compare any five water resistant fabrics
Answers
1. Wool
Perhaps one of the oldest fabrics utilized by humans, wool is still widely used for undergarments to napkins. When prepared correctly, wool is also highly water-resistant. The fibers of wool are great at absorbing water and can soak up roughly 30% of their original weight. Natural wool has a thin coating of lanolin oil that makes the fiber water-resistant. However, it is not abrasion resistant, which means that it is typically not used for heavy-duty applications.
2. Vinyl
Made from a chemical known as Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), the same used to create music records, vinyl fabrics have been used in many iconic clothing items ranging from catsuits to punk-rock jackets. In some cases, vinyl clothing can also be referred to as pleather. A vast assortment of accessories from rain jackets to handbags are made from PVC. Vinyl clothing is very resistant to water but doesn’t hold up well at all to heat.
3. Woven Fabric from ELS cotton
Extra-long-staple (ELS) cotton is a specially grown crop with extra-long fibers woven to create a very dense cotton textile. The result is an exceptionally waterproof fabric that expands to form tighter protection when presented with harsh weather. This fabric is often referred to by the founding brand name Ventile. Historically, the plant was referred to as Sea Island cotton, and there was a great deal of difficulty getting it to grow in the United States. Crops of the plant are now located primarily in California.
4. Gore-tex
Invented in 1969, Gore-tex® is a fabric created from stretched Teflon (also known as polytetrafluoroethylene). This fabric can be made incredibly durable and is used in a wide range of camping equipment and parts of the space program and medical replacements. Gore-tex® is so waterproof that the U.S. Marine Corps used it for their field rain jackets. Many appreciate Gore-tex® not just for the toughness and water resistance but the fact that it also allows for quite a bit of breathability. This helps items, and people both dry off easier underneath and stay cooler while moving.
5. Oilcloth
Sometimes called enameled cloth, oilcloth is traditionally made by taking cloth and coating it in boiled linseed oil. This coating makes the fabric stiffer but much more resilient to the elements. For this reason, waxed cotton eventually replaced most oilcloth in clothing.