Triplepoint

[heath]

I've been doing some research recently on clothing and the pros and cons of different fabrics. I've searched several of the past threads that talk about the subject and looked into the ventile vs goretex argument. One of the problems with goretex that seems to come up regularly is the fact that it doesn't last as long as it will eventually delaminate (about 10 years seems to be the general consensus).
Now I have a question, what about triplepoint? It tends to get thrown together with goretex but according to the leaflet that came with the coat I recently bought it is manufactured differently and so will never delaminate.
I haven't had it long enough to comment on this myself but was wondering if anyone has any experience in this area and can comment on it.

 

[Rod]

Triplepoint is a completely different fabric to GTX.

GTX is a bonded laminate, whereas TP is a coating.

GTX is laminated between a nylon face fabric and a nylon scrim. The outside of the nylon face is treated with a DWR - water repellant treatment. The nylon is treated with an olephobic treatment, so as to repel body oils in your perspiration; which will block the pores.

Now the TP bit.
The later version of TP used Dry Yarn Technology. Really Clever. The Ceramic particles which make the fabric water repellant are bonded to the individual nylon fibres - as opposed to the woven face of the fabric. This means that when you move and flex the garment:
a) the coating does not want to peel off due to surface stress in the fabric.
b) the water repellancy is throughout the fabric.

An outer DWR treatment is on the fabric so as to repel rain, snow etc

The other major benefit - and here's the rub - TP breathes because the pores in the fabric allow moisture out. The GTX membrane (the filling in the sandwich) is highly breatheable, however some dork thought it necessary to cover it in a waterproof coating, so blocking all the lovely little pores, which is why you will steam like a pudding in GTX more often than not.

Hope this helps! The smart money goes on eVent garments - Montaine and Rab produce jackets in these. Paramo is excellent - can be too warm in summer and Ventile / Cotton

I spent 8 1/2 years working for a large outdoor equipment company. Did rather a lot of staff training in that time. No axe to grind, but TP was a wise choice

 

[Tiley]

I always thought that Triplepoint Ceramic was an exclusively Lowe Alpine fabric. Since they too have been tainted by Goretex fairly recently, is there anyone out there making garments from Triplepoint?

I do agree - it is better than Goretex. Actually tougher, easier to look after and a good deal less sweaty. I've not tried eVent but I've heard very good things about it.

 

[Toddy]

Another vote for the Triple Point ceramic stuff
They last and last (over 10 years of heavy outdoors use) wash easily and they breathe too
I think we've got half a dozen tpc jackets and I really don't think the laminated stuff is as good, those jackets and overtrousers just seem to fall apart

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Buckshot]

Is it a made made fabric?
I'm thinking of the hot coals/ open fire issue !!!

Mark

 

[Toddy]

Not good besides an open fire but brilliant for chucking it down weather, hillwalking, canoeing and the like. Come to think of it though, my oldest tpc jacket (11 years) gets used beside fires now and it's still fine and undamaged.
I usually just wear a wax jacket when I'm out and likely to be near a fire.

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[faff]

sorry after using both over the last couple of years goretex wins hands down. I will never buy Triple Point again. sweaty and not that water proof in my opinion.

 

[leon-1]

sorry after using both over the last couple of years goretex wins hands down. I will never buy Triple Point again. sweaty and not that water proof in my opinion.

That's a shame, I have used a number of products which are of both types, as a personsal opinion I actually prefer TP over GTX, but the thing to think about is what you will be using it for. Most fabrics of this type have specific conditions at which they work best (ambient temperature / altitude).

Gore-tex can delaminate in a lot less than 10 years, one of the major reasons that people can get years and years out of them is that they don't really use them.

Nowadays I tend to use Ventile, but I have got a lightweight waterproof jacket made from TP that I use once in a blue moon (I haven't used it over a year), but I would prefer to trust to the TP than to GTX (which I still have).

 

[John Fenna]

I rate Ventile above all man mades, not because ventile is "natural" but because it works and is tough and quiet to wear. I do have Goretex and other man made waterproofs - and I do use them - I normally getr these as part of my reviewing work. My most used waterproof, the one I wear for preference, is one I had to buy! As most folk regard me as a real skinflint (I was not cast as Scrooge in our Am Dram Xmas show for nothing!) some of my so called 'Pals' fainted when they heard I had spent well over £200 on a jacket when I can get almost any man made kit for free. However TP is one of the better man mades...
John

 

[Rod]

I always thought that Triplepoint Ceramic was an exclusively Lowe Alpine fabric. Since they too have been tainted by Goretex fairly recently, is there anyone out there making garments from Triplepoint?

I do agree - it is better than Goretex. Actually tougher, easier to look after and a good deal less sweaty. I've not tried eVent but I've heard very good things about it.

It was a Lowe Alpine fabric. Made for them under licence by Toray Fabrics in Japan. Lowe switched to eVent fabrics - started to slaughter jacket sales in the UK as eVent is the mutts if you are buying a breathable barrier shell jacket :notworthy . Lowe UK got bought out by Asolo the Italian boot company :aargh4: : Asolo are Goretex licence holders; Goretex and eVent are direct competitors . WL Gore freeked :yikes: as you can't have competitor fabrics in your range can you? , Asolo got embarrased and ditched eVent. Started making all their jackets in GTX. Their sales dropped as there was less choice for the customer. :borgsmile

TP is also consigned to the charity shop of history as far as Lowe are concerned - although - if you are interested, Columbia use it on their jackets. It goes under the name of Omni-Tech

Hope this helps ?

 

[tetra_neon]

I picked up a L/A 'Adrenaline' hooded jacket in TP from TK Maxx the other day. It doesn't mention 'Ceramic' anywhere on the tags - is there a difference?

 

[Rod]

I picked up a L/A 'Adrenaline' hooded jacket in TP from TK Maxx the other day. It doesn't mention 'Ceramic' anywhere on the tags - is there a difference?

Yeah they used a laminate coating but not TP. Can't remember exactly what, sorry