Various Schoeller Fabrics

[catbirdseat]

What is the difference between Schoeller Dynamic and Schoeller Dryskin Extreme? Which is more water repellant? Which is more durable? Which is the best for winter trips?

[allthumbs]

[Dru]

http://www.schoeller-textiles.com/

[DPS]

Geeze, do you really need to resort to name calling?

 

CBS, I believe Dynamic is a lighter weight version. Dryskin Extreme is perhaps more suitable for winter. I think.

[JayB]

Extreme has Cordura fibers in the weave and a fuzzy liner on the interior. Warmer and more abrasion resistant than the Dynamic.

[iain]

it also comes with a free subscription to cracked's monthly softshell verbal harassment service.

[Beck]

WB400 is the most winter ready of the scholler fabrics

 

Dryskin is pretty winter repellant.

 

WL Gore makes two great winter softshell fabrics, their Eiger and Trango fabrics... Arcteryx, MH, Marmot, Mammut, and others are now using these to make some burly winter softshells

[Crux]

What is the difference between Schoeller Dynamic and Schoeller Dryskin Extreme? Which is more water repellant? Which is more durable? Which is the best for winter trips?

 

Schoeller Dynamic is the least warm of three Schoeller soft shell fabrics. Ordinary lightweight ripstop (especially of a light, neutral color) can serve better in warm weather, for protection from wind, mosquitos, ultraviolet, and light brush, but Dynamic reportedly stands up to abrasion better than lightweight ripstop.

 

Schoeller Dryskin Extreme, which has a microfleece inner surface, is warmer than Dynamic. Dryskin Extreme is also frequently described as being more resistant to abrasion and water; perhaps the increased thickness helps with this. Dyanmic is the least warm of the Schoeller soft shell fabrics, but this makes it more suitable for abrasion protection in weather too warm to wear anything warmer.

 

BeyondFleece markets items made with WB400 as 3-season garments targeted for use during Fall, Winter, and Spring, and items made with Dryskin Extreme are considered 3-season garments targeted for use during Spring, Summer, and Fall.

 

Schoeller WB-400 is warmer and more wind and water resistant than Dryskin Extreme. Scott Jones at Beyond Fleece says this: "WB-400 is micro fleece laminated to a stretch woven, creating 98% windproofness. Dry Skin Extreme w. 3x Dry is only 70% windproof but much more versatile due to its great breathability."

 

BTW: Sample pack of these Schoeller fabrics proved available upon request made through BeyondFleece Website.

 

~mC~

[Jens]

Wow crux- great post.

 

Does anyone know if the laminate- lined WB 400 stuff still has the four way strecth like the Dryskin extreme does? The reason I ask is that when the companies invented windstopper- style laminates in the 90's they all seemed to cut way down on the stretch of those fleece garmets.

[JayB]

I just bought a pair of the WB-400 pants from Beyond Fleece and that fabric is the answer for winter in the PNW. Seems like it is at least as wind-resistant at powershield, but may more breathable and stretchier -feels like four way stretch to me or close enough. Water resistance has been great thus far as well. I think that the WB-400 might even be stretchier than the Dryskin Extreme fabric.

 

BTW - fully custom stuff from BF is way cheaper than the mass produced stuff.

[Kevin_Ristau]

I was just out on Tuesday in some pretty fierce storm winds wearing schoeller dynamic shirt and pants. The dynamic was good when skinning up and when skiing, excellent breatheability. When I was on top of the ridge and exposed to the wind however, it was not enough protection. For winter I would go with Dryskin. I like the idea of the WB400 but how breatheable is it?

[tomtom]

I like the idea of the WB400 but how breatheable is it?

Not very.

 

Breathability test

[marylou]

I have one of them there Mountain Hardware Transition tops, made from something they just call Gore Windstopper. It's not all that warm when you are standing around, and keeps you warm when you are working, which says to me "maybe windproof but not all that breathable." This is just from a month or so of use, maybe a half dozen times ski, so the jury is still out. The other thing of note is that it has a nice cut, which I like once it's on, but it is so NOT STRETCHY that it is a total pain in the ass to get the thing on and off. It's a good thing it performs well, or the fact that it is so hard to get in and out of the thing, well, if it was not great, I'd chuck it right out the window. Stretchy is good. My fat ass needs stretchy.

 

Speaking of stretchy and wind-resistant, I just saw the other day that OR has some new gloves out that are stretch fleece that is also windblocking. I did the "blow test" and they were way more windblocky than your basic Powerstretch, could be interesting.....

[JayB]

I like the idea of the WB400 but how breatheable is it?

Not very.

 

Breathability test

 

I saw that chart too - and discounted it after hearing comments from people that had actually used the fabric.

 

WB-400 is way, way, way, way, way,way more breathable than any hardshell fabric I have ever used, and not a whole lot less breathable than the Dryskin Extreme - and the wind protection is far better than DS Extreme.

[Thinker]

I agree about the WB-400 as I have a jacket made out of it. It makes me question the methods used by the testers.

[Terminal_Gravity]

My favorite soft shell fabric is Patagonia. They do not contain lycra; which is water absorbant.

 

And to confirm Mary Lou's post. Wind stopper is a joke if your working hard it is barely breathable...good lounge wear though.