2009-12-31

no-sweat insect barriers

12.14: gear/clothing/sweatless

summary:
. the best idea for insect-proof cool clothing
is to have a mechanical venting system
one that is activated by your own body motion
and enforced by valves that ensure ouside air is bellowed in
to replace all the sweaty air .
. find a nylon net <>
-- nxn gives the size of holes in 1/16 inch .
. then,
interleave several layers in various directions
to make a very thick, light matting
with a high MVT – moisture vapour transfer .
. have the netting be of various guage,
so that the inner net is wide
sandwiched by successively finer net .
. the best mesh is some sort of soft tubing;
the tubing is comfortable to lay on,
but when you get up, it fluffs up,
and creates large spaces that are arranged like smoke stacks .
. they also put distance between shell and skin
to be breezy while still keeping a distance from
flying stingers, biters, suckers and injectors .
. one way to create this fluff is with sewn pleats:
ie, fold fabric over, sew 1/4 inch from edge,
fold over again, ...
sewing consecutive loops from a mesh fabric .
. at a certain loop size, they will always bounce back
at least eno' to stop mosquito's and get just a bit of air .
. the design needs to have ruffles backed by something that won't stretch,
otherwise, the weight of bending joints would mash the ruffles down .
. the only time they can be mashed
is when something over the flattened area is pushing down from the top,
so the cause is also acting as a substitute barrier .


. eVent highly rated as sweatproof too?
this might be good for bugs!
http://www.montane.co.uk/
. the usa dealer is here (eVent fabrics) $400-size products!!!
http://www.backcountry.com/store/

-- nxn gives the size of holes in 1/16 inch .
see samples first too:

60" Wide 100% Polyester / $ 5.95
~ 3.0 Ounces per Square Yard
Mesh openings size is 1/16" x 1/16".
Shipping Now to ... Canada [plus other contries]

60" Wide 100% Nylon /$ 6.25
~ 2.0 Ounces per Square Yard
Mesh openings size is 1/16" x 2/16".

50" Wide 100% Polyester /6.25
~ 3.0 Ounces per Square Yard
Mesh openings size is 2/16" x 3/16".

50" Wide 100% Polyester / $5.25
~ 3.0 Ounces per Square Yard
Mesh openings size is 1/4" x 1/4".

Orange - 54" Wide 100% Polyester / $5.25
~ 2.0 Ounces per Square Yard
Mesh openings size is 3/16" x 3/16
Neon Yellow - 60" Wide 100% Polyester /6.25
~ 2.0 Ounces per Square Yard
Mesh openings size is 3/16" x 3/16"

~ 2.0 Ounces per Square Yard
Mesh openings size is 1/4" x 3/8".
50" Wide 100% Polyester / $5.25


Rab Vapour Rise
stuff is a less insulated and more breathable solution
Drillium
"This was best in test in 2007 and it's still hard to beat if you want an all-round jacket."
Trail Magazine 'Best in Test' multi-activity jackets, November 2008

Latok Alpine jacket
Designed as an Alpine climbing jacket the Latok Alpine has a helmet compatible hood, single weatherproof front zip, 2 outer pockets...and very little else! This is the perfect balance between protection and weight saving for lightweight mountaineering. Using eVent® 3 layer fabric and designed to be fit for purpose, it is understandably a very respected garment by mountaineers around the world.

"the first waterproof shell we've tried that's so breathable it doesn't need pit zips...the wire brimmed hood kept water off our faces without impairing range of vision...in five months of testing, we didn't notice any loss of breathability or significant durability issues." Most breathable award, Backpacker Magazine

Designed as an Alpine climbing jacket the Latok Alpine has a helmet compatible hood, single weatherproof front zip, 2 outer pockets...and very little else! This is the perfect balance between protection and weight saving for lightweight mountaineering. Using eVent® 3 layer fabric and designed to be fit for purpose, it is understandably a very respected garment by mountaineers around the world.

"the first waterproof shell we've tried that's so breathable it doesn't need pit zips...the wire brimmed hood kept water off our faces without impairing range of vision...in five months of testing, we didn't notice any loss of breathability or significant durability issues." Most breathable award, Backpacker Magazine
. from eVent's site
an online $ite

. The concept is simple -- thicker fibers on the exterior fabric utilize a more open weave so that air flows directly onto the rider.
quite popular, and after riding in them summer, we can see why. They do offer cooling of the sort that even well vented jackets can not.
Other companies are jumping into the flow-through field to meet the demand.
matching Air-Flo pants are available for $140, in black only.

JOE ROCKET PHOENIX 2.0 JACKET $140 (lightweight)
Since it started the trend a few years ago,
Joe Rocket's Phoenix mesh jacket has become a top seller,
and the next-generation Phoenix 2.0 continues that tradition .
. one with a tighter weave for less roll-risk uses
DuPont's Cordura in 500 Denier.

Frog Toggs, DriDucks, etc. (propore) jackets.
I consider them an ultralight staple.
There is a cost, though, in terms of durability.
Be very careful with them
(it is really easy to tear them with a branch or with a pole, etc.)
. light weight eVENT like the Integral Designs Thru-Hiker
if you have money ($260
) and want the most breathable option for a reasonable weight (~12oz)
2) Something made from Propore like the DriDucks
if you don't need something that really durable
and want to save cash ($20) for something that is
more breathable than most WPB jackets.
Weight is around 6oz though not as compact as some of the ultralight nylon jackets.

Dropstopper suit (pretty much the same thing as driducks) purchased from Gossamer Gear.
I love this suit- it weighs in (size XL top and bottom)at 11.3 oz., is cheap, and breathes pretty well. As far as everybody knocking the durability, mine has been fine. Not tough enough for bushwhacking/alpine climbing, but perfect for general backpacking/thru hiking.
I've had it for 3 years now, still no problems/tears. I also use it as my wind shell/mosquito protection.

There are a couple Golite ponchos for $42.50 and $50.00 from Harpers Ferry and I have had good luck with them.
GoLite Gamut Jacket. Very lightweight and comfortable while offering you their Trinity fabric at a very good price point. You can find it for anywhere from $50-100 on their dealer's websites right now.
The cheapest way to get an eVENT jacket today is check out a Pearl Izumi outlet store.. they will sometimes have one of their eVENT jackets on special.
Microporous polypropylene WPB nonwoven fabric (Propore):
Propore is the cheapest water proof breathable material available today.
In it's lightest form it is also more breathable than any material except for eVENT.
. warm weather?
a light Propore jacket in warm weather
seems less insulating than a 40 denier eVENT shell

Propore product wt dura price
Frogg Toggs Pro Action 16 oz ++ < $40
Rainshield O2 Rainwear 10 oz + < $40
DriDucks Micropore 12 oz + > $30
-- Typical weights of hooded full zip jacket and pants, size L.
-- Frogg Toggs are made from a heavier 3-layer PP nonwoven fabric.
Other products are 2-layer .

soft shells (nylon or polyester shells bonded to pile):
Pertex 4 Ripstop with 'Teclite' micro-pile lining
. This shirt is the high activity or mild weather alternative to the DP Shirts,
where less insulation and maximum wicking is required.
Used extensively in milder weather by mountain bikers and cyclists, climbers, and hill walkers.
The unique lining is an ultra lightweight
fast wicking hydrophobic micro-pile,
which gets rid of internal moisture very rapidly,
and although very light the Pertex is surprisingly tough and windproof.

Your base layer should provide minimal actual insulation (being low density and thickness), with the ideal being a string vest
(look at Brynje underwear).
shelled micro pile jacket - something like a Marmot DriClime, Mountain Hardwear Tempest or Buffalo Techlite
. the one that truly represents what soft shell should be about
is the shelled micro pile jacket.
This type of top has been around now for over a decade,
with Marmot being the first company
to introduce such a piece with their Driclime pullover.
The heart of this clothing is its polyester micro pile interior
which is, considering its weight, high volume
but low density and hydrophobic,

If climbing in hot conditions you may want to either carry, or wear
underneath your top, a very thin base layer,
as this gives you something to wear when it's roasting.
This clothing is a perfect high performance base layer
to be worn under a thicker soft shell
as its warmth is equivalently double the weight in fleece
due to its ability to create this stable core microclimate.

gloves:
. by far the best are Powerstretch models
(TNF, Mountain Hardwear, Extremities etc),
both as stand-alone gloves and as liners
(most fitted liners in expensive gloves are poor).
. how amazing Powerstretch is,
and on the hands it provides the perfect next-to-skin layer,
keeping your hands warm when wet,
wicking moisture and drying faster .
. a good wrist-over is made of Powerstrech fabric
. for elsewhere, use a good quality pile based fleece
(Polartec Thermal pro)
and an ultra light highly breathable over shirt
(Pertex equilibrium),
. head gear is usually a thin R1 balaclava (Patagonia)
that I can use as both a hat
and a neck gaiter (you can stick it around your neck
until you want to pull it up over your head),
a very thick fleece/wool Peruvian style hat,
and a windstopper face mask balaclava (Mountain Hardwear)
that can be worn over the top of my R1,
covering all my face except my mouth and eyes
(for the really bad storms or fierce cold).

. base layer is a lighter weight Merino wool clothing
and better still the merino polyester mix’s
which don’t get as heavy when wet and dry fast
(plus they still don’t stink!).
. ultimate in active base layers on the market
is Brynje polypropylene mesh underwear from Norway
. a thin merino is a good over base layer .

Brynje SuperThermo underwear
Brynje SuperThermo longs and shirt
mesh-sewn in 100% polypropylene meraklon


BRYNJE healthwear Super Micro net
A new high performance base layer underwear
from Brynje that is knitted from a fine Meraklon yarn
that will not absorb moisture.

leave message:
usa dollars for Super Micro net?
A new lightweight line of high performance base layer underwear from Brynje
that is knitted from a fine Meraklon yarn

never mind google is now:

The current, third generation of Brynje Super Thermo base layers, combine the performance advantages of synthetic yarns with the proven Brynje knit fabrics. The Super Thermo net garments are knitted using a hybrid Meraklon polypropylene yarn called Isolfil which does not absorb water and is excellent in controlling odour.

. In the US you can order Brynje from
Reliable Racing Supply.
. the polypro like mesh gets stiff and less effective.
Odor problem like poly and CoolMax.
Solution to the odor is washing using Holy Cow (available at your ACE hardware).
Old Brynje smells fresh and new Brynje stays smelling fresh.
. synth? best for hot weather is pure merino wool
esp'ly from Icebreaker, and MEC
Icrebreaker 140 merino $70.00 per T-shirt,
Merino wool thin layers under top synthetic LIGHT vests/jackets
and eVENT shells are just the BEST system .

$50 Brynje One Piece Suit

Net undergarments have been used off and on since WWII.
It was popularized by Collin Fletcher (The Complete Walker)
The idea was that worn under a windproof layer,
the net trapped air and provided insulation.
Allowed to breathe, it would provide evaporative cooling.
Warming and cooling in one garment... Kalu, Kalay.
Unfortunately, the original cotton net had all the disadvantages of cotton.
In addition, the net would emboss your shoulders under the pack straps
leaving you with a neat pattern of blood blisters, bruises and abrasions.
The solution was to make the shoulder and yoke from regular jersey knit.
I've still got one of those. I think they stopped making them around 1975.
Brynje makes cotton and polypro mesh underwear.
Their claim that the polypro products won't absorb water is probably accurate.
I don't have any of their stuff,
so I can't say if the mesh is deep enough to do the jobs of both warming and cooling.
The opinion current with the older products was that
the mesh should be at least 3/32 of an inch deep
and preferably closer to 1/16" to function properly.

. several cycling brands sell mesh underwear ....
Actually I´m using a shirt from nalini (an italian brand)

I have a vest top from Craft that's versatile.
Assos, Nalini, Campy, other also make nice one's.
Brynje mesh and Craft
Also at Wiggy's out of Colorado has the old fishnet stuff, not a micro mesh.
wore the Brynje mesh under Schoeller Extreme outer layers

The superthermo top under a very thin but tightly woven shirt (nylon, or cotton/poly)
is perfect for summer....the mosquitoes cannot seem to get through the thickness
and any movement vents well.
The mesh keeps the shirt from getting stuck in sweat
especially under my pack.
String underwear is really top end stuff. Too bad it is so hard to find,
and too bad so many folks have been fooled into believing
that plastic underwear is somehow high tech....I consider it almost useless
compared to net and thin merino wool.

"string vest" in a hiking book by Colin Fletcher.
Fletcher was in the Royal Marines in WWII
and he mentions how these vests were made from fishing twine
and were worn by the military as a way to keep warm
. norwegians use them too, it´s supposed to keep air layer between body and clothes,
for thermoregulation reasons
and also to prevent mosquitos to reach the skin...
. this one looks cool:
but for me, issued polypro underwear works just fine .

Russia this kind of underwear (made by Splav, SPOSN and others)
- often called "Telohranitel" ("bodyguard") has long sleeves
(full set consist of shirt, pants and hood, sometimes a scarf).
Newer versions have inserts, made of common flat fabric instead of net.
It is used also to protect skin from moscittos,
because insects can bite through your clothes
and thick net underwear dont let sting to touch you.
This inderwear is not popular because of few reasons:
Made of cotton, its heavy when dry and f heavy when wet...
It rubs skin, expecially shoulders where backpack suspensers located.

"Finn Svala". polypropylene does feel a bit cheap.
I have also read in the "Erä" magazine that polypropylene underwear
starts to stink bad when it's used for a longer time.
These pants are 3/4 length, they can also be had full length.

mesh underwear, made by SPOSN (not sure if they sell it now):
The Sherpa (centre) proved to be the top vest
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...ez-crisis.html
[vest means underwear in the vest area]
The British military did trials on string vests some time back.
Some companies have been kicking the concept around for use under body armour/flak vests.
A company called Vent-L-Lite makes a mesh vest to wear over your uniform
yet under body armour to allow for better airflow.
Another version is Protective Products International Mesh Cooling Vest
sold by sourceonetactical.com
. Interesting, this version is restricted to military/police.
Both companies mention their vests are being used in Iraq
and there apparently have been trials on them by the military .

wiggys.com
in the Archives area they mention favorably fishnet/mesh undergarments
13-10-2007, 23:18
If its good enough for Rab, its good enough for me:)

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee288/rik_uk5/rabcnesbitt_wallpaper04.jpg

Another fashion/sport trend doing the rounds, string vests were 'must have kit' 40 years ago:rolleyes:
rik_uk3
13-10-2007, 23:22
Picture should have been this size?



String vests, a blast from the past, used them 40 years ago, so whats new really?

I wear Brynje now only for training (running in cold weather or rain)
prefer wool otherwise.
I dont like the feeling of synthetics after days of wearing.
And the smell is not as bad as Polartec but still ...

21-12-2007, 14:15
What are now called String Vests are more or less just like white fishnet tights.
The first ones I had were real ex-army ones from an Ex Army store bought in the 50's
I had two and they were ( what they are called.) Knitted or otherwise made from really thick cotton twine with the holes about 3/4 of an inch square and so coarse that they
held your shirt or other clothing about a 1/4 or more away from your skin, which really gave the air room to circulate. The only problem was that the string was so thick that it cut into you at the waist if you were wearing a belt, and was very uncomfortable under rucksac straps , and actually left a deep pattern on your skin ( indented ) for about an hour after you had taken them off. They were really effective, and I never found the fine woven material ones very good at all. When mine eventually shrunk too much . I ripped them out and used the twine as parcel string. It was thick enough to just be able to snap it
with a good tug if you were lucky.
How the Troops managed to wear them and carry heavy packs on yomps I don't know,
They must have been really hard men. Your skin itched for ages after you took them off,
where the pressure points were. I have thought of getting a big roll of Butchers No4
Cotton twine and getting my wife to crochet one again just for old times sake.
They were O.K. if you were not using a Ruck-sac or wearing a tight belt.





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1 comment:

Blogger said...

Good article, I'll add one point. Getting a lightweight running shell, the kind designed for running in cold weather, can be a great way to keep bugs off your body without getting too warm.

Saturday, April 16, 2011 7:37:00 AM

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