![]() Two distinct methods can be used to render TFE into PTFE using water: suspension polymerization and dispersion. To produce PTFE, TFE is exposed to an initiator chemical such as ammonium persulfate or disuccinic acid peroxide and combined with water. Stored under pressure in a low-temperature environment, TFE becomes a liquid, but it remains highly flammable. These three materials are then subjected to intense heat, resulting in gaseous TFE. To produce TFE, manufacturers combine fluorspar, hydrofluoric acid, and chloroform. PTFE is a polymer form of tetrafluoroethylene (TFE). ![]() Basic details regarding what makes OutDry different from competing waterproofing technologies have been released for marketing purposes, however, and assuming that OutDry is made using Teflon, it’s possible to extrapolate some basic information regarding how this fabric is made. How is OutDry fabric made?Ĭolumbia Sportswear has not disclosed the exact methods used to make OutDry fabric. OutDry is considered to be Columbia’s most cutting-edge technology, and this waterproofing material has received overwhelmingly positive accolades from outdoor apparel enthusiasts and critics. Products made by Columbia that do not feature OutDry usually include one of this brand’s alternative technologies, such as Omni-Tech or Omni-Shield. Columbia gloves, jackets, backpacks, and shoes designed for wet weather now almost universally feature OutDry technology. Since 2016, Columbia has incorporated OutDry technology into almost all of its outdoor products. The last Omni-Dry products were produced during Colombia’s 2016 season, and the technology has not been used again since. The adoption of OutDry in Columbia’s jackets and rain shells essentially spelled the end for the company’s previous waterproofing technology, Omni-Dry. Outdry Technologies remained headquartered in Italy, but Colombia gained control over the company and began making moves to include OutDry waterproofing technologies in a wide range of products.īy 2013, a variety of Columbia products featured OutDry technology, and in 2016, Columbia announced its first OutDry jacket. The following year, Columbia released a line of gloves through its Mountain Hardwear brand featuring OutDry technology, and in 2010, Columbia announced that it was acquiring OutDry Technologies S.r.l. gained international acclaim upon winning the coveted Ecodesign award at the ISPO 2008 in Munich. Since OutDry prevents water from entering shoes and other items at all, it eliminates the potential of waterlogging, which can make shoes heavy even if their waterproof inner layers remain dry.Ĭolumbia Titanium Outdry Ex Eco Shell Jacket - Men's Bamboo Charcoal History of OutDryįounded near Milan, Italy in the early 2000s, OutDry Technologies S.r.l. Previous waterproofing technologies, especially waterproofing technologies used in footwear, allowed water to pass through the outer layers of the item before being stopped by a waterproof inner lining. Every major waterproof fabric since the invention of GORE-TEX has featured Teflon as its base material, so it’s likely that OutDry features a new Teflon formulation that has heat-binding properties.Īccording to Columbia, OutDry is 100% waterproof, and since this material applies to the outer layer of an outdoor garment or accessory, it prevents water from entering any part of the waterproofed item. It is reasonable to assume, however, that the primary material used in OutDry construction is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), more commonly known as Teflon. OutDry fabric technical specificationsĬolumbia has not publicized the chemical properties of its proprietary OutDry material. Previously, waterproofing technologies could not fuse to other materials without the use of unreliable chemicals, resulting in waterlogging and other undesirable drawbacks. ![]() As an update to Columbia’s wildly successful Omni-Dry line, OutDry incorporates new technologies that allow waterproofing materials to be melded directly to the outer layers of shoes, jackets, gloves, and other types of outerwear. OutDry is a type of waterproof fabric patented and exclusively produced by Columbia Sportswear. Jackets, rain shells, shirts, gloves, footwear, backpacks, pants, overallsĬolumbia OutDry Ex Featherweight Shell Jacket - Wine Berry - Women's What is OutDry fabric? ![]() Patented synthetic waterproof material (most likely based on PTFE)īiggest exporting/producing country todayĭepends on the item containing OutDry fabric ![]()
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