Materials

This page contributed by Kevin Klenk
kklenk@wizard.cse.nd.edu

Acrylic
Generic name for soft, washable, colorfast fibers derived from polyacrylonitrile.
Aquator
Two-layer knit of 65 percent cotton / 35 percent nylon, with the nylon on the inside for moisture transport and cotton on the outer layer for evaporation. Usually employed for hot weather underlayers.
Bergundtal Cloth
Columbia's proprietary Taslan nylon shell fabric, combining a soft cottonlike hand and nylon's water-repellency. Often polyurethane-coated to improve weather resistance.
BTU
A 100 percent polyester fiber from Hoechst-Celanese, distinquished by its mix of fiber cross sections. Knit or woven into thicker garments, BTU is an efficient insulator; made into a thin single-layer shirt, its moisture transport properties help cool the wearer.
Capilene
Patagonia's treated polyester, used primarily in their underlayers. The fiber surface is treated to make it hydrophilic (water-loving) while the core remains hydrophobic (water-hating). The combination lifts water away from the skin toward outer clothing layers without soaking the fiber itself.
Coated Nylon
Nylon fabric (usually taffeta or ripstop) coated with urethane on the inside to make it waterproof, not breathable. Can't be relied on for full water protection without sealed seams.
Coolmax
DuPont's naturally hydrophobic polyester fiber with strong wicking action. Often used in linings and light layering garments. Fabric softeners may hurt its ability to transfer moisture.
Cordura
An impressively abrasion-resistant brushed-nylon fabric from DuPont. Often used in luggage and backpacks. In clothing, most often used as reinforcement patches at high-wear areas like knees, shoulders, and arms. Popular Cordura blends: Cordura/Antron, Cordura Plus, Cordura/Polyester/Cotton, Cordura/Supplex, Cordura/Taslan, Spandura, WoolDura.
DryFIT
Nike's nylon/polyester push-pull fabric.
DryLete
Hind's nylon/polyester push-pull fabric.
Dryline
A nylon/polyester push-pull fabric most often used to line WP/B outerwear.
Dryloft
A Gore membrane designed to be used in sleeping bags and down outerwear. It is more breathable than Gore-Tex, but less waterproof. The products which use this membrane are typically not seam-sealed.
DWR
Durable Water-Repellent, generally a silicone-based treatment applied to outerwear fabrics to help keep them from becoming saturated. DWR needs periodic touch-ups: Reactivate by machine drying, careful ironing, or with spray-on treatments.
Elements
REI's version of Entrant.
Entrant
Is an elastic waterproof breathable polyurethane coating that breathes through microscopic pores left during application. Made by Toray Industries of Japan; licensed to numerous manufacturers under various names. Entrant's trade-off between waterproofing and breathability depends on coating thickness; more coating equals more waterproofing less breatability. Popular versions include: REI's Elements and Patagonia's H2No.
Fleece
Fortrel
Polyester microfiber that adds a softer hand to other fabrics that it is blended with.
FuzzLite
Sierra Designs' name for Polartec 200 fleece.
Fuzzy Stuff
A vapor-barrier-layer (VBL) fabric from Stephenson's Warmlite. It's a laminate of nylon tricot and polyester film, napped on the inside for a flannel-like feel. VBL garments stop all perspiration from migrating outward into other clothing layers.
Gore-Tex
This is not a fabric, but a microporous membrane, which, when laminated to an outer fabric layer, provides a waterproof barrier that allows perspiration vapor to escape. Latest versions offer better waterproofness at the expense of some breathability. Garments of ``three-layer'' construction look like a single fabric but are really a sandwich of Gore-Tex laminated to one of a variety of tough outer fabrics, backed by a protective tricot inner face. ``Two-layer'' construction mates the Gore-Tex and an outer fabric, with a separate liner. Gore-Tex is no longer used in sleeping bag construction. A new membrane called Dryloft is used instead.
Gore-Tex LTD
It islaminated to a liner that rides next to the body. This improves moisture transfer but hampers waterproofing, so LTD is used mainly for aerobic-activity apparel.
Gore-Tex XCR
Used in sweaters and outerwear. It is more windproof and breathable than it is waterproof. This is the membrane used in Polartec 1000 Windproof.
Gridstop
A three-layer waterproof / breathable fabric from Patagonia. It's a sandwich of sturdy 2.5-ounce (per square yard) ripstop polyester, a microporous laminate from Gore (Gore-Tex), and protective nylon tricot inner facing.
Gust Buster
Sierra Designs' name for Polartec series 1000 fleece with a windproof, water-repellent barrier between fleece layers. Inner layer is hydrophillic, outer layer is hydrophobic.
Helly-Tech
Helly-Hansen's proprietary WP/B polyurethane coating. Available in three degrees of performance: Helly-Tech Lightning (reasonably waterproof, highly breathable); Helly-Tech Classic (waterproofing and breathability about equal); and Helly-Tech Pro (generally more waterproof than breathable).
Hollofil
Single-hole Dacron polyester insulation for sleeping bags and apparel. Most often found in bargin brands. Hollofil II is a four-hole version that's slightly warmer than an equal amount of regular Hollofil, with improved stuffability.
HP
Sierra Designs' non-porous polyurethane WP/B coating, applied to ripstop, taffeta, and Taslan fabrics. HP relies on body heat to push water molecules through the coating into the outer fabric for evaporation. Works best when the temperature inside the garment is significantly higher than that outside.
H2No
Patagonia's version of Entrant WP/B coating, comes in increasingly less breathable and more waterproof versions called Light, Alpine, and Storm.
Hydrofil
Nylon from Allied Fibers that's modified to become hydrophillic, so it transports moisture outward.
Hydroseal
An elastomeric coating used by Outdoor Research. It is extremely tough and flexible (even at 40 below); ultra-waterproof (greater than 200 psi); and easily tapable. Used in OR stuff sacks.
Lamilite
Wiggy's polyester-based high-loft synthetic fill. Its continuous fiber structure gives it a long service life compared with some synthetics made of shorter fibers.
Lite Loft
3M's high-loft lightweight 77.5 percent polyester / 22.5 percent olefin insulation used in sleeping bags and outerwear.
Lifa Prolite
Helly-Hansen's polypropylene underlayer fabric. It's distinguished by a soft brushed finish that isn't as scratchy as some other polypro garments, and is more odor resistant than most polypro gear.
Microfiber
Just what it sounds like -- an extremely fine, tightly woven fiber that offers natural breathablility as well as wind and water resistance. Two widely available brands are Versatech, Pertex, and Super Microft. Other microfiber fabrics are treated with WP/B laminates or coatings.
Microloft
New polyester fiberfill from DuPont, made up of microfine fibers thinner than a human hair. The dense structure is claimed to trap heat more efficiently than other synfills of equal thickness, and is puportedly highly water-resistant.
Microshed
Solstice's proprietary polyurethane-based WP/B coating. Function is similar to Entrant.
Next-To-Skin
The North Face's polyester / Lycra underwear fabric.
Nomex
A nylon fabric that's been modified to raise its melting point and increase fire resistance. Most often used in uniforms for firefighters, racecar drivers, and pilots. Stephenson Warmlite makes sturdy (but expensive) Nomex trail jeans that won't melt when a campfire spark lands in your lap.
Nylon
Generic term for an artificial fiber made from synthetic polyamides extracted from coal and oil.
Pile
Polarguard / Polarguard HV
High-loft synthetic insulation of 100 percent polyester continuous-filament fibers. Polarguard is one of the original and most durable synfills, if somewhat bulky when stuffed. New HV version uses hollowed fibers and is about 25 percent more stuffable while retaining longevity.
Polartec
Generic name for polyester fleece fabrics made by Malden Mills and used by dozens for manufacturers. Comes in several weights for layering versatility.
Series 100
(formerly Polartek) The lightest fleece, stretchy, with a plush face and jersy back. Great base layer, with trim fit and full freedom of movement.
Series 200
(formerly Polarlite) Midweight fleece, faced on two sides. Great general-purpose layering weight.
Series 100S/200S
Lightweight and midweight fleeces made with extra Lycra; extra stretchy and trim-fitting.
Series 100M/200M
Lightweight and midweight fleeces knit with superfine microfiber yarns for a soft chamois-clothlike feel.
Series 300
(formerly Polar Plus) Fleeced on both sides of fabric; best for cold-weather use.
Series 1000 Windproof
Three-layer sandwich of lightweight fleeces with a breathable / windproof laminate in between. Impressively windproof in use, it has a highly water-resistant surface, but it won't replace a truly waterproof outer shell.
Olefin (polypropylene)
A paraffin-based synthetic fiber that's hydrophobic, quick-drying, colorfast, and has good heat retention. Subject to sudden meltdown in hot dryers.
Omni-Tech
Columbia's polyurethane WP/B coating used on several of the firm's fabrics.
Oxford Nylon
Characterized by a basket weave and commonly used in rainwear.
Packcloth
Typically a nylon fabric of medium weave with a urethane back-coating for water-repellency.
Polyester
Frequently blended with cotton, rayon, or other synthetics. A synthetic fiber with features that include quick-drying, high-strength, abrasion-resistance, crease resistance. It is more UV resistant than nylon.
Polypropylene
Paraffin-based fiber that has high strength and great moisture-management properties, but also has a reputation for odor retention and high-temperature meltdown. Newer blends largely overcome these maldies.
Propile
Helly-Hansen's fuzzy nylon pile fabric, knitted so it won't pill like typical polyester pile.
Push-Pull
A two-part fabric of non-absorbant hydrophobic knit next to the skin and absorbent hydrophyllic knit on the outside. Usually polyester inside, nylon outside.
Quallofil
DuPont's six-channel Dacron polyester insulation with a soft, downlike feel. Now being supplanted by newer fills.
Rayon
Generic term for synthetic fibers from trees, cotton, and woody plants. Has a shiny appearance, drapes well, and feels silky. Too absorbent for good moisture management.
Retro Pile
Patagonia's proprietary pile, 1/4 inch thick. This is thicker and warmer than Polartec 300. This is really Patagonia's old Baby Retro fabric. They discontinued the old, 1/2 inch thick Retro pile.
Seal Coat
An elastomeric waterproof coating used by Black Diamond. It is completely waterproof and does not crack or peel. Used on many of their products. Originally developed for Patagonia who still uses it on their Skanorak parka.
Sixty-Forty
The 60 percent cotton / 40 percent nylon fabric used in the classic ``60/40'' mountain parkas. Fabric has reasonable water-repellency, but is not waterproof. Wears like iron, yet exibits a soft, cottony hand.
Solarplex
This fabric combines tough Cordura yarns with extremely supple high-filament-count Supplex yarns. Used by Outdoor Research.
Spandex
Lycra is DuPont's version of this synthetic fiber. Offers great stretch and recovery, good strength, abrasion resistance, and resistance to body acids. Used in combination with another fiber such as cotton or nylon.
Spandura
A high-tech fabric combining the toughness of Cordura with the stretchiness of Lycra. Each yarn consists of 1000d Cordura fibers spun around a Lycra core. Spandura's resistance to abrasion is 2 1/2 times that of plain-weave 330 denier Cordura fabric, and 7 times that of either 70d nylon fabric or typical polyester/cotton fabric.
Super Pluma
Patagonia's superlightweight WP/B fabric. It's a three-layer sandwich of 1.1-ounce ripstop nylon, a microporous laminate from Gore (Gore-Tex), and a tricot inner facing.
Sympatex
Sympatex is a membrane like Gore-Tex but is a non-microporous flat film of ``hydrophilic (water-loving) polyester block copolymer.'' It allows body heat to push perspiration vapor to the outside of the garment. It's available in a direct laminate (applied to the back of an outer shell), a three-ply laminate (Sympatex middle layer sandwiched between outer fabric and lining), or an insert laminate (free-hanging layer between outer shell and lining).
Synchilla
Patagonia's name for Malden Polartec fleeces. Original Synchilla is equivalent to Polartec 300; Lightweight Synchilla to Polartec 200; Stretch Synchilla to 100S/200S.
Taffeta
Any fabric that is woven with a plain weave to give a fine, smooth look.
Taslan Thermastat
Thermal version of DuPont's Lycra for use in activewear. In theory, it works according to what your body demands -- it helps cool you when you're warm and warms you when you're cool.
Thermax
DuPont's soft hollow-core polyester fiber that has a cottony feel. Used in underwear and activewear for its insulative properties. Thanks to its warmth, quick-drying capabilities, and low ``stink'' factor, its has become a favorite all-around base layer.
Thinsulate
3M's 35 percent polester / 65 percent olefin blend insulation spun into a low-loft construction. Efficient insulator considering its minimal thickness; most often used in outerwear and gloves for its lack of bulk.
Thermolactyl
Damart's proprietary blend of Chlorofibre vinyon and acrylic. It's soft, cottony-feeling stuff that dries fast and is plenty warm, even when wet.
Thermolite
New 100 percent polyester-fiber compact insulation from DuPont designed to compete with 3M Thinsulate. DuPont claims it is less sensitive to dry cleaning solvents and heat than polyester / olefin synfills. It's usually used in garments where a trim look means more than puffy warmth.
Thermoloft
DuPont's midloft synthetic insulation with a combination of Dacron solid-core polyester fibers and hollow Quallofil fibers. Used where high-loft fills are too bulky and low-loft fills aren't warm enough.
Tri-Blend
Any fabric consisting of a blend of three fibers. Frequently that blend is cotton / polyester / nylon.
Tricot
A fabric woven with two threads that resists unraveling and tearing by the nature of its weave.
Triple-Point
Lowe's microporous polyurethane WP/B coating that's similar in function to Entrant. It comes in two weights: the 800 is less breatable, but has more waterproofing and more durability than the lighter weight 400 version, which offers more breathability than waterproofing.
Ultrex
A microporous polyurethane coating from Burlington Industries applied to the inside of numerous fabrics with a Durapel DWR treatment on the outside. In our experience, it's generally more waterproof than breathable.
Wickline
A bi-component fabric with hydrophylic nylon on one side and hydorphobic polyester fibers on the other used by Outdoor Research. This arrangement accomplishes two things: it wicks water very rapidly, and the polyester side feels dry even when the fabric is soaked.