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Free shipping on orders over $150
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Designed for the daily mile
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Free returns within 30 days
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Worldwide delivery
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Technical fabrics are described with numbers, and the numbers are real. What they do not tell you is how a garment feels on the eleventh wear, which is the only measurement that matters to the person wearing it. This is a short guide to reading the spec sheet without being misled by it.
Technical fabrics are described with numbers, and the numbers are real. What they do not tell you is how a garment feels on the eleventh wear, which is the only measurement that matters to the person wearing it. This is a short guide to reading the spec sheet without being misled by it.
Technical fabrics are described with numbers, and the numbers are real. What they do not tell you is how a garment feels on the eleventh wear, which is the only measurement that matters to the person wearing it. This is a short guide to reading the spec sheet without being misled by it.
Waterproof ratings
Waterproof ratings
Waterproof ratings
Hydrostatic head is measured in millimetres and describes the water column a fabric resists before leaking. A rating of 10,000mm handles steady rain. 20,000mm handles sustained heavy rain under pressure — which is what a backpack strap creates on a shoulder. Above roughly 25,000mm the additional figure is largely academic for daily wear.
Hydrostatic head is measured in millimetres and describes the water column a fabric resists before leaking. A rating of 10,000mm handles steady rain. 20,000mm handles sustained heavy rain under pressure — which is what a backpack strap creates on a shoulder. Above roughly 25,000mm the additional figure is largely academic for daily wear.
Hydrostatic head is measured in millimetres and describes the water column a fabric resists before leaking. A rating of 10,000mm handles steady rain. 20,000mm handles sustained heavy rain under pressure — which is what a backpack strap creates on a shoulder. Above roughly 25,000mm the additional figure is largely academic for daily wear.
The more important question is where the water gets in, which is almost never through the fabric. It is through seams, zips and the hood opening. Fully taped seams matter more than an extra 5,000mm of rating, and they cost more to produce, which is why the rating is the number that gets advertised.
The more important question is where the water gets in, which is almost never through the fabric. It is through seams, zips and the hood opening. Fully taped seams matter more than an extra 5,000mm of rating, and they cost more to produce, which is why the rating is the number that gets advertised.
The more important question is where the water gets in, which is almost never through the fabric. It is through seams, zips and the hood opening. Fully taped seams matter more than an extra 5,000mm of rating, and they cost more to produce, which is why the rating is the number that gets advertised.
Breathability
Breathability
Breathability
Usually given as MVTR in grams per square metre per twenty-four hours. Higher is more breathable. The complication is that these figures come from several different test methods that produce different numbers for the same fabric, and brands rarely say which method was used. Treat breathability figures as comparable only within a single brand.
Usually given as MVTR in grams per square metre per twenty-four hours. Higher is more breathable. The complication is that these figures come from several different test methods that produce different numbers for the same fabric, and brands rarely say which method was used. Treat breathability figures as comparable only within a single brand.
Usually given as MVTR in grams per square metre per twenty-four hours. Higher is more breathable. The complication is that these figures come from several different test methods that produce different numbers for the same fabric, and brands rarely say which method was used. Treat breathability figures as comparable only within a single brand.
A 40-denier recycled nylon face fabric at the yarn level.
Denier, gsm and what they actually predict
Denier, gsm and what they actually predict
Denier, gsm and what they actually predict
- Denier measures yarn thickness. Lower is lighter and generally less abrasion resistant.
- GSM measures finished fabric weight per square metre and predicts warmth and drape better than denier does.
- Ripstop refers to a reinforcing grid woven in at intervals — it limits tear propagation but does not prevent the initial tear.
- Staple length in natural fibres predicts pilling more reliably than fibre percentage does.
The finish is not the fabric
The finish is not the fabric
The finish is not the fabric
Durable water repellent is a coating applied to the outer face. It causes water to bead and it wears off. Every DWR wears off. A garment described as water repellent with no membrane behind it will eventually wet out, and how long that takes depends far more on how often you wash and reproof it than on which finish was applied at the factory.
Durable water repellent is a coating applied to the outer face. It causes water to bead and it wears off. Every DWR wears off. A garment described as water repellent with no membrane behind it will eventually wet out, and how long that takes depends far more on how often you wash and reproof it than on which finish was applied at the factory.
Durable water repellent is a coating applied to the outer face. It causes water to bead and it wears off. Every DWR wears off. A garment described as water repellent with no membrane behind it will eventually wet out, and how long that takes depends far more on how often you wash and reproof it than on which finish was applied at the factory.
Ask what the fabric does after forty washes. Any answer that only describes it new is describing a sample, not a garment.
Ask what the fabric does after forty washes. Any answer that only describes it new is describing a sample, not a garment.
Ask what the fabric does after forty washes. Any answer that only describes it new is describing a sample, not a garment.
We publish our own figures where we have them and say nothing where we do not. Some claims that appear routinely on technical clothing — antimicrobial permanence, thermal regulation percentages, unqualified recycled content — are difficult to substantiate, and we would rather leave a gap than fill it.
We publish our own figures where we have them and say nothing where we do not. Some claims that appear routinely on technical clothing — antimicrobial permanence, thermal regulation percentages, unqualified recycled content — are difficult to substantiate, and we would rather leave a gap than fill it.
We publish our own figures where we have them and say nothing where we do not. Some claims that appear routinely on technical clothing — antimicrobial permanence, thermal regulation percentages, unqualified recycled content — are difficult to substantiate, and we would rather leave a gap than fill it.
