New fabric nigh on waterproof but highly breathable at the same time.
OM special agent Charles Ross has been prowling the halls of the recent
ISPO outdoor trade show in Munich in search of the future - more
shortly - but arguably the most interesting development on show was a
new version of
Polartec's
Power Shield fabric that's claimed to be both
more water resistant
than before - pretty much water proof in fact - but still extremely breathable at
the same time.
Polartec has dubbed it the 'Ultmate Soft Shell' and if it lives up to
the manufacturer's claims, it should give an excellent balance between
weather protection and breathability.
The new Polartec Power Shield Pro fabric, says Polartec, 'dramatically
ratchets up the fabric's water resistance, while retaining critical
breathability'. In fact the hydrostatic head of the fabric is quoted at
5000mm, which means it's technically waterproof, but it also has 'true
air permeability' to give improved 'moisture transport over softshells
that do not allow airflow'. MVT values are quoted at 8 l/m
2/sec.
Polartec is saying the fabric, which will appear in the shops from
brands including Lowe Alpine, Mountain Equipment and The North Face in
late summer 2010, should be ideal for all but the wettest conditions.
The idea - as ever - is to give more weather protection, but
with enough breathability to allow with hard work in wet conditions
without the familiar boil in the bag feeling. Along with the very high
water resistance, it's also claimed to block 99% of the wind.
What Is It?
The new version of the fabric uses either a poly or nylon woven face
laminated to a new hydrophobic, microporous, polyurethane membrane
which allows 'actual airflow through the entire fabric package but
stops water from penetrating'. The material, says the company,
'delivers ground-breaking performance through air channels that flow
through the fabric from the inside to the outer surface'.
Previously PU membranes have be hydrophilic, moving liquid outwards
across the PU layer rather than being air permeable, so the new
technology sounds like a real advance and a logical development of
existing Power Shield fabric which balance wind protection with
breathability using a perforated PU membrane.
It'll be interesting to see how it stacks up against Gore Windstopper
later in the year, but it sounds good. Like Windstopper, it's being
sold as a soft shell fabric rather than a waterproof, so we're guessing
that seams won't be sealed. More details when we have them.
More Polartec information, including an interesting video about the new
fabric at
www.polartec.com
