Fabric that holds sweat
- 01You sweat on the climb.
- 02The fabric soaks it up.
- 03When you stop, you get cold.
WHY DRYHEAT
The cold comes
when you stop.
That's why we design base layers that don't hold sweat. From yarn to garment, in Italy, since 1971.
THE PROBLEM
The cold doesn't come when you sweat.
It comes when you stop.
You sweat when you work hard. If the fabric holds on to sweat, it stays wet against your skin when you stop and chills you. Polypropylene doesn't hold sweat: it moves it out.
DryHeat base layer
- 01You sweat on the climb.
- 02Sweat passes through the fibre.
- 03When you stop, you get much less cold.
0,13 %
Weight gain of polypropylene after absorbing liquid, compared with 7.03% for cotton.
Source and limits of the data
Data sheet 7A, Standartex, DHtech documentation. This is a figure for the fibre, not a measurement of the finished garment: sweat transfer also depends on structure, fit and layers.
DRYHEAT LAB · FIBRES COMPARED
You can read
the difference.
Four measurements, six fibres. Polypropylene absorbs the least water, lets the most vapour through and loses the least heat; it insulates as well as wool.
That is why it is the basis of our base layers. In our warmest garments we combine it with merino (DH Drywool), which keeps you warm even when the temperature drops.
Liquid absorption
Weight gain of the fibre. The lower it is, the less sweat it holds.
- Polypropylene
- 0.13 %
- Polyester
- 0.72 %
- Nylon
- 2.11 %
- Acrylic
- 3.00 %
- Cotton
- 7.03 %
- Wool
- 13.09 %
Vapour permeability
The higher it is, the more vapour it lets out: the more breathable it is.
- Polypropylene
- 6.71
- Polyester
- 6.49
- Acrylic
- 5.58
- Cotton
- 5.04
- Wool
- 5.02
- Nylon
- 4.97
Heat transmission
The lower it is, the less heat it loses.
- Polypropylene
- 6.00
- Polyester
- 7.00
- Wool
- 7.30
- Acrylic
- 8.00
- Nylon
- 11.00
- Cotton
- 17.50
Insulating power
The higher it is, the more heat it holds.
- Polypropylene
- 21.8
- Wool
- 21.8
- Nylon
- 19.8
- Acrylic
- 19.6
- Cotton
- 19.1
- Polyester
- 18.1
A comparison between fibres: it does not measure the performance of the finished garment. Polypropylene also weighs about 30% less than wool and polyester.
Source and how to read the data
Standartex S.p.A. (Sovico, MB), “University” technical data sheet on 100% polypropylene fabric: fibre comparison tables for liquid absorption coefficient, vapour permeability, heat transmission coefficient and insulating power. Values are reported as in the data sheet, which does not state test method, conditions or units of measurement; absorption is expressed as the percentage weight gain of the fibre (sheet 7A). The weight figure comes from the DryHeat brochure (DHtech documentation).
OUR CONSTRUCTIONS
Four technologies.
One principle.
High Intensity
DH Extreme Power
A light, seamless polypropylene top for those who sweat a lot and move hard.
View garments →Max Warmth
DH Drywool
Polypropylene and merino in the same knit: warmth on your skin on cold days.
View garments →Stop & Go
DHtech 400 Tunnel
A tubular knit that creates an air gap: it holds in warmth when you stop.
View garments →High Intensity
DH Carbontech
Polypropylene and carbon microfibre for garments made for continuous effort.
View garments →
THE FACTORY
Before ideas,
hands.
DryHeat was born in a knitting mill. Athesis has been knitting in Maccacari, near Verona, since 1971: development, knitting, finishing, cutting, sewing and quality control all on one site.
FIELD TESTED
Danilo Callegari.
Our testing ground.
Adventurer, former paratrooper, currently on the 7 Summits Solo project. He takes DryHeat base layers where the cold is unforgiving, from Antarctica to the highest peaks.
-10%
on your first order
Sign up to our newsletter and get your discount code straight away.