Is it possible to make a fabric more breathable?

[Joe tahkahikew]

Perhaps get out in the forests more. I don't know what soft shells are but jackets and the like will soon get holes in if you use them. ;-) Sitting in ftont of your fire is also a good way of making more holes, especially if your partner likes putting fresh wood on during the evening!.

 

[C_Claycomb]

How on earth did the thread go that far off course.

"How do I make my synthetic softshell more breathable?"

"What you need are Austrian leather shorts with buttons."

 

[Janne]

Example of a well ventilating clothes design.
The fly looks like s draw bridge, and if you get very warm (despite them being short trousers it can happen) you can either undo one or for maximum ventilation - both sides.

I am no Mr Fenna when it comes to sewing, but I did create ventilating slitd below the fly zip on all my cotton summer outdoor trousers. One slit running s few cm from the side of the mid line down the trouser leg, on each side.

Body temperature control is something the manufacturerd should research a bit more, imo.

 

[Erbswurst]

Yes, the Problem is, that they slowly start to believe what they are telling the client about theyr fabrics.

The only correct answer can be:
Austrian Leather Shorts!

Ah, sorry, I meant: ventilation zippers.

;0)

 

[Janne]

Todays 'tech fashion' is snugly sitting clothing made from 'moisture wicking' fabrics.

As soon as the fabric gets soaked with the oils the skin produces this wicking stops. Takes about 1-2 days (maximum).
Also, a strong body odour arrives.

I have personal experience from this.

 

[Erbswurst]

It was only translated wrong from Mandarin. It was meant: "moisture sticking".

Two years ago I needed long underwear and bought it from Tchibo, a german coffee dealer who usually sells surprisingly good outdoor clothing.

Unfortunately they were smelling after 4 hours. 100% super ultra modern thermal functional extreme plastic stuff, of course.

And cold it was too.

 

[Janne]

Good that Tchibo sells good outdoor clothing, because the coffee is not do good!

 

[Erbswurst]

The outdoor stuff is more or less in the same quality.

But I am able to survive with equipment that isn't high end.

To drink a coffee, I usually go in Germany in an italian restaurant or I just go directly to France...

 

[Janne]

I never understood why the coffee in Germany is so much worse than in Austria.
Hungarian influence?

Beer is generally good though. Almost as good as the Czech ones.

The best german beer is Gösser, imo.

 

[Erbswurst]

Gösser comes from Göss / Leoben, and that's in between Wien, Salzburg, Graz and Linz. It's a German beer, no doubt, but not bundesdeutsch, but Austrian!
;0)

In the last decades they reduced the food quality step by step in German supermarket chains. And butchers, cheese shops and bakers nearly died out in the most areas.
The food quality in France is 3 to 5 times higher than in Germany.
Only in the German organic food shops we get such qualities like in France.

The German upper class buys Italian coffee, Illi or Lavazza.

 

[Janne]

I know about Gösser, I just joked......

Like all pilsener style beers, it is a copy. A copy of the Liquid Manna made in Plzeń in Czech Republic.

Many excellent copies exist, all around the World.
(But please call Becks and ask them what on Earth they are doing???
. )

Breathable fabrics? Well washed quality cotton is a nice summer fabric. Soft, ventilating.
And bring cotton, you do not smell like a dead Badger the third day wearing it!

 

[Erbswurst]

I prefer relatively thin fabrics with a mixture of 35% polyester and 65% cotton.

They are very comfortable if it's warm, but they are drying faster than pure cotton.
I wear such fabrics all the year in all weather conditions, of course sometimes with additional waterproofs or merino underwear.

The German (Flecktarn only) and Austrian army uses such fabrics, Decathlon sells it too.

http://army-warehouse.com/10-servicecard-artikel/11-bh-kampfanzugbluse-kaz02-neu.html

http://army-warehouse.com/10-servicecard-artikel/151-bh-kampfanzugjacke-leicht-kaz03-gebraucht.html

http://army-warehouse.com/10-servicecard-artikel/102-bh-feldhemd-oliv-neu.html

http://army-warehouse.com/10-servicecard-artikel/202-bh-feldhose-m75-neu.html

(All that Austrian stuff exists in a pure cotton version and in a polyester cotton mix version. Who wants to order it should write, that he wants polyester cotton mix.)

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/steppe-300-trousers-brown-id_8155548.html

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/bermuda-shorts-100-green-id_8368339.html

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/travel100-m-zip-off-trousers-k-id_8503665.html

 

[Janne]

I was thinking more of the innermost layer.
I like the outermost layer to be oversize, so as much ventilating as possible. There I like both the G1000 style fabrics and pure cotton.

 

[Erbswurst]

I agree!

Inside, first layer 100% cotton, that means breefs an T-shirt or breefs and buttoned shirt in tropical conditions.

(If lower than 0*C long merino underwear with zipp collar directly on the skin. )

In tropical conditions I wear 100% cotton shorts, breefs, buttoned short sleeve shirt and relatively thin socks with sandals too.
That's my beige clothing for southern France during the summer.

In German summer conditions I use the stuff in the links.

I think we prefer in France, Austria and Germany the 35% polyester 65% cotton mix, because it's here all over the year warmer and dryer than in Sweden, where Fjällräven and Pinewood sell 65% polyester and 35% cotton mix clothing.

I think it depends on the weather what is better, even if it's almost the same.
The armies prefere the mix with more cotton too, because it's more fire resistant.

I think, that's for bushcrafters sitting around pinewood fires relevant too and avoids better getting spark holes in the clothing.

That Austrian stuff currently is produced in pure cotton and polyester cotton mix, because they use polyester-cotton mix in Austria, but pure cotton outside the country in warmer areas.

Very interesting:
The German Army Flecktarn trousers are made in a 20% polyester, 80% cotton mix, underwear T-shirt 100% cotton, light jacket/ shirt are made from 35% polyester and 65% cotton!

So they have universal trousers for warmer and colder weather, but a well sucking T-Shirt and a faster drying overshirt, that they wear outside the trousers ( Feldbluse). The hooded jacket exists in Goretex or 35% polyester and 65% cotton. Or they pull one over the other.

 

[Janne]

Here in the tropics, if you spend time outside, pure cotton, cotton Silk or pure silk is the nicest. I am obviously spending most of my time in indoor AC environment.

The outside workers ( all born and bred in the tropics) use pure cotton.
Cotton trousers, cotton tshirts.
The head cover is usually another cotton tshirt.

 

[Rorschach]

None of the gore-tex fabrics or other membrane fabrics work in real use. That is right: none. Move in them and you are drowned in internal moisture. They have several other very negative qualities too.

I used and tried different membrane garments for over 25 years, never satisfied, until I found the alternatives. Nowadays I use Willis Geiger bush poplin cotton garments for hot weather in the summer, they are breathable but windproof and very tough for wear. I much prefer them in general use too, feel better than jeans for example.

I use cotton gabardine or cotton ventile for other seasons or if I need various degrees of rain resistance. Gabardine is 100% wind proof, very breathable but only drizzle-proof. Single layer ventile the same otherwise but already very rain resistant. Double layer ventile is rain proof.

Merino layers for insulation if needed, of course.

Both W&G bush poplin and ventile are mosquito proof. Both (and gabardine too) are very resistant to sparks from a fire, too. All three will outlast any membrane garment by many years.

Never going back to membrane garbage. Or fleece. Pisses me off just to think of all the money wasted on those through the decades.

Edit: so, yes it's possible to make a membrane garment more breathable. By throwing it into recycling and replacing with the above ;-)

 

[Billy-o]

You could take it to the drycleaners or a little shop that does alterations and ask them to put in a couple of zips in the armpit, or just the holes where the zips would go. Depends on how much you like the jacket apart from its sweatiness and how much the jacket cost originally. I had one once as a rather excessive freebie for building up points at Moosejaw. Didnt like it a bit and really couldn't work out what it was supposed to be for. I am one of those with a bit too much metabolism though; which might go some way to explaining

For a softshell, especially for vigorous output, I'd just go more with the physics: wicking layer(s) and a breathable, water resistant windproof

I got the Paramo Buntu fleece a while ago. That works OK, but there are better, lighter microfleeces out there, both cheaper and more expensive. Arcteryx are good for this - the Delta LT, Squamish, Atom and Norvan pieces work very well as team coupled with their very effective baselayers ... but expensive and not fireside (though neither is Paramo really, though it is repairable). Been looking at the Buntu windshirt which apparently teams up with the fleece to make a waterproof system ... you can't really push into high gear with Paramo, however, and it is sartorially very ugly, unformed stuff.