how to correct ongoing mistakes

SINCE 1968

Since 1968 when I started selling the laminated Polar Guard the original Lamilite and conversing with Frank Calibrese the textile technologist at Natick labs I offered to him what I was learning. I was excited about what I was learning and assumed he would be too. After all, eliminating the quilt stitching and having a uniform loft meant we could make a lighter weight product, sleeping bag or jacket with greater insulation. But the only way to use the continuous filament was to laminate it.

Since I had the knowledge of lamination in his mind, I was the only source and that was not good for the military, they wanted an unlimited number of potential sources of supply. Back then there were probably a dozen laminating companies in the north east and if Natick published a need for the Polar Guard or continuous filament laminated all would have tried and some would I believe been successful. But I did not think of that back then.

The only thing I did with Frank that I thought would amount to something was supply him with 100 yards of the original Lamilite for mittens that were sent to Alaska; 200 pair for testing and they tested extremely well. That was as far as he would go with my concept.

Eventually I left the company worked for, stated my own company and sold $60,000.00 worth of Lamilite to a mitten manufacture in Tennessee who made ALL the mittens for the Alyeska pipeline project in Alaska.

It was with the profits I left on my boat. When I returned (sometimes I think it was a mistake, but them again those of you who have Wiggy products wouldn’t have them but I would have a tan) Olam and I made sleeping bags to begin with and then jackets, mittens and booties primarily. It was at the end of my time with Olam that I sent the two bags to Frank so he could test them.

I had left N.C. settled in S.C. and started Laminal and that is where I was when he sent the report to me. I was sure, based upon his findings he would now authorize the lamination of the continuous filament fiber. You see I had built the laminating machine primarily to laminate the continuous filament fiber which is still in use since 1977. It is the least expensive laminating machine ever built and the most productive when it comes to laminating the continuous filament fiber. I may offer it to the Smithsonian someday.

Historically Natick has blatantly refused to educate themselves from one employee to the next for the past 35 plus years since Frank retired. About 10 years ago there was a woman basically in Frank’s position and she was receptive to emails and I finally coerced her into buying an Ultima Thule and her testing showed that it had a 12 or 13 “clo” value reading. But it made no difference she would not stand up and say we can make a better bag if we laminate the continuous filament which was now the Climashild product. The same bag tested by Frank with the Lamilite/Polar Guard is now the Lamilite/Climashield which demonstrated the “clo” value doubled (refer to the test results published yesterday which is 5.94 after 3 launderings and the latest test result was before laundering). An increase unknown to Natick or anyone else in the world who tests heat retention and uses the “clo” value chart before.

I have made the old college try to share and educate our civil servants at Natick labs with the knowledge that I have been gaining over the years I have worked with polyester fiberfill products. Unfortunately for the country the people I have tried over the years to educate blatantly refuse to accept knowledge!!! Of course with the exception of continuous filament fiber otherwise known as CLIMASHIELD or LAMILITE/CLIMASHIELD can be trashed because they are like down obsolete or can be dangerous if you buy say a sleeping bag noted as 0 degree rated and you go trekking as the guy from Philadelphia did and hit a nasty snow storm and your bag gets soaked, in that case you are in deep doodoo.

The result of Natick’s disparaging position against recognizing the significant benefits of type listing or in my opinion specifying that the insulation be continuous filament fiberfill laminated for all insulated products is a tragic mistake. If they did the sheep out there who want to make military stuff would use it. Until that happens you can speak with these companies until you face turns blue and they will not act on their own (THEY ARE THE SHEEP). They are satisfied to make non-performing products because they are made to the government specification and the government specification writers have no interest in making any changes. It is known as “don’t rock the boat”!!!

TALK ABOUT NOT ROCKING THE BOAT AND CREATING A PANIC

Imagine if Natick came to the proper conclusion that the goretex/thinsulate combination does not work and is a contributing factor in the reason behind soldiers getting sores on their feet due to the retention of water in their boots that did not come from outside the boot but from inside the boot which is the sweat that the feet give off.

Before there was goretex/thinsulate in boots people who went into field in the winter months had cold feet. Why was this so, because they were wearing heavy wool socks most likely and the wool was absolutely as it does today absorbing and RETAINING that moisture. Therefore, the wool and the moisture were absorbing the heat from the wearer’s feet drawing the heat causing cold feet. The moisture was NOT getting into the boots. If you are walking on the bare ground there is no water available to get into your boots, is there but your feet were getting cold when you stopped when the ambient air temperature was 35 degrees F. Now you are walking on snow and the temperature is obviously 32 degrees F or lower and when you stopped walking your feet got cold very quickly. Why because in both cases the moisture in your boots was coming from your feet and that moisture when cold chills your feet.

Since the boots were made from leather it is reasonable to think that some of the moisture may have moved into the leather and evaporated out of the boot. However, not enough could get out of the socks so the result still is cold feet.

Now let us introduce goretex/thinsulate into the boots. The gore company claim is one their product keeps the WATER out of boots, and I am not walking into a river, stream or lake so why do I need a boot that isn’t subject to being in water? Okay but I am walking through a field where the grass is wet, water still does not get in and in all cases I have noted you still have cold feet when you stop. Why (?) because your feet are giving off a huge amount of WATER which quickly condenses and is absorbed by those wonderful wool socks so they the wool fibers and the water in the fibers can quickly cause your feet to get cold.

By adding the goretex/thinsulate to the boots you are absolutely guaranteed to have wet feet regardless of the temperature; in warm weather clammy and in cold weather cold. Of course, the second disaster component put in winter boots is thinsulate. Does it work no, never has, doesn’t work today and never will. The same can be said about goretex. Imagine two products combined in one product that perform the same. Neither does what is claimed about them.

Could you imagine the panic that would take place in the boot industry if Natick did the right thing and ended the specification of goretex in not only boots but every product they specify it in.

The boot manufacturers are sitting on hundreds of million dollars’ worth of boots currently and obviously planning future models or scheduling future production.

If they were to stop using goretex/thinsulate they would have to cut the umbilical cord now which they should do since they should now understand and know these two products were never necessary in the first place.

Remember in the early 2000’s I saw all of these boots with temperature rating as far down as -100 degrees F. I called ever company in the Cabela’s catalog and asked how they tested them. they never did but soon after all those rating disappeared and today none of them has a rating as far as I know on any model, but I could be wrong.

My Lamilite insulated boots are great to ZERO degrees with my Lamilite socks; and if you want to go colder you NEED either the Lamilite over boots or Lamilite mukluks. These three items can make you goretex thinsulate boots work better. The socks will allow the moisture to get away from the skin surface of your feet so they will be dry, but the moisture will still be in the boot because the thinsulate and goretex love the moisture and these two components will not let go of it. So, it is time for my sock dryers to go in the boots.

I did some time back offer the Lamilite to these manufacturers, but they ALL turned me down. Probably because there is no Wiggy’s advertising dollars, just a reputation that would enhance their sales .

Isn’t it nice to know that you can help make those goretex/thinsulate boots work better!!!