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Fabrics and Fibers Glossary of Terms |
A
Abrasion Resistance: The extent that a frabric that resists abrasion--as if that wasn't obvious.
Absorption v: The taking in and holding of liquid within a fabric, yarn, filament or fiber. Cotton is excellent at absorbing liquid, not so good at releasing it, which is why it is not a good fabric to wear in cold climates when warmth is important.
Acrylic: Generic name for man-made fibers from polyacrylonitrile. It's washable, colorfast and has a soft, wooly hand.
Activent: W.L. Gore's water-resistant, windproof membrane designed to be laminated to fabrics used in high aerobic activities. You'll wear Activent when ridding yourself of internally generated moisture--sweat--is more important than shedding externally generated moisture--rain.
Adsorption v: Different than absorption, this refers to the adhesion (like a glue) of a gas or liquid to the surface of a material.
Air Permeability: The degree to which a fabric, coating or laminate allows air to pass through its construction.
Base Layer n: The first layer of clothing in your body's defense against cold, heat, moisture, etc. It is designed to remain dry by either wicking, repelling, or allowing moisture to pass through to another absorbent layer. Typically this is consider an underwear layer and common brands that you will see are: Capilene, CoolMax, Thermastat, Thermax, Transport EC2, Lifa, MCS.
Bicomponent Knit: A knitted fabric that combines two different surface textures or materials. Often the inner surface is brushed for comfort and maximum absorbtion and the outer surface is open-weave to encourage moisture (read sweat) evaporation.
Blend: A yarn created by combining two or more different fibers in the yarn-manufacturing process.
Breathability: The degree to which a fabric, coating or laminate allows moisture vapor to pass through its construction.
Brushed: The flannel-like hand on knit or woven fabrics which is a result of the fabric being brushed or napped during the manufacturing process.
CLO: A unit of measurement used to determine insulation value.
Coating n: A finish on the inside or either a garment or a tent that is applied to prevent moisture from seeping in. Some coatings, most typically on garments, are also considered breathable as they stop water molecules from entering, but allow water vapor (sweat) to escape. Some of the more common brand names are: Lowe Alpine Triple Point Ceramic, Patagonia H2No, Burlington Ultrex, Columbia Omni-Tech.
CoolMax: A hydrophobic, copolymer, four-channel fiber fabric used in base-layers for moisture management and warmth.
Comfortemp: Open-cell polyurethane foam with tiny heat storage capsules designed to hold heat longer and provide more efficient heat to the body. Made by Frisby Technologies and used in outerwear, gloves and boots.
Dryloft: A windproof, highly breathable, water resistant laminate used most often in sleeping bag construction when keeping the down insulation dry is critical.
DWR n: Short for Durable Water Repellent. This is the finish that is applied to the outer fabric of waterproof / breathable and water-resistant garments to help them shed water. It will wear off in time and needs to be replenished. There are a number of spray-on and wash-in solutions for this purpose. Without DWR, your garment will feel like a wet dishrag, no matter how expensive it is.
EVA n: Short for Expanded Vinyl Acetate. This is the closed-cell foam in the midsole of many athletic, trail running and hiking shoes. EVA is used for its cushioning qualities since it is lighter and softer than the other major midsole ingredient -- polyurethane, or PU.
Fill n: Refers to the insulation in either a sleeping bag, most popular use of the term, or a jacket. Can be either man-made fiber such as Lite-Loft, Quallofil, Polarguard, Polarguard 3D, Hollofil, or natural material such as down.
Flat-lock Seam: A seam that is sewn flat to minimize bulk and reduce the opportunity for abrasion against the skin--a good thing in underwear gang!
Fleece n: Generic term for insulating and very durable material made from spun virgin or recycled polyester. Malden Mills (Polartec) and Dyersberg are two of the most prominent names manufacturing quality fleece products.
Four-way Stretch: Means the garment will stretch in any direction. Two-way stretch is more restrictive and typically means a garment stretches either up and down or side to side.
Gusset: A triangular or diamond-shape swatch of fabric sewn into the underarms or crotch of a garment to provide more freedom of movement--no, a diamond crotch doesn't imply anything more than pant construction.
Gusseted tongue n (in footwear): When the tongue of a shoe or boot is attached via a bellows-like fold on either side of the tongue from top to bottom, be it leather or fabric, it is gusseted. This is done to both keep the moisture and trail dirt from finding a way into your shoe and to help stabilize the tongue and keep it from migrating left or right.
Hand: The feel of a fabric when touched by the hand -- soft, silky, board-like, cottony, drapable, etc.
Hollofil II: DuPont's hollow fiber, high-loft insulation with a special lubricating finish to improve the feel. Most often used in sleeping bags.
Hydrophilic: Water loving -- like a sponge.
Hydrophobic: Water hating -- plastic for example.
Illuminite: A type of reflective print that can be applied to a wide variety of fabrics making the wearer far more visible at night. Manufactured by Reflective Technologies.
K
Knit: The interlooping of yarns in produced by knitting on a machine or by hand. Common terms in knit fabrics are jersey, interlock and rib knit.
Laminate n: A layer of material that is bonded to an outer fabric to render it waterproof and / or waterproof / breathable. Gore-Tex is perhaps the most widely recognized laminate.
Merino Wool: Wool that comes from a second or third sheering of a sheep when the fiber is thicker and more durable.
Moisture Transport: The process of a fabric absorbing liquid moisture, including sweat (yech) and then moving it to the surface of that fabric either by wicking or heat so that it may evaporate.
Outlast: Dubbed a temperature-regulating fiber or coating, it actually works much the same way as Comfortemp by absorbing heat very efficiently and holding it. Used in base-layer garments.
Pilling: Though it may look unsightly, pilling on fabric (the balls of fabric forming on the surface caused by abrasion from wear and washing) don't affect the performance of a garment.
Polarguard HV / 3D: A continuous polyester filament insulation used in sleeping bags and outerwear. Supremely durable and proven to resist separation, lumping or clumping.
Polartec: The generic name for a family of fleece fabric products from Malden Mills.
Polyethylene n: A type of plastic often used in the construction of boats or plastic shells for boots because it is inexpensive and bombproof.
Quallofil: Made by DuPont, Quallofil is a four-channel hollow-fiber designed as a man-made alternative to down. Used in outerwear and sleeping bags.
Thermastretch: Made by Malden Mills and part of the Polartec family, Thermastretch is a nylon Lycra shell combined with non-pilling velour fleeced lining for form fit and amazing comfort. It is little wonder by most warm water divers and surfers are opting for dive suits and tops made of this material.
Three-layer construction adj: A kind of construction used in laminated outerwear consisting of the waterproof or water-resistant membrane being sandwiched between an outer fabric shell and a liner, all laminated together. This construction is very durable, but typically much stiffer in feel.
Two-layer construction adj: A kind of construction used in laminated outerwear consisting of an outer fabric shell laminated to a water-resistant or waterproof membrane, with a hanging liner, typically mesh to improve durability and minimize clamminess. This construction is much softer and often more pleasant to wear.
Wicking: The physical action of drawing liquid moisture (sweat) away from the body and moving it to another surface or layer.
Windstopper: Windproof and breathable membrane created by Gore to be used in sweaters, fleece garments and outerwear.
