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acrylic clothing?
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Nov 10, 2011 at 10:40 pm #1281813
How well does acrylic lend itself to backpacking or active use? I know nothing about it. I have a 30% wool 70% acrylic beanie that I use all the time. Is it good? bad? just ok?
Nov 10, 2011 at 11:03 pm #1800682It doesn't seem to be a fabulous material, but it seems to be cheap and practical for some light stuff like a beanie.
–B.G.–
Nov 11, 2011 at 8:52 am #1800769Works okay as hot weather socks. Dries faster than cotton. Holds smells like most synthetics.
I use cheap $1 beanies made of it for cold weather exercise so they can be washed frequently and replaced often.
Nov 11, 2011 at 9:24 am #1800775I like acrylic balaclavas because they're stretchier and don't fit too tight and give me a headache like the fleece ones do. They also seem to be easier to breathe through when I cover my mouth and nose in strong, cold wind or while sleeping in winter.
Nov 11, 2011 at 9:29 am #1800778the reason why a lot of headwear is made with acrylic is because it is exceptionally cheap to manufacture, and it adds a lovely, soft hand to sometimes scratchy wool – especially when used next to sensitive areas like foreheads. however, acrylic is a dirty fiber. the production process requires heavy chemicals that including neurotoxins. some manufacturers have replaced the acrylic in beanies/handwear with nylon and/or poly. it's a bit more expensive to manufacture, but it is much less enviro impact.
Sep 26, 2013 at 12:09 am #2028386I picked up an acryllic flannel shirt at my local goodwill. I'm surprised, it's actually very, very warm. Weighs about 10 oz. I thinking about carrying it as a midlayer for colder weather. I don't know how it will manage being wet.
Sep 26, 2013 at 4:48 am #2028402I have a Stillwater ThriftyKilt made of the stuff.
It's the quickest-drying piece of clothing I own (over and above my polyester blend Nike DriFit shirt), but is somewhat abrasive. If I didn't wear underwear, I'm pretty sure I'd want to sew in a liner to the waist band on the kilt; it's not something I'd want rubbing against my skin.
That being said, it's still the quickest-drying piece of clothing I own.
I've tried acrylic sleep socks before. They're not terrible, but a good pair of thick wool socks is warmer for the same weight/thickness. And sleep socks is usually a section of my kit that I don't have to worry about getting soaked (a little damp, yes, but not soaked).
YMMV, though.
Sep 26, 2013 at 8:22 am #2028454AnonymousInactiveI didn't know that Sarah, thanks for the tips. I do have a little acrylic blend stuff, like some lightweight, thinner merino-acrylic blend sweaters/shirts. Things i do like about it, it's got a low density which is just slightly higher than nylon, so it can be lighter, but it's more thermally resistant (warmer) than nylon.
Since it's a bit less hydrophobic than polyester, it doesn't stink up quite as fast or as bad. Experiments with the 55% merino 45% acrylic have so far proven to show satisfactory odor control, though obviously the slight predominance of Merino of that acrylic is a big, helping factor.
Other problems besides potential toxicity, bad eco profile, is that for a synthetic isn't not particularly strong or durable–i believe woven acrylic is less strong and durable than woven polypro, which in turn is a bit less strong and durable than polyester, which in turn is a bit less strong and durable than nylon. However, it's still significantly stronger than lighter weight, thinner, and non felted Merino.
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