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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-
has a reputation for odour retention
As soon as you typed Polypro I was thinking "damn, not the undershirts of death!" :D
I'm still wearing what I think is a polypro undershirt from Oz, which must make it easily 20 years old. It's actually really comfortable on the skin, more like merino and doesn't seem to retain pong as much as some of my other, polypro bits. (maybe it's not polypro at all but that's all I remember buying for years and years until merino was more of a hit). -
on this how would you rate the rab eco downpour?
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it opens the way for mono-material technical garments, which theoretically could be recycled in the same way drinks bottles or tin cans are
This is what we'd just started trying to develop when I left Morvelo, it seemed pretty within reach but then other types of shit hit the fan sadface
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Do you have a feeling for how good/bad for the environment the nikwax analogy stuff is, a la paramo. It is quite warm and heavy (so you sort of need to wear only if not going to be taking it off) but when commuting I found it great (also for breathability) and also for winter walking/mountaineering. But not clear if anyone has ever tried making technical cycling clothing with it. Suspect lack of stretch a problem?
hippy
amey
jackbepablo
sidewinder
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
https://www.tetongravity.com/story/gear-tech/tgr-tested-helly-hansens-odin-mountain-infinity-shell-jacket
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJev5Qa7JoM