continuous filament will still be here 100 years from now

CONTINUOUS FILAMENT FIBERFILL 100 YEARS FROM NOW

It is my educated opinion and belief that in 100 years and more continuous filament fiberfill will not only still be used as insulation for sleeping bags and apparel because there is nothing that can perform as it does! Therefore, it will not be replaced. (It has been here for 60 years already).

This discussion is about insulation used for clothing items; jackets, pants, hand wear, foot wear, head wear and sleeping bags only.

Air is actually the insulation, but in order for air to insulate it must be trapped between two surfaces and within those surfaces it must be divided into very small spaces. The materials used between those two surfaces are what we refer to as insulation. Air sticks to any surface for a distance of 1/8^th inch and if you reduce the distance between surfaces that will aid it’s insulating capacity. Stagnant air just like stagnant water warms. The insulating medium can be down or polyester fiberfill. The down can be referred to in terms of how much space one ounce of down will consume. There are down qualities that go from 550 to 1000 cubic inches of space that they fill. From what I have seen I believe those numbers are farcical. There are different numbers but only one quality as far as I am concerned. Then there are two forms of polyester fiberfill available; chopped staple and continuous filament fiberfill’s.

Down as is used in a sleeping bag will keep the two surfaces known as the shell and lining fabrics apart so air trapped within the down stagnates which is the reason your heat stays within the cavity of the sleeping or outerwear item. However, down has a major down fall in that it does accumulate moisture and when doing so it collapses rendering it useless as an insulating medium. The moisture comes from the person in the sleeping bag or garment as well as from the air. This accumulation of moisture happens quickly as well.

Regardless if the polyester fiberfill is chopped staple or continuous filament neither one actually will absorb moisture, that is where the similarity ends.

Chopped staple fiberfill does also keep the shell and lining fabrics apart but in order for the insulation to stay in its place within the garment or sleeping bag it must be quilted and those quilt stitched lines are cold spots. Also when moisture from the occupant of the sleeping bag or wearer of the garment perspires the moisture is trapped in the fiber structure and along the quilt stitches. The quilt stitching pulls the chopped staple fiberfill together reducing the spaces between the individual fibers to the point that they are next to each other significantly eliminating as must of the air as possible that was in the fibers prior to quilting taking place.

Continuous filament (CF) polyester is unique since it does not have a need for quilting to hold it in place as does down and chopped staple fiberfill. The structure of the CF fiberfill is such that it can be used in sheets as large as the shell and lining fabrics are and layered between the two. This means quilt stitching is not required to hold it in place. It also means there are no cold spots as a direct result of the quilt stitches. This structure also means that there is a uniform thickness (loft) of the insulation. It also means that any moisture that comes from your body which is a vapor will rise and easily pass through the spaces between the yarns of the fabric while the heat coming off of your skin surface is trapped in the sleeping bag or garment and in turn drives the moisture through the insulation. The fibers that make up the CF insulation are treated with silicone so the fiber surfaces are not stifling the vapor movement. And of course the vapor condenses on the outside of the sleeping bag when it cools to whatever the ambient air temperature happens to be.

The key to the success of CF is the simple fact that there is no known material that is strong enough to keep the two fabrics apart, have the trapped air space within the fibers that are less than 1/8^th inch apart which is vitally important, not inhibit the movement of vapor or absorb it as it is moving through the bag, trap the heat produced by the occupant of the bag and have exceptional resilience when crushed.

The CF continues to demonstrate what is of greatest need of consumers is it’s insulating abilities. People who use CF insulated sleeping bags or clothing items marvel at how warm they stay when using these products. They may or may not understand the technical aspects of why CF insulation performs as it does and sometimes call and ask that question. I am always happy to explain all to them.

Ounce for ounce the CF out performs every other material ever grown or made by man for use as an insulating medium.

There are a number of companies that are working on placing additives on chopped staple fiberfill all over the world that will improve their ability to function as insulation, but they do not comprehend the simple fact that they are working with chopped staple fiberfill to begin with. Even if they actually did produce an additive due to the construction method needed to work with chopped staple fiberfill or even down their efforts would be nullified by that construction method. None of these additives can make CF perform any better than it does now. Maybe they should concentrate on the best method to make the products they want to improve.

Until someone comes up with a fiber that is finer than the current fiber that will increase the spaces between each other and have the strength to hold the shell and lining materials apart as well as have the resilience of the current CF the current CF will not be replaced!!!

The sales director of Climashield; Brian Emanuel and I met about 15 years ago. At the time I asked him if he had children, he said yes and they were toddlers. I then matter of fact told him that when they had children, his grandchildren the product he was selling me Climashield would still be the best insulating material on the planet. Aside from the fact that he thought I was a good and enthusiastic customer I am not sure he believed me, today I believe he does agree with me.

Several weeks ago I offered a challenge to one and all companies that either market materials or make garments using materials referred to as “waterproof and breathable”. As of this writing not a one has stepped forward to come to Grand Junction, Colorado to show me that they do have a product that works. Now I add to the list a challenge to each and every company that makes polyester fiberfill or down to come to Grand Junction, Colorado and demonstrate to me that they have a product that is at least as good as Climashield/Lamilite.

Until someone from any of these companies’ steps forward I will continue to make it clear to one and all that when they buy sleeping bags or garments that utilize these materials; waterproof/breathable, down or chopped staple fiberfill’s they are wasting their money by supporting companies that are selling a dream that will never come true. I consider these people who sell these products charlatans!

CF has been here for 60 years so what is another 100 years.