I just received one of those many obscure outdoorsy catalogs that you get once you land on the outdoorsy mailing lists. This is from Willis & Geiger Outfitters (who?). In the catalog they have what looks like your typical North Face, Marmot, etc hiking shell. But the catch is that instead of being made of Gore-Tex this jacket is made of Diaplex (and has the $400 list price to match, although it's marked down to $200). The catalog has the following description: ----------------------------- The Dawn of Diaplex Just as marvelous technological breakthroughs like the transistor and the carburetor were eventually replaced by the microchip and fuel injection, the microporous laminates must now bow to more advanced, more efficient technology. The waterproof, somewhat breathable, microporous membrames you have in your closet have served winter sportsmen and adventurers well for the past three decades. But scientist have now leapfrogged the performance of microporous membranes with Diaplex, an intelligent non-porous membrane that is at once more resistant to water and wind while being significantly more breathable. Specifically, at rest on a cold day, say 20 F, Diaplex is 10% more breathable than the best microporous membrane. Then as activity raises the temperature inside your jacket, Diaplex allows heat and condensation to escape twice as fast. It accomplishes this impressive feat without any microscopic pores. No tiny holes. Instead, this dynamic material manages heat and moisture on a molecular level. When you're cold or at rest, its molecules align to form a solid sheet, completely sealing heat in and wind out. Then, as the day warms or activity raises your body temperature, Micro-Brownian Motion causes its molecules to rearrange themselves, opening millions of molecular windows to maximize heat and moisture transfer. Regardless of the outside temperature, our Diaplex jackets and pants will work constantly to achieve an internal temperature of 32 F. If that sounds a bit chilly, keep in mind that when you're spending a day enjoying the the crisp winter air you have on thermals and/or a sweater. When temperatures on the ski slopes inch above 32 F, jackets get left at the bottom of the lift and people start skiing in shirts. Above 40 F you start seeing shorts and bikinis. Diaplex is a durable material that will easily last the life of the garment. It is completely non-porous, so unlike what you've been using, there are no tiny holes that can be clogged by ice or salt in perspiration. It is unaffected by UV light and, when necessary can be either machine washed or dry-cleaned. And because the composition of Diaplex is constantly reconfiguring itself based on the temperature inside and outside of the garment, you'll find yourself layering and unlayering far less often. Those who appreciate the wind-and-water protection of the technology offered for the last 30 years, but desire greater breathability will no doubt welcome the Age of Diaplex. Just think a completely non-porous membrane that uses Micro-Brownian Motion to change its structure based on fluctuations in weather and your body temperature. What will they come up with 30 years from now? ----------------------------- They also have a cute little graph of Diaplex versus "conventional A". Below 0 F it is basically unpermeable, above 20 F it is above the flat line of the conventional A, but virtually flat itself. Any thoughts from the chemists in the audience? Has anyone actually used this stuff? I'm not saying that I want to run out and buy the jacket, it just piqued my curiosity. Mel --- There are three types of people, those who can count and those who can't. PS: Trying to decide if it was worth it to OCR the text and heavily edit it since it OCR'd horribly (it had a stupid picture behind it) instead of playing Alpha Centauri... -----== Sent via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----- http://www.dejanews.com/ Easy access to 50,000+ discussion forums *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Mel Grindol wrote:[many snips] > In the catalog they have what looks like your typical North Face, Marmot, > etc hiking shell. But the catch is that instead of being made of Gore-Tex > this jacket is made of Diaplex (and has the $400 list price to match, > although it's marked down to $200). > Then, as the day warms or activity raises your body temperature, > Micro-Brownian Motion causes its molecules to rearrange themselves, > opening millions of molecular windows to maximize heat and moisture transfer. > > Regardless of the outside temperature, our Diaplex jackets and pants > will work constantly to achieve an internal temperature of 32 F. ----- > They also have a cute little graph of Diaplex versus "conventional A". > Below 0 F it is basically unpermeable, above 20 F it is above the flat > line of the conventional A, but virtually flat itself. > Any thoughts from the chemists in the audience? Has anyone actually used > this stuff? I'm not saying that I want to run out and buy the jacket, > it just piqued my curiosity. Most of it sounds like advertising hype, but I am unfamiliar with the material. Micro Brownian motion is probably just a fancy word for molecular motion, caused by a rise in temperature. To get the change in molecular structure described to occur sharply at a given temperature, the material must undergo the equivalent of a phase change (akin to melting), much like the liquid crystals in the segments of an LCD numeral in your digital watch. In principle, one could design and manufacture a material which would do what is described. Have they done that? I don't know. Who owns one of these jackets? FWIW, Diaplex is a copyrighted name for a vitamin complex marketed in health food stores (Altavista search). -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Mel Grindol wrote: [many snips] > In the catalog they have what looks like your typical North Face, Marmot, > etc hiking shell. But the catch is that instead of being made of Gore-Tex > this jacket is made of Diaplex (and has the $400 list price to match, > although it's marked down to $200). > Then, as the day warms or activity raises your body temperature, > Micro-Brownian Motion causes its molecules to rearrange themselves, > opening millions of molecular windows to maximize heat and moisture transfer. > > Regardless of the outside temperature, our Diaplex jackets and pants > will work constantly to achieve an internal temperature of 32 F. ----- > They also have a cute little graph of Diaplex versus "conventional A". > Below 0 F it is basically unpermeable, above 20 F it is above the flat > line of the conventional A, but virtually flat itself. > Any thoughts from the chemists in the audience? Has anyone actually used > this stuff? I'm not saying that I want to run out and buy the jacket, > it just piqued my curiosity. Most of it sounds like advertising hype, but I am unfamiliar with the material. Micro Brownian motion is probably just a fancy word for molecular motion, caused by a rise in temperature. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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