water resistant and vapor permeable like never before

WATER RESISTANT AND VAPOR PERMEABLE

Several years ago I was visiting San Francisco for a few days and it started raining, if memory serves correct it lasted most of the four days I was there. I purchased a travel raincoat, one that had a pocket that was created with a zipper for storage. It is light and does not show wrinkling very much. I keep it in the pocket on the back of the front seats of my vehicle. This past summer we had a greater amount of rain here in Grand Junction than normal so I made good use of it. I noted that while this garment does not have a water repellent finish nor is it coated, but it does shed water better than any fabric I have ever seen.

I called my primary fabric supplier and told him the company that made the garment, in Italy, asking where the fabric was available from; absolutely no response even wanting to buy it from them.

Recently I read about a fabric that was as the company literature states “highly water-repellent and highly moisture permeable”. So I wrote to them and they responded very quickly. They sent me a sample of the fabric and when I looked at it I thought this is the same as my raincoat fabric. Technically I do not know if that is the case, but I do know it is not the fabric used by the Italian company. This is a new fabric for this company. I ordered 100 yards and was told they only had 50 yards available from their sample production. They further told me they would make more if they had an order. The 50 yard roll will arrive on Monday. Since they needed an order of 1000 yards to make more I gave it to them. The 1000 yards will not be delivered until early February.

I already know what styles I will be making with the fabric. They will be for the urban explorers that are out there now. By the way the color is black. The fabric is wonderfully soft and luxurious. The garments will be hooded and have a zip in Lamilite liner of the same weight as I use for the liner vest and jacket as well as socks.

Now for the structure of the fabric that makes it water resistant versus water repellent, the fibers that the yarns are made from seem to lay in a downward direction similar to shingle on a roof so water landing on the fabric will automatically flow down the fabric whereas regular woven fabric is flat so rain water is stopped from flowing down a garment and seeps into the spaces between the yarns. When a durable water repellent chemical is applied to the fabric it clogs those spaces for a while, like one good rain. When I put the fabric to my mouth just like I did with my rain cost I was able to easily draw air through it. This material is the break through fabric to be able to say water resistant and vapor permeable that I have been looking for.

Before the end of the month of December I will have posted on the web site pictures of the garments; I am thinking three models right now. Once you see them if you have a suggestion send me a picture, not only a written description to consider. To answer a question before you see the garments, they will all of hoods that are attached.

If any of you want to order before I go into production in February let me know so I can offer a gift as I have with the boots since you will be giving me your money up front and having to wait for two months. Since I will be making the garments I will be able to ship as sizes come off the line versus waiting for all of the sizes as I had to with respect to the boots.

If I am correct about this fabric all of the Teflon laminated to fabric will be slit to ½ inch widths and sold to hardware stores for sales to plumbers to use as pipe tape..