apparently there is no end to companies wanting to make w-p

THE LINER VEST

Love Mine

Finally Got one ...
Superb, Light, Warm and Well made.
America!

– HAK

Hak; what more can you say

Thanks, Wiggy

Fantastic Accessory

Directly comparing the Wiggy vest to a heavyweight fleece vest the Wiggy's vest is about the same thickness, lighter, much warmer, more durable with its nylon outer layers, and MUCH more breathable. In other words, it's superior in every way to polyester fleece. I typically wear a size XL in men's jackets and ordered a size L (a perfect fit) after consulting with Wiggy's via email. I've used it as an outer layer this past fall when doing yard work in total comfort. I have a nice enough light puffy jacket ("breathable" with "primaloft active") that fails to block much wind - the Wiggy's vest underneath makes a great combo that's good down to around 32F with 12-15mph winds in Boston as it blocks enough wind but lets the moisture out. [ I suspect the Lamilite jacket liner itself would have done the same as with the p/a did]. This morning I layered the vest under my ski parka that's good to about 10-12F with a light sweater. My core was nice and toasty despite the outside temperature of -6F.

My vest is very well sewn without a stitch out of place. The vest is "just right" in terms of its warmth and minimal bulk to be very versatile. The hefty YKK zipper is easy to handle with gloves on and will probably outlive me. The only thing I'd change would be the addition of pockets. If you're on the fence about trying something from Wiggy's just order this vest and be prepared to come back to order more gear!

– Brian

Change of gear for membranes

04/03/2021

After years of incremental improvements in the performance properties of waterproof-breathable membranes, radical new technologies are coming to market. Manufactured without solvents, made from biobased materials, or offering mono-material design possibilities, they are ushering in a new era of sustainable innovation.

I have no knowledge of any improvements to w-b membranes. If the merchants and makers of the membranes after lamination to any material would actually allow it to allow moisture out that would be an improvement. So, whatever you read from this point on is useless information.

A basic feature of performance outerwear is its ability to block rain and wind while letting moisture out. [They immediately make the erroneous claim about letting moisture out].This was a key breakthrough introduced in the 1970s by Bob Gore, who passed away last year, and it is the defining feature of Gore-Tex fabrics.

[Bobby knew from the day he thought he discovered what he called a water-proof material it didn’t work. So, he went to his grave knowing this, he was a charlatan.]

First-generation membranes tended to favour weather protection over wearer comfort, waterproofness over breathability.

[First generation, second generation and so on membranes tended to favor weather protection and they never did have breathability other- wise known as vapor permeability.]

Over the years, the focus has gradually shifted to greater air permeability and moisture transfer for more active uses.

[That may have been the focus but “greater air permeability and moisture transfer never happed and today it still doesn’t happen.]

These incremental tweaks in performance and in ever-finer market segmentations were the main news in this field.

[I have known, knowledge of the “tweaks in performance that the writer is referring too. It still does not work.]

Change is in the air as a new generation of companies introduces more sustainable solutions, new polymers, and manufacturing methods.

[Amazing that we have a new generation of companies making or attempting to make what cannot be made. I guess we have numerous people who do not think but only see this bogus product as a meal ticket.]

New options in polymers

Polyolefin and polypropylene are two of the new polymers in waterproof-breathable materials, expanding on the tradition of polyurethane (PU) and expanded PTFE (e-PTFE). Taiwanese tech conglomerate BenQ Materials has transposed a film technology found in computers and TVs to textiles to launch Xpore, an ultralight nanoporous membrane made from a polyolefin weighing a mere 5 to 6 grammes per square-metre and 12 microns thick. “Xpore is not only a membrane technology but also an adhesive and lamination technology,” says Rex Lee, head of the company’s performance textiles business unit. The film and adhesive are manufactured without solvents, offering a more eco-friendly process compared to similar materials, he says. Its performances are in line with industry standards, with waterproof levels that can go from 10K to 30K and even 50K (mm water column, ISO811), and breathability in the order of 10K (moisture permeability measured in grammes per square-metre per 24 hours, JIS-L1099A1), the company states. Launched in early 2020, Xpore has been adopted by French eco-brand Picture Organic Clothing. The company is currently seeking to introduce a 2.5-layer laminate.

[Sounds to me like a polyurethane coating just like what I have on my stuff sacks to make them water-proof. Rex can show all of the b/s testing he wants. Chances are he has never worn a jacket made with this stuff. I he did he would have learned his stuff is an equal to goretex not working. He is joining the ranks of the charlatans.]

Trenchant Textiles, also based in Taiwan, is another new player in the world of waterproof-breathable materials. It has chosen polypropylene for its Intrepid membrane. “Polypropylene polymer science has changed significantly in the last three decades. Key patents expired in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which has made possible a second coming for polypropylene,” CEO, Matt Cleary, tells WSA.

[Intrepid membrane? Last time I heard the name intrepid it was the name of a boat that won the America’s Cup Race and I think Ted Turner was the skipper. Anyway, matt cleary is also getting on the charlatan band wagon as you will see.]

“Due to its crystallinity, polypropylene presents a homogenous and spherical porous structure that is ideally suited to blocking water and letting moisture pass through,” says Mr Cleary. “It has a unique biomorphic structure that is achieved without the use of solvents.” The ratio of matter to void in Intrepid is approximately 84%, meaning that it consists of far more air than material. Measuring 18 microns thick, it is remarkably light, weighing just four grammes per square-metre. Furthermore, if a brand chooses to bond an Intrepid film to a polypropylene face fabric with a suitably tight weave, it may not require a DWR treatment to offer protection from rain, the company claims.

[Now if you absorbed and understood what cleary has said you will know his company isn’t producing anything different than ALL the rest of the charlatans. I find it interesting that he believes his product may not need a dwr applied to it, inferring the others like goretex do.]

This is exactly what Norwegian outerwear brand Helly Hansen has chosen to do in its new Lifa Infinity Pro range, launched last year with the polypropylene membrane. “It is a ground-breaking material that requires no additional chemical DWR and it aligns perfectly with our core Lifa-branded fibre,” said Helly Hansen category manager Philip Tavel at launch. “We have solved a problem that the entire outdoor industry has been looking at for years: to create a high-performance garment without using a fluorocarbon DWR finish.” The brand chose a dope-dyed face fabric to further reduce water and chemical use.

[Helly hanson has been trying albeit unsuccessfully to find a w-p material and this is their latest effort, but they too are charlatans.]

“This high-profile launch gives us a substantial base for development,” says Sandra Cleary, Trenchant Textiles’ chief operating officer. The possibility of creating a laminate in a single type of polymer is attracting the attention of companies looking to develop high-performance mono-material outerwear.

[Now I guess his wife gets into the act and makes the claim since they are working with helly hanson they have a “substantial base for development”, and here I thought they had the material developed but, not so.]

Whatever the option, adhesives remain an issue, as polyurethane is the go-to solution for bonding. “Polyurethane is the most common adhesive and it is also present in fibre form to provide stretch and recovery. Mechanical stretch can only go so far,” the designer says, even though she believes it can be avoided in skiwear with clever tailoring.

After all is said and done all of these companies are spinning their wheels. But they all see the volume that gore has been doing so they are all wanting to get on the gravy train.