January 13, 2009

FIBER STRUCTURE IS THE DIFFERENCE

    In January 2007 I published an article “Lamilite Neutralizes Water”.  In the article I also note that water while in a vapor state is evacuated from any Lamilite insulated product easily. The fiber does not trap any moisture or if the fiber does get wet the heat from a human body is sufficient to dry the fiber. As a result of this action Lamilite never loses its ability to perform as an insulating medium.     In 1986 DuPont financed the expedition of six people dog mushing to the North Pole called “JOURNEY TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD”. They accomplished what they set out to do; but had one major problem; the sleeping bags they were given were insulated with DuPont “Quallofil” chopped staple polyester fiberfill. The bags were produced by Sierra Designs; were a quilt construction and had a weight of 15 pounds each. The trip lasted 56 days and at the end of the trip the weight of the bags was 50 pounds, a gain of 35 pounds of water that froze. The additional weight was water that had turned to ice. Where did the water come from (?), it came from the persons who used them, perspiration from each of the humans. Why did these bags retain the moisture given off by each of these people (?) because the structure of the fiberfill and construction of the bags, quilted, made it virtually impossible for the moisture while in a vapor state to evacuate the bags.
     Chopped staple fiberfill regardless of name is all the same. When it is formed into a web the fibers are developed into a randomly structured web. They are randomly oriented versus continuous filament fiber which has an orientation that layers the fibers from one side of the product i.e. sleeping bag to the other side. The next time you open an aspirin bottle look at the cotton fiber and pull it a part gently. Notice how the fiber is tangled and goes in all directions. Continuous filament fiber is layered from side to side. If you were to cut open any of my sleeping bags or parkas you would find the structured orientation of the fibers are from side seam to side seam.
     There are two distinct disadvantages to using chopped staple fiber for insulation; 1- when you need loft you build up an enormous number of chopped fibers which is very dense and since the fibers are randomly oriented the end result is an overlapping of the fibers so as to be so dense nothing goes through them. This may seen a contradiction except we know the result of this construction as was experience by the expedition mentioned above. The fibers were not bonded in any manner so they were consequently quilted to the nylon shell and lining materials which made thing worse because the fibers were further compacted together. 2- There are some companies that either resin bond the fibers or join them with a low melt fiber construction method. In both cases the fibers are held apart so as to allow the moisture to flow with the warmed air to easily escape since they are very thin battings and are still quilted creating what is commonly known as cold spots. The other problem experienced when one uses a sleeping bag with this construction of polyester fiber is not only do they not hold in the heat they go flat very quickly. 3- Any moisture coming from the human body i.e. perspiration will initially flow upwards, however since the thickness of the insulation is not very thick the moisture will quickly condense and be retained in the bag. The moisture will then start absorbing your heat. This action ultimately will cause you to chill.     When the continuous filament fiber is used as I use it; the proper way it doesn’t go flat and without quilting the fibers which are only sewn at the edges are free to move away from each other. Because their orientation is in this manner of being side by side and not able to over lap each other, the moisture can move through or past them. The density of the fiber that I use is so significant that the insulation retains the bulk of the heat which drives the moisture out of the insulation. The history of Wiggy’s bags is rife with people saying that when the temperature is above 32 degrees their bag has liquid moisture on the top or if the temperature is below 32 degrees it has frost on top. This does not happen with any other bag that I am aware of. The only explanation that I can find to explain this phenomenon has to do with the fiber orientation. When the continuous filament fiber is quilted it reacts the same was as the chopped staple fiber.     One more reason why Wiggy’s laminated construction is unquestionably the most efficient method there is to use the continuous filament fiber. One more reason that I confidently state the Wiggy’s bags are “SIMPLY THE BEST”.