Know your gear

Dressing to keep dry

Imagine Usain Bolt running the 100m final at the Beijing Olympics in jeans and a Madiba shirt, or the former legendary sailor Bertie Reed skippering Voortrekker in the BOC Challenge Round-the-World-race wearing an Armani suit.

Not appropriate, you would say.

Apart from not been approved by the purists or the international ruling bodies of athletics and sailing, their apparel would have spoiled what turned out to be a world record breaking day for Bolt, and an unforgettable life-changing experience for Reed, when the illustrious yachtsman finished second in the famous race in Newport in 1982/83.

Just as in competitive sports, inappropriate attire for anglers, canoeists, sailors and adventure racers could spoil the fun… and adversely affect performance. Clothing worn for these sports and activities ideally need to dry fast and not cling when wet, and should offer protection against wind and sun.

But, what is the difference between a technical fast drying shirt designed for water sport and an ordinary shirt? And do the consumers appreciate the benefits?

We asked a few experts in the field about their views.

Synthetic vs cotton

Generally there are two types of technical garments used for aquatic sports — those made from knitted fabrics, and those made from woven fabrics, explains Morné Strydom, marketing manager of First Ascent SA.

Knitted fabrics are generally worn by active aquatic sports athletes like paddlers and adventure racers for kloofing legs.

The key performance attributes of these types of garments are that they are generally stretchy (to allow comfortable movement) and the yarn used doesn’t absorb water, and therefore dry quickly.

Strydom believes that the most suitable fabric (yarn) for quick-drying knitted fabric is polypropylene, due to its inability to absorb moisture and its naturally low conductivity rate, allowing the garment to be a great insulator (keep you warm).

Synthetic fabrics like polyester, nylon and polypropylene — or a combination of these, together with, or without, elastane — are all suitable for knitted fast-drying applications, explains Dr. Andrew Baxter, Capestorm MD, who introduced locally made fast-drying clothing to SA about ten years ago.

He agrees with Strydom that polypropylene and blends thereof are best suited to sports like sailing and paddling, due to their non-absorbent nature and fast drying properties. Polypro also has the best thermal retention when damp.

Cotton and other natural fibres and blends are not advised, although there is some benefit in having fine micron merino wool/synthetic blends for thermal retention, he believes.

Traditional rash vests made with high percentages of elastane are useful for reducing UV exposure, but they generally take too long to dry and because of their clinging tendency also contribute to adverse cooling and wind-chill when used in immersion sports such as paddling and sailing.

Its in the weave

Woven synthetic fabrics, on the other hand, are typically denser by construction than knitted fabrics, says Baxter.

The synthetic technical yarns themselves do not absorb moisture. Therefore, should a technical woven shirt become super-saturated (if, for example, you fall in a river), it will dry as much as five times faster than a conventional cotton shirt, because the only place for moisture to accumulate is in the tiny spaces separating the yarns, as the yarns themselves tend to repel water.

Once wet, the cellulose in a cotton shirt absorbs and retains a large percentage of moisture, which can lead to adverse cooling (leading to dangerous wind-chill effects) as well as chafing and clinging, thus making for a very uncomfortable experience altogether, says Baxter.

But, according to Strydom, common thinking about the handling of the moisture management element has evolved over the past couple of years - to the point where synthetic yarns and cottons are now blended together to achieve an optimal drying rate, depending on the climate and environment where the garment will be used (see box: Quick dry clothes on the market).

Woven fabrics have the added advantage of offering considerably higher UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor), says Baxter. As such, they are well suited to say angling - especially fly-fishing — where UV protection is paramount and where fast drying technical apparel is much more comfortable than those made from traditional fibres, such as cotton.

However, new generation fabric finishes are now available that are able to impregante cotton fabrics to prevent moisure absorbtion and to significantly enhance moisture repellency, thus allowing a cotton handfeel to combine with a semi-technical end-use. Finishes such as Schoeller’s 3X-DRY are one such example. For now, they are very expensive, but the cheaper substitutes do not have the longivity to make them worthy contenders.

Strydom adds that some woven fabrics have a UV protection factor of 50+ - as good as permanently wearing a factor 50 sunblock — and are to a large extent windproof.

Do consumers appreciate the benefits?

Baxter says that once consumers have tried a technical product and truly found themselves in situations where the product is able to demonstrate its significant performance advantages, there is no turning back.

Once a user has experienced the advantages of technical apparel, they are more likely to pay the obvious premium, but usually only after they’ve found out the hard way, adds Baxter. Try hiking in a wet pair of jeans and then try the same trick in a pair of tech longs to get the message!

Whether consumers appreciate all the effort and research and development that goes into producing garments like these, is really a matter of education, says Strydom. “One uses something which you believe serves your purpose — unless you’re presented with an alternative option.”

The challenge is therefore to convince the consumer to innovate and take the step of trying your product. As a manufacturer, you have to believe that the benefit the consumer derives from using your product is significant enough for him to become your mouthpiece, he explains.

Over time those innovators or risk takers become your entire market and they start to look for the next innovation. This is what drives product development and evolution, together with changing consumer needs and activities.

“Moisture management fabric for active sports is a good example: a couple of years ago these fabrics were synthetic aliens, now they’re the norm and everyone uses them.

“Whether customers are willing to pay the premium… well, once again it depends on your target market,” says Strydom.

“People who are passionate about their particular niche activity certainly have a much more price elastic appetite for products and innovation. Technical products will therefore not sell in a bottom-end budget type retail operation, but rather in a technical and specialised environment,” he adds.

“Sailing consumers have, for example, been educated over the years to look for the correct apparel when going out on the water as it could be crucial for survival,” says Susanna Hammerstring, EMEA regional merchandising manager for Puma international — now making its mark as a sailing brand.

“Sailors know what they want and look for the appropriate brands. The consumers are prepared for the more expensive and technically superior garment, as they know they need the benefits and that it will cost some extra money.”

Many consumers, especially anglers, canoeists and other watersport enthusiasts thoroughly enjoy the benefits of quick-dry clothing and are willing to pay a premium for technical products when they appreciate the various technologies, says Jackie Gouverneur, brand manager for Columbia Sportswear in SA.

Convincing anglers

An avid angler like the Springbok Barry Wareham, of Basil Manning Fishing Equipment, who developed a fishing clothing range, knows only too well that clothing that does not dry quickly, becomes heavy and clingy, more often than not making one suffer a lot more from the effect of wind chill.

But, the average SA angler, who spends less time on the water, might not appreciate or pay for the added benefits of technical clothing, cautions Preston Dale, owner of Goya Trading, who also supplies a range of fishing shirts.

Clothing UV protection is, however, gaining popularity in the American markets and will certainly become popular in Africa in the coming years.

“I believe, as the sport fishing market in Southern Africa continues to grow, more and more anglers will spend longer periods of time on the water and will want to purchase more expensive, but technically superior, garments that allow them to enjoy a more comfortable day’s fishing.