Schoeller fabrics and snagging

[marylou]

I have a jacket made of Schoeller Dryskin. It snagged horrendously. The '04 version of the jacket (not in stores just yet) is made from Schoeller Dryskin Extreme.

 

Wondering if anyone knows if Extreme is less vulnerable to snagging than regular Dryskin or not. I tend to spend a bit of time in the brush for some reason, so if something is vulnerable to snagging, I'll snag it. Hoping the Extreme is better so I can just get a new coat of this different fabric.

 

Also I just picked up a pair of pants on clearance that are made from Schoeller Dynamic. It looks *identical* to the fabric of the Dryskin jacket with all the snags in it. Anyone experience the snaggability of the Dynamic fabric?

[jordop]

Dynamic pills way worse than dryskin. What dryskin are you using? My MEC dryskin ferrata is on its 7th year, looks good as new. My dynamic BD pants however, are on their 2nd warranty in as many years.

 

If you have a problem with Dryskin, Powershield is way more bomber and the new MEC Pamir is of comparable weight to light Schoeller.

[marylou]

You know, I have the MEC Ferrata Dryskin too and have no snags or pills. It's just not a very good cut.....which is why I have the REI Mistral, the one with all the snags. The cut is so much better more comfortable, more flattering. Snagged. Snagged bad.

 

The pants I picked up today are the REI Mistrals of Dynamic. It's my understanding that pilling problems have been largely resolved, I'm more worried about snagging. It's REI stuff though so if there is a problem, I can always take them back.

 

I also already have a Powershield jacket, and I love it, but it's a totally different kind of a softshell, a lot warmer. It's great fabric, though a cautionary word: PS absorbs odors. I had to wash it to get a smell out of it, and it's got DWR so you don't want to wash if not necessary.

 

Got a Gore Windstopper top recently, have only maybe worn it ten times, already got a bunch of snags in it.

 

My name is marylou, and I have a gear problem.

[Thinker]

I have a jacket made of Schoeller WB-400 that I wore bird hunting once this year. As luck would have it, I got stuck in a huge patch of blackberry brambles. The jacket got about 10 snags that I was kinda upset about.

 

I streched and cut the snags and they've been fine since. I don't even notice them anymore.

[LeatherBob]

It's a look babe, you should probably get used to it, and try not to be so rough.

[scott_harpell]

when are you guys gonna realize that schoeller is a piece of shit? all of you are complaining about it pilling and how it loses its water repellancy... tell ya what. I would rather have some cheap-ass gart sport's nylon get-up (which is what i currently use) than your wanna be dirtbaggin' yuppie ass clown suits. But "I am hard-core I promise!" "I drank Cobra in camp 4!!!"

[cracked]

I wish I could be as cool as Scott.

 

[David_Parker]

No doubt we have all been "snag-bagged" by the hype!

[cj001f]

when are you guys gonna realize that schoeller is a piece of shit? all of you are complaining about it pilling and how it loses its water repellancy...

Yup. It's crap. I've been wearing the same Schoeller pants since '96. They are still water repellant. Total Utter crap.

[lummox]

i used come spenive clothing for doing stuff it werent meant too and it all got ruined. wtf is up wit that? you think shcoeller is bad? try bushwhacking with lycra tights and a silk aloha shirt. pilling aint the half of it.

[Dru]

not sure if i posted this already and a moderator deleted it, or if i just didn't post it.

 

anyway you can fix schoeller pilling with a lighter or flame application. the pills should melt off and leave the rest of the fabric untouched. this is the "super secret" method the staff at Arcteryx used to do warranty repair on Schoeller garments returned due to pilling issues.

 

to avoid pilling in the first place - use liquid detergent instead of solid detergent, and air dry rather than dryer drying.

[marylou]

Drew, the question has never been about pillng, it's been about snagging. Maybe the same method works for snagging, and I'm going to give it the old super-secret college try.

 

The snagging is not a function of how the stuff has been laundered, it's a function of it getting snagged on things. This fabric is a little too "loopy", not "hard" enough, if that makes sense.

 

EDIT: tried using a lighter on one of the snags. Burned off the snag, burned a small hole in the fabric, and left a tan char mark on the fabric. That with a pretty steady hand and a light touch. Not sure that I'd recommend this method for snags.

Edited January 26, 2004 by marylou

[Dru]

what, ya mean like plucked loops? i have never seen schoeller do that. are you certain you didnt get some counterfeit hong kong knockoff by mistake

 

if you burnt a hole you obviously did it wrong ha ha try warrantying it now with a hole burnt in it

[marylou]

Drew, not sure how I would know if REI is using counterfeit fabrics or not.

 

I'm still going to try and return it, and if I can't take it back, you can be proud that your fantastic tech tip from when you worked in the Dead Bird warehouse was the thing that left me with a piece of gear with a burn hole in it.

[iain]

Heh, another sucker duped into buying Scheoller rather than Schoeller products. Hope you enjoy your Magnetbox and Sorny stereo...while it lasts sucker....mwhahaha

[Dru]

Drew, not sure how I would know if REI is using counterfeit fabrics or not.

 

Well don't ask them cause they certainly wouldn't admit it.

 

I'm still going to try and return it, and if I can't take it back, you can be proud that your fantastic tech tip from when you worked in the Dead Bird warehouse was the thing that left me with a piece of gear with a burn hole in it.

 

Just because you 1) don't know how to do it correctly and 2) tried to apply a tip described specifically for fixing pilling to fixing a plucked loop, is no reason to get snart Perhaps you should leave these manuevers to highly paid repair/warranty staff

[mattp]

This may be obvious, but I'd recommend that if you "tend to spend a bit of time in the brush" Schoeller may not be the best fabric. In my experience, the stuff is not well-suited to that sort of use. Go for Carhardt or Uniroyal and you can thrash through all the bushes you want without any "looping" or "pilling." Short of that, many other shell fabrics that are not extremely light will stand up to brush or other abrasive or sharp picking at the garment better than Schoeller (for example, traditional rock climbing involving cracks, chimneys, and sitting on ledges can also be hard on Schoeller, as can carrying ice screws on your harness).

[marylou]

Matt, you make a good point. I have abraded and snagged things that shouldn's have been abraded and snagged in my day.

 

I am however, kind of a lightweight fanatic, and I don't much care for cotton as a technical fabric either. Just looking for a little input on fabrics within this whole gamut of 'softshell' that may or may not have stood up to this sort of thing in the experiences of others.

[Dru]

the polyester leisure suit is not cotton and is softshell

 

[AlpineK]

I would just like to say here that cotton is the fabric of the future!

[Dru]

I would just like to say here that cotton is the fabric of the future!

 

 

you and coonyard

[arlen]

an alcohol lamp doesn't burn as hot, so it's more likely to melt rather than ignite the fibers. a soldering iron is even cooler and doesn't use an open flame.