How to determine the protective performance of outdoor fabrics?

Outdoor sports clothing is one of the most popular apparel in life. Especially in outdoor sports, such as hiking, mountaineering, skiing, etc., it plays a very effective role in protection. Of course, their role is not only to provide warmth and comfort, but more importantly, to resist the invasion of natural environments such as wind, cold, rain, and snow, ensuring our safety and comfort in the wild.

However, different outdoor activities have different environmental requirements and require fabrics with corresponding protective properties. For example, climbing needs to withstand long-term sunshine and rain, hiking needs to withstand short-term rainstorm or changeable climate environment, skiing needs to experience friction caused by rapid movement, etc. Therefore, outdoor fabrics should have corresponding physical properties, especially water resistance, wind resistance, breathability, and wear resistance, in order to provide good protection and comfort.

How to determine the protective performance of outdoor fabrics? The following will introduce some common testing methods:

1. Waterproof test

Waterproofness is one of the basic properties of outdoor fabrics, and is usually tested using a waterproof testing machine. This testing machine is an instrument with a water tank and a square testing fixture. Before testing, the sample is clamped in a square fixture and a certain amount of water is poured into the testing system using a measuring cup, and maintained for a certain period of time. After that time, the jack will remove the square fixture from the system and detect any water leaks on the sample.

2. Wind resistance test

The windproof performance of outdoor fabrics refers to their ability to block wind. The human body may feel cold and uncomfortable under the influence of wind, and the windproof performance of outdoor fabrics can effectively provide this protective effect. Wind resistance performance is usually tested by an air permeability measuring instrument, which can measure air flow rate and relative permeability under different pressures.

3. Air permeability test

The breathability of outdoor fabrics is generally tested by Wantong breathability tester. This instrument is a non-invasive testing method that measures air permeability by comparing humidity and temperature differences around the sample area, typically using a unit ratio of (l/m ²/ s) to indicate the quality of breathability.

4. Wear resistance test

The wear resistance of outdoor fabrics refers to their resistance to friction. Due to various factors such as barbecue, falls, and friction that may cause clothing damage during outdoor activities, wear resistance is also an important indicator to measure the quality of outdoor sports equipments. There are various methods for testing wear resistance, usually using wear testing machines such as DRY/WET MARTINDALE and LANASET. These testing machines can simulate wear on the surface of textile materials and evaluate wear resistance by checking the damage of the samples' surface.

In short, the protective performance of outdoor fabrics is a necessary precaution. It is necessary for consumers to determine the protective performance of outdoor fabrics. The above scientific and standardized testing methods can help consumers to choose clothing suitable for their outdoor activities conveniently.