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Frickenyesterday at 11:13 PM1 replyview on HN

Wool, down, silk and leather are still commonly used in technical apparel and compete on weight.

2 big new innovations that matter are Gore-tex and Nylon fabrics that are very durable and wind resistance for their weight.


Replies

margalabargalatoday at 12:49 AM

Tech fabrics were a prerequisite to the widespread use of down in adventure clothing. Earlier fabrics were either too heavy, like leather, and would collapse the down and negate its insulating properties, or would get wet like cotton/linen and saturate the down.