Thoughts about different approach for a custom Paramo system

I don't think it'll work:

1) Wool absorbs water; the polyester used on the outside of Paramo's jackets do not. In rain, the wool will stretch and become very wet and heavy. Unlike Paramo's polyester, which dries in minutes, your jacket would not dry for days.

2) It won't be waterproof–at least not for long. The stretching of the fabric due to water absortion along with the weaker wool fiber unable to be as tightly woven as polyester will not sufficiently slow down the drops of rain. Paramo works by having the very tight outer weave stop/slow down the drops so that capillary depression on the inside layer is enough to stop the water. Water drops on the wool will fragment and likely continue through the wool with enough force to overcome the capillary action of the liner.

3) It won't be windproof. The insider Paramo liner is not windproof and neither will be the wool.

4) Abrasion. Wool is just not as tough as polyester. It will stretch and tear easily. This will make it less effective against rain or wind.

Peter, the King of the Mountain wool is not ordinary wool. It is highly processed, reinforced with kevlar (so won't stretch or shrink much) and other goodies to make it highly water resistant and wind resistant (or so they say). Swandri made a similar concept bushshrit here in NZ and farmers used to wear nothing else in the rain (but they were tough in those days)

"A classic. Woven from 100% pure wool and weatherproofed using our ninety six year old secret technique. "

http://www.swanndri.co.nz/default.aspx?T=2&P=4

King of the Mountain

"Omnitherm® and Omnilite® are woven in a special 5-ply configuration that sheds water like shingles on a roof. These fabrics are a shrink-stabilized, weather-tight, multi-ply woven wool fabric — a long way of saying our process makes the wool more water and wind repellent, more durable, higher in loft, better at insulating and far more breathable. They magnify your radiant heat and that of any other source. These fabrics have set the standard for natural fiber personal thermal solutions by generating low level infrared heat, and have remained at the top for 27 years. Now, having introduced our KarbonXtreme™ technology, they are even better. Their unique ability to transform the wet, warm water vapor that comes off your skin constantly and turn it into dry radiant heat is paramount. Our KarbonXtreme™ technology makes the fabrics more abrasion resistant and FR/ARC suppressive. Used for 27 years in every adverse weather condition on every continent, Omnitherm® and Omnilite® are the ULTIMATE high-tech, radiant, natural fiber fabrics. KX Technology™ — like it came from sheep on steroids."

"KarbonXtreme™ Technology (KX) is King of the Mountain’s™patented, carbon/Kevlar enhanced-wool fabric that's only available in our woven Omnitherm® and Omnilite® fabrics. It totally shreds the envelope of what everyone thought was possible when it comes to safety and comfort in extreme conditions. KarbonXtreme™ Technology is nail tough, stealth quiet, fire retardant and scent suppressant. Omnitherm® and Omnilite® with KX Technology draws vapor away from your body, turns it into heat and radiates it back at you– hot when the weather's cold and cool when it's hot."

http://karbonxtreme.com/performance.htm

But personally I wouldn't do it either. I think you could do a lot better for the weight, but I haven't tried their product. If it's as good as they say though, you shouldn't need the Paramo lining to make it work…

I would not try it either. The wool outer layer may or may not leak over time – personally I think it will after a day, but it will absorb a lot of water and get very heavy and cumbersome. Once it has absorbed a lot of water it will stop breathing, and you will get wet inside. Happens with various forms of canvas too.

I am also a bit biased against believing anything they say by the marketing crap they have come up with:
"patented, carbon/Kevlar enhanced-wool fabric"
All the best marketing buzz words! You could achieve the same with some nylon or polyester though.
"Their unique ability to transform the wet, warm water vapor that comes off your skin constantly and turn it into dry radiant heat is paramount."
This is total crap. It defies the laws of physics. So do these bits of marketing spin:
"They magnify your radiant heat and that of any other source. "
"KX Technology draws vapor away from your body, turns it into heat and radiates it back at you– hot when the weather's cold and cool when it's hot."

If these are crap, how about the rest of their claims?
"If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."

The reality is that IF this product had been half as good as they are claiming here, it would have taken the world (and the various armed forces) by storm. It would have become an internationally-known standard. It hasn't.

For prolonged multi-day heavy rain you are going to need a waterproof outer shell. It may have problems of its own, but those problems are not as great as something which leaks.

Cheers

Thanks for the feedback. Lynn is correct as sited regarding the wool, hence why I am specifically targeting that one brand.

I think that the weave of the fabric would effectively shed rain as claimed, based on the testimonials … but only for a time. In a heavy sustained rain the fabric would be overcome, just like Ventile or a good DWR. This is the point at which I would hope that the Analogy liner would kick in and manage to keep the user dry.

I have found that neither Gore-Tex nor eVent stands up long in these types of conditions, that has prompted this thought. Typically most that I have been around opt for a Helly Hanson Impertech outershell and turn themselves into a sauna when on the move.

Lynn, what options do you think would be better for the weight that would not require a DWR renewing?

Oh yeah, and the fibres "generate low level infrared heat" too, yet also keep you cool when you're hot. Amazing.

I don't know of any waterproof, breathable fabrics that would work without DWR. There are some oilskins around that are pretty resilient, but not sure how breathable? Correction: I do know of some fabric in development that would do the trick, but they are probably years from hitting the market (if ever). You may have to go with a non-breathable option, or get used to being wet a lot like our ancestors!