Bamboo Technology from The North Face
News Release / 29.04.2008
The Flight Series Endurance range from The North Face is a collection of lightweight clothing popular with adventure racers, but not many will realise its made using bamboo ... More specifically it incorporates carbon from burning bamboo, which has a number of performance benefits and is good for the environment as bamboo is a sustainable and renewable product (it can grow up to a foot in length in one day).Carbon from bamboo technology is a method of enhancing the performance qualities of fabrics used for high-energy outdoor activities. In this highly specialised process, dried bamboo is carbonised in a kiln and then ground into a fine powder. This powder is then blended with a polymer to form fibres that are woven or knitted into fabrics.
The porous nature of the carbon has a number of benefits: the fabric wicks faster and more efficiently and thus dries more quickly, it acts as a net to trap odour-causing molecules where they can quickly decompose without releasing any odour and it works in tandem with it’s dark black colour to trap harmful UV rays.
As if this was not enough – you cannot wash out these benefits. Since the carbon is added to the polymer, it becomes part of the fabric instead of a coating, meaning it will maintain its performance over the lifetime of the garment.
Products from The North Face using this technology include the Men’s Vitesse Fuse Tee and the Women’s Vitesse Dynamite Tee, which are wicking, fast drying and engineered for maximum mobility and an effortless performance fit. The Men’s and Women’s Long Sleeved Vitesse Delta ¼ zip is made from a slightly thicker fabric, ensuring extra warmth on those chilly spring mornings, whilst at the same time not compromising on the range of movement or performance of the fabric.
The Men’s Thunder Short and Women’s Elli Trail Short are made from an exceptionally soft, lightweight stretch fabric with a breathable, naturally antimicrobial liner made using a bamboo carbon fibre blend ensuring advanced comfort and increased drying capability.
All these products are in the shops now, and the best place to look first is with our Training and Calendar sponsors Cotswold Outdoor, who have an extensive range of active wear from The North Face. (Just click on their ads around the site.)
