Future fabrics: thanks to numerous innovations in the textile industry, today's outdoor clothing and kit enables us to climb higher, trek farther and move faster than ever before

Geographical, April, 2003

Has it ever crossed your mind while traversing Snowdonia's Crib Goch on a blustery spring day that you are closely linked with astronauts, soldiers and hernia surgeons? Given the relative simplicity of acts such as hiking and mountain biking, it's amazing the impact that hi-tech human activities such as space travel, waging war and medical operations have had on our adventures in nature. The outdoor industry has truly come of age, with market leaders delivering quite incredible products the likes of which Scott, Shackleton, Hillary et al could never even have dreamt.

Among the most striking developments over the past few months have been those in waterproof, breathable fabrics. Since 1976, when WL Gore launched its ground-breaking polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) Gore-Tex membrane into the outdoor market after successes in the space industry and medicine, clammy, sweaty days in the mountains have become a thing of the past. Gore's latest fabric, Paclite 3, is around 40 per cent more breathable than those first offerings: more breathable than the current Gore-Tex XCR fabric and, with its new protective inner layer, more durable than previous incarnations of Paclite. A host of UK manufacturers are lined up to incorporate the new fabric in this year's ranges, including Sprayway--in its fashion-conscious Alpha jacket, for example--Karrimor, Berghaus, Haglofs and Mountain Equipment.

Rival challenge

Despite the appearance over the years of competitive fabrics such as Sympatex and Lowe Alpine's Triple Point, Gore-Tex has built up a healthy lead in the marketplace. But now that might be under serious threat for the first time. Lowe Alpine's brand new fabric event, due for launch this autumn, claims to be the most breathable around. Developed in conjunction with event Fabrics, this material is also made of a PTFE membrane, but it doesn't require the extra PU-coated layer that Gore-Tex needs to keep clogging body oils at bay. Instead, event manages to incorporate the coating into its structure, allowing the membrane's holes to remain clear and thus increasing breathability. Initial indications are that it is a very worthy rival.

When the US military needs something new, little expense is spared in development. Suffering from wet--and therefore less insulated--down sleeping bags, it asked developers to look for a more water-resistant alternative. The result was Primaloft. Dubbed the `down alternative', this lightweight synthetic microfibre retains warmth better when damp, yet still packs down well. Although the fibre has been around for a while, new products that make use of it are being devised all the time, such as Marmot's Fusion sleeping bag, which combines an inner layer of down with a Primaloft outer layer to add protection against the wet.

While fleece jackets are still dominant, a recent innovation is the synthetic `down' jacket. A perfect example is Rab's new ultralight Photon smock, which features a thin layer of Primaloft under a windproof, rain-resistant Pertex Quantum shell, creating a warm and versatile garment that tips the scales at just 370 grams.

Weight has become the driving force behind many products. With the rise of winter mountaineering and ice climbing, and the new multi-discipline sport of adventure racing--all of which demand that grams are shaved off products in order to speed and ease progress--outdoor enthusiasts and manufacturers have realised that the days of hefty kit are waning. The lighter and less encumbered you are, the faster, and more comfortably, you will travel. The outdoor industry's technological revolution is on a roll that shows no sign of slowing, either itself or its customers.