I recently bought some caving pants made of a material I am not familiar with. The material is advertised as "spandura." I was told by one well known caver that this was the best material for making caving clothes. So I bought a pair on impulse, which is something I seldom do.
http://storm.cadcam.iupui.edu/drs/fabrics/spandura.txt I found some info on the internet about "stretch cordura," which is apparently the same thing. But it comes in at least 3 different weights, listed as ounces, as in 5.6, 6.5 & 8.9 ounces which use different ratio of materials and materials ( see link at bottom ) So which weight is the caving pants that I bought? I assume 8.9 as it uses Cordura in the weave. I haven't had a chance yet to try them out. On a related subject, There doesn't seem to be a web-site that easily explains all the fabric materials out there. Some caver could write an interesting article about this subject and how it applies to choosing or making caving clothes. One web-site listed a page defining some of the following materials that could be used somewhere in the material for your caving coveralls: ballistic nylon, cordura, spectra, polyester, supplex, thinsulate, pleather, lorica, kevlar, hipora, goretex, clarino, turtleskin, superfabric, keprotec, neoprene, spandex, Acrilan , PVC, nylex, polypropolene, lycra, etc. And to add to the confusion, some of these come in various "deniers," such as 160, 300, 500, or they use terms like taffeta or ripstop. Or they may come in "weights," such as mid-weight or ounces. And then they might add more fancy names, like "silicone embossed," or a hydrophillic finish or anti-bacterial finish, or coated with Urethane. And they might add trim to it with some "elastic" material or some reflective material such as "3M tape," or Velcro. And then they confuse us with names like Capilene, etc. You could also include information about wool, cotton, silk, etc. Here are some links: http://www.owfinc.com/glossary.htm http://www.owfinc.com/Fabrics/fabricmain.htm http://www.seattlefabrics.com/spandura_colors.html One web-site claimed that spandura was great for making "breaches," whatever those are. ( britches ? and why is it plural ?? ) Here is some Spandura trivia: Spandura is used for dog-booties in the Iditarod Race. http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/330cordura_1952_316936 Can humans get Spandura booties? David Locklear P.S. If the maker ( or vendor ) of these caving pants is out there, feel free to enlighten us some more on this subject. According to the lady at B&C Wunderwear, the Spandura material requires a special sewing process. I forgot the term she used. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
