with windproof and waterproof function, is generally used as SOFTSHELL. It has two-way elasticity and does not restrain various movements. AQUA SHELL, with four-way elasticity, windproof and waterproof, UV-resistant, suitable for water sports.

Speaking of quick-drying materials, in addition to POLARTEC's POWER DRY, the United States DUPONT's COOLMAX is also a very famous fast material. coolMax is a perspiration breathable fiber invented by DuPont. The fiber has a prolate four-slot cross-section, 20% more surface area than normal fibers, and also leaves more room for textiles. More effective perspiration on windproof fleece, in addition to POLARTEC's WIND series, the United States GEAR WINDSTOPPER is very famous. The market is doing very well.

After the introduction of POLARTEC, we will introduce a very famous material, DuPont cotton. DuPont cotton has 8 categories and 10 varieties. The product is as follows, we briefly introduce its features:

Hollofil's high value thermal padding material is suitable for: hunting, fishing, quilts, pillows, snow boots. It is a four-hole hollow fiber that is more warm than traditional solid fibers. Insulation and elasticity surpass general hollow fiber.

Hollofil II Premium Thermal Filler for sleeping bags, ski clothing and quilts, gloves, pillows. Soft and easy to organize, easy to match the shape of the human body, and warmer better. With a high degree of flexibility, the cotton is thick and soft. After many uses and cleaning, it still maintains a high heat preservation value. It is a highly insulating hollow four-hole fiber.

Quallofil is a luxurious thermal padding for sleeping bags, ski clothing and quilts, and pillows. When warm or dry, warmth changes. With special treatment, it has super soft characteristics and can easily conform to the human body. Special seven-hole hollow fiber design, excellent warmth and breathability.

Thermolite Plus is a lightweight and typical warmth material that is suitable for: ski wear, gloves, sleeping bags, etc., with excellent thermal effect. It is 30 percent warmer than a thin insulation material. It is warmer than the typical thick insulation material, but lighter than the typical thick insulation material. Even if it is wet, it can stop the loss of heat.

Thermolite Active's warmest Ultrabook Warm Series (including Active Soft, Active T-0, Active T-4, etc.) is suitable for: ski wear, trench coats, jackets, raincoats, vests, gloves, hats, and snow coats. . Warmth premium. Very compliant, providing a beautiful exterior. Comfortable, beautiful and fit. It is more excellent than the general thin insulation material.

Thermolite Micro Super warm material, suitable for: ready-to-wear, sleeping bags, gloves. Made of ultra-fine fibers, it is the highest insulation material, softer, softer, and more elastic than natural hair. Compared with high-grade feathers, the cost is only half, but it can provide twice the warmth.

Thermolite Extreme is an advanced warming material for sleeping bags, snow clothes, gloves. Has a higher warmth than solid fibers. Excellent softness and compressibility.

Thermolite Extra is an emerging warmth material. Apply to: sleeping bags, clothing. Very supple and with good elasticity. The three-hole hollow is full of more air than the solid fiber and has a stronger warmth. Finally, two materials, PLIMALOFT, and THERMOLITE are highlighted.

PrimaLoft? Originally developed for the signing of the US Army, it replaced duvets that lose warmth when they absorb water. Its unique structure has been patented and the production line has expanded to outdoor users. Since then, Primaloft One, Primaloft Sport, and Primaloft Footwear have become warm, comfortable, and maintain warmth even when wet. They have become the choice of outdoor professionals in all kinds of weather, widely used in clothing and gloves. , sleeping belts and other products.

The extremely light and supple Primaloft insulation provides millions of air cells suspended in a microfiber web. Because the air chamber is too fine, water droplets can only stay on the surface. Even if water droplets are squeezed into Primaloft fibers, moisture will not be absorbed by the patented microfibrous structure. So Primaloft keeps you warm even in wet conditions.

PRIMALOFT one PrimaLoft? One is an excellent microfiber warmer layer. Combining microfibre and patented special handling procedures, it is incredibly soft, lightweight, and water repellent. PrimaLoft? One-third of the water absorbency of the general fiber, 14% warmth when drying, and 24% warmth when wet.

1, windproof breathable and quick-drying effect is better than down.

2, similar to down warmth and compressibility.

3, excellent water repellent effect.

4, excellent storage temperature.

Thermolite fiber This fiber is also DuPont launched in front of the DuPont cotton when we briefly introduced. It is a type of hollow fiber produced by mimicking the fluff of a polar bear, and it is said to be particularly excellent in its insulating properties. Each fiber contains more air, forming an air protection layer that prevents cold air and moisture. Keep the wearer's body warm, dry, comfortable and light. Thermolite fiber fabrics have a drying rate that is approximately twice that of silk and cotton fabrics and are suitable for making mountaineering wear, ski wear, and sleeping bags.