New fabric with no name due from Rab and The North Face in autumn 2010, scoop preview.
Pertex is
launching the
lightest
fabric they've ever produced this
autumn, 2010 with
just
Rab
and
The North Face
using the ultra-lightweight material, which is designed for down
clothing and sleeping bags.
We popped over to Rab's Alfreton base yesterday for a sneak look at
their latest kit including the new fabric. At the moment it
doesn't have a name after its original label fell foul of legal
wranglings over trade-marks, but what we can tell you is that it's a
10-denier fabric.
To put that in perspective, the lightest Pertex Quantum is 15 denier
and while Quantum tips the scales at 32 grammes per square metre, the
new material weighs 25 grammes. A typical down jacket will include
about 3 square metres of fabric.
It's not just about saving weight - lighter fabrics tend to be softer
and easier to stuff, but just as importantly where down in concerned,
the lighter the shell, the easier it is for the down to loft, so you
actually benefit from better insulation as a result.
Infinity Jacket
Rab's using the new fabric initally in the
Infinity Jacket, a
hooded, stitch-through top containing 210 grammes of 850+ US fill power
down - the best Rab has ever used - and the new 10D Pertex inside and
out.
It comes complete with handwarmer pockets and hood. Elasticated cuffs
and a double-exit hem drawcord and it looks fantastic with a slightly
glossy sheen to the near-translucent fabric, which comes in a raft of
bright colours. It also has a really soft, flexible feel.
There are both men's and women's versions of the jacket with the men's
weighing in at around 510 grammes and the women's version, 465 grammes.
That's over 100 grammes lighter than Rab's own Neutrino Endurance.
The new fabric isn't cheap and you can expect to pay around
£200 for
an Infinity Jacket once it appears in the shops in early autumn 2010.
Primaloft Too
Rab is also going to be using the fabric for a
lightweight, hooded Primaloft-filled jacket called the Xenon, which
tips the scales at just 340 grammes and uses 60g Primaloft
One filling along with Pertex 10D inside and out. We have one here and
it's light, soft, very packable and surprisingly warm for such a light
top. It should be spot on for lightweight, fast-movers in damp UK conditions.
An educated guess would be that the new fabric will also turn up, along
with the 850+ down, in Rab's sleeping bag range before too long, for
the ultimate in lightweight bags, but right now it's a case of 'watch
this space'
More details of the current Rab range at
www.rab.uk.com
