A day like any other in the mountains: It's winter, the sun is shining, but the cold is showing its teeth! You're on tour, freeriding or somewhere else... A look at your body: your heart is pumping, your lungs are squeezing and your sweat glands are working overtime.
The firewall of functional clothing
We know membranes and their functional principle from the basics. The problem is that there are several ways to connect the membrane to fabrics. Here you can read about what, and above all, what makes sense when
Firewall / membrane
The membranes are either freely suspended between an outer and an inner material or welded to them. The resulting fabrics are used by outdoor clothing manufacturers (Mammut, Scott, etc.) in jackets, pants, etc. Depending on the function of the clothing, the appropriate fabric is used. One mainly encounters: - liner processing,
- 2-layer,
- 3-layer laminates. To know when a liner finish is preferable to a 3-layer jacket, you should read on...
Liner finish
The membrane is sandwiched between an outer material and an inner lining in liner processing. It is not welded to the outer fabric. Only the seam holds all three components together. This allows the use of pleasantly soft textiles that are very comfortable to wear. It is also possible to use heat-insulating linings. The disadvantage of such jackets is that they are not very robust.
2-layer laminate
The outer fabric and the membrane film are welded together (outer fabric laminates). The textiles used are somewhat tougher to the touch than the liner products, but on the other hand allow a tougher range of use. The inside of the jacket is protected by a free-hanging lining - usually a mesh.
3-layer laminate
The premier class of outdoor clothing! All layers (outer fabric, membrane, inner layer) are firmly bonded together. The tricky part of producing 3-layer clothing is the sewing. To make the seams really tight, the individual manufacturers come up with a wide variety of solutions. Generally, a tape is glued or welded over the seam. There are now even ultrasonic welding methods. The 3-layer garments are designed for the toughest use and are correspondingly robust. Of course, the cozy effect suffers as a result. Vapor permeability can also be slightly worse.
Softshell jackets
The clobber for the weather that most often awaits us on the mountain: Wind, yes; sun/clouds, partly/partly; temperature - minus 5°C; precipitation - snowfall at times.
SoftShell jackets are made for such a mix. Laminates made from a soft outer fabric, the membrane and a cozy fleece or similar inside. The stretchability of the fabric makes this type of jacket suitable for all winter sports - except perhaps ice diving.
Defy the wind
An unpleasant whim of nature is the wind chill effect. Take a look at the table. As soon as the wind really blows, the fun limit is exceeded. The industry also offers a solution for this (e.g. Windstopper®). These are also membranes that are absolutely windproof in addition to ensuring breathability. The membrane is used in fleece jackets, softshell constructions and even wool products. These garments are very popular because they are very light and versatile.
