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thedrifter
04-18-06, 12:57 PM
Silver, wool may be fabrics of the future

By C. Mark Brinkley
Times staff writer

Cotton gets soggy and polyester melts like Rocky Road, so what's ahead on the fabric front to help keep you cool, clean and safe?

The future could come in many forms, both natural and synthetic. Some of the most promising items include:

• X-Static. Created by Noble Fiber Technologies, a Pennsylvania company founded by two former Marines, X-Static has a layer of pure silver bonded to the surface of a textile fiber.

Why silver? Its anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-everything properties are so strong that Johnson & Johnson is using X-Static in a new line of bandages. The fiber is also being used in medical linens and by some performance apparel manufacturers because it eliminates body odor.

Those shirts are often made of polyester, making X-Static also prone to melting when exposed to flame. But in other configurations, it can be both fire-retardant and medically useful.

"If you get hurt, you're wearing a bandage," said Bill McNally, a former artillery officer and company co-founder, whose son is soon headed off to the Corps. "That's why I'm a maniac about this stuff."

• Potomac Field Gear. This Honaker, Va.-based company makes performance apparel that's both flame-resistant and moisture-wicking.

Made of a modacrylic synthetic fiber, the product promises not to melt like more popular athletic brands. The fabrics also include the X-Static fibers.

"You're wearing, literally, a burn Band-Aid," said company president Robert Bonin. "It does have some polyester in it, but it's not enough to affect it."

People like it so much, it was selected as the official T-shirt for the Army's 2006 Best Ranger Competition, Bonin said.

www.potomacfieldgear.com, or buy it at www.quanticoarms.com

• SmartWool. Normally, wool is a wintertime fabric. But the unique fabric from SmartWool promises a natural temperature regulating process, keeping wearers as cool in the summer and warm in the winter as the sheep it comes from.

According to the company, natural air pockets in the fabric form a barrier of insulation that transfers heat. Unlike synthetic fibers, which move moisture away from the skin, the wool absorbs vapor and transfers it before it condenses, keeping you dry longer.

Another bonus? The fiber is naturally flame-resistant.

Already, Army project officers are looking into the possibility of using the fabric in future clothing options. A major roadblock could be the sheep, one Army gear official said, because they come from New Zealand and could be subject to certain restrictions on foreign-made items.