The secret of fiber materials used in outdoor clothing

Outdoor sports include a wide range of content. The so-called outdoors can literally be said to be sports performed outdoors, including general outings to mountaineering, cross-country, rock climbing, horseback riding, rafting, skiing, cycling, golf, etc. With its rapid development, it has become an emerging way of leisure among China’s white-collar workers. Outdoor sports appear in an avant-garde manner. Wearing jackets, hiking shoes, and carrying travel bags to go camping in the countryside seems to have become a fashionable life for white-collar workers and the middle class. Along with this healthy and fashionable lifestyle comes fashionable “equipment”. Chief among them is the “first line of protection” – outdoor sportswear.

In recent years, outdoor sportswear has gradually become popular in China, which has attracted the attention of the clothing industry. As an emerging industry in the clothing field, outdoor sportswear currently occupies a huge market space in China. Since outdoor sports include many items, there are also many types and styles of outdoor activity clothing. There are different professional sportswear designed for the characteristics of specific sports. For example, there are special windproof jackets and overalls for mountaineering, and there are also special ones for skiing. One-piece ski shirts and more. The special functionality of outdoor sportswear is very necessary, but at present, most consumers in our country have far greater requirements for the fashion of outdoor sportswear than their functionality. Therefore, on the premise of ensuring functionality, outdoor sportswear needs to add more fashion elements to better adapt to consumer requirements.

Polyester

Polyester, also known as polyester fiber, is commonly known as “Qianliang” in China. It is strong and durable, does not shrink easily, does not fade easily, has good wrinkle resistance, is easy to wash and quick-drying, and is very popular among people. However, ordinary polyester fabrics have shortcomings such as poor air permeability and hygroscopicity, and are prone to static electricity. Therefore, some post-processing is usually used to improve its performance, such as processing into special-shaped cross-section fibers, using the capillary effect between fibers to enhance perspiration function, and improving anti-pilling and anti-static properties; or processing into hollow fibers, which can effectively lock It can store heat energy and is a very good thermal insulation material.

Nylon

Also called nylon, its outstanding advantage is that it is strong and durable. According to reports, the strength of nylon is 1 to 2 times higher than cotton and 4 to 5 times higher than wool; the abrasion resistance is 10 times higher than cotton and 20 times higher than wool. Nylon is a common outdoor material used in outdoor clothing. For example, skin clothing usually uses 15D or 20D nylon fiber. Compared with polyester and other fiber materials of the same fineness, nylon fabrics are more lightweight, wear-resistant, and elastic. Nylon fabrics used in jackets, golf clothing, ski clothing, etc. can improve the wear resistance of the clothing and have a certain degree of elasticity, fully meeting the needs of heavy outdoor exercise.

Polypropylene

Polypropylene is the lightest fiber among common chemical fibers and it absorbs almost no moisture. However, research shows that fine-denier polypropylene fiber with a single filament size less than 1.1dtex can form a unique wicking effect and can siphon sweat to the outside of the fabric. The finer the polypropylene monofilament fiber, the more obvious this wicking moisture permeability effect will be. Taking advantage of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic differences between fine-denier polypropylene and other fibers, a special double-layer structure is designed to achieve one-way moisture conduction. This kind of fabric has good sweat-wicking and moisture-permeable properties and can keep the skin dry when worn. It is very suitable for making clothing for outdoor activities such as mountain climbing and hiking.

Spandex

The most prominent advantages of spandex are good elasticity, resistance to deformation, and wear resistance. The more famous materials are LYCRA (Lycra) from DuPont in the United States. Spandex is generally not used alone, but is incorporated into fabrics in small amounts. The spandex core-spun yarn we often talk about uses spandex filament as the core yarn, and the outside is covered with cotton, polyester and other fibers. This core-spun yarn not only has the elasticity of spandex, but also obtains a good feel and appearance through the outer fibers. When people exercise outdoors, they may make some relatively large movements. Highly elastic clothing fabrics can increase the range of joint and muscle activities and improve the comfort of movement. Therefore, spandex fabrics are increasingly used in outdoor clothing. many.

Cuprofiber

Cupro fiber is a regenerated cellulose fiber, which is in line with the trend of environmentally friendly clothing! Cupro fiber fabric has good hygroscopicity and drape, and its wearing performance is similar to silk. Another feature is its good anti-static function. It is suitable for knitted underwear, shirts, windbreakers and other clothing. Even if worn in dry areas, it still has a good touch and can avoid the discomfort of stuffy heat.

Acrylic

Acrylic fiber performs very much like wool, so it is called “synthetic wool”. It feels very smooth to the touch, has the characteristics of softness, bulkiness, bright color, and good elasticity and warmth retention. Acrylic fiber is a lighter fabric among synthetic fiber fabrics, second only to polypropylene fiber. It is a good lightweight clothing material and can be used for mountaineering clothing, winter warm clothing, etc.

Here are some fiber brands that are well-known in the clothing industry:

Sorona fiber

The main raw material for the production of Sorona fiber is a renewable resource and has the concept of energy saving and environmental protection. The fabric has a comfortable and soft feel, is UV resistant and has bright color.It is bright, not easily deformed after washing, has excellent quick-drying properties and does not fade after washing, which is also favored by consumers.

Coolmax fiber

Coolmax was developed by DuPont. It has a four-groove special-shaped cross-section. Small wicking channels with strong capillary effect can be formed between the fibers, which can quickly drain sweat to the surface of the clothing for evaporation. It has excellent moisture conduction and quick-drying properties. Although pure cotton can absorb sweat, its perspiration capacity is not high, and ordinary chemical fiber is very poor in absorbing sweat. In contrast, Coolmax fiber is excellent in absorbing and wicking sweat. It is especially suitable for making functional T-shirts or quick-drying underwear that require moisture absorption and quick drying.

Cordura fiber

Cordura has good wear resistance, tear resistance and puncture resistance. According to relevant data, at the same weight, the durability of Cordura fabric is twice that of standard nylon fabric, three times that of polyester fabric, and three times that of cotton fabric. 10 times that of canvas. During mountaineering, rock climbing or some harsh routes, it is inevitable to encounter sharp thorns and rocks, which requires clothing with high wear resistance. Many jackets and fleece jackets are also reinforced with Cordura on the shoulders and elbows, where they are prone to wear and tear.

Primaloft ultra-soft, water-repellent microfiber

Primaloft is a down substitute developed by the American company Al-bany International. It is lightweight and composed of millions of microfibers. It has a soft and warm feel like down and can dry quickly after getting wet. The newly launched hybrid thermal insulation product – Gold Down Blend down insulation cotton, is made of 70% waterproof goose down with a fill power of 750 and 30% PrimaLoft fiber. It is very suitable for application in humid and snowy weather environments and is widely used in High-quality ski gloves not only improve the comfort and insulation of the gloves, but also give them better flexibility. Some brands also use it as a filler for warm clothing.

Article source: Jieershuang Printing and Dyeing Technology