-
Interesting.
I'm reading this https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pfc-bans-are-going-to-change-the-face-of-all-waterproof-garments/ at the moment. I remember their announcement and thought nothing of it at the time. I have a Castelli Shakedry that I bought second hand off here. It's not had much use as I tend to go from no jacket to full winter jacket with little in between but I love that it fits in a jersey pocket for those "I dunno if it's gonna rain" days. I doesn't have a hood though so it's not that much use for the longer stuff I tend to do where I can't look at the forecast for a week ahead and be certain there's no rain.
On the shift away from PFCs, what do you make of HH new stuff, LIFA INFINITY™ ?
https://www.hellyhansen.com/en_gb/odin-1-world-infinity-jacket-63099
hippy-
Great article, really positive to see this stuff being discussed honestly and pragmatically. Not sure what you are replying to, apologies, but just incase, this article is really good too;
Polyproplyene membranes have been on my radar for a while, and although I've not actually trialled any yet, I do have some stuff in work. On paper it makes a lot of sense; it's the least absorbent fibre by a long way, so creating a micro-porous/nanofibre mesh/membrane seems perfect. I've seen it described as 'hydrophobic' which I think is a bit of a misnomer, because it relies on being impervious to H2O absorption, rather than actively repelling like previous tech - in the same way glass won't 'absorb' rain (and does allow it to settle on the surface) but if you treat the glass with a silicone/PFOA DWR the water droplets are repelled and bead off.
Polypro has a very low melt-point (~171ºC) so is tricky to laminate, bond, heat-seal etc. so it comes with additional problems in manufacture ....and polyprop has a reputation for odour retention. As I say, I haven't trialled one yet, but this could add another layer of complexity to the product ....the most effective anti-bac/anti-odour treatments (silver ion) are biocides, and perceived as toxic in Scandinavia...
Bringing things back up, from an environmental perspective, it opens the way for mono-material technical garments, which theoretically could be recycled in the same way drinks bottles or tin cans are. It's a long way off, but is an option for circular systems, but could be another interesting dimension to the way you experience a piece of apparel/brand etc.
Chopsicle
Posting here because there was some interest in post-PFAS world and future of waterproof technology,
This article needed to be written years ago. Great to see issues (and opportunities) being laid out in a pragmatic and honest way. It goes someway to begin the reset we need to do around expectation of waterproof-breathable technology;
https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/the-future-of-waterproof-clothing-one-year-closer-to-the-pfas-ban/