the.com/breathable
the label that lets fabric take credit for the fact that you sweat.
means a material's ability to let water vapor pass through it, so sweat can escape as gas before it becomes a swamp.
from from moisture vapor transmission rate testing developed for outdoor and sportswear in the mid-20th century, when brands needed a word cozier than permeable.
measured howgrams of vapor per square meter per day
not waterproofbreathable and waterproof are constantly in tension
gore-tex trickpores smaller than water drops, bigger than vapor molecules
cotton mythcotton breathes air but holds sweat like a sponge
for instance
gore-tex — 1969 membrane, 9 billion pores per square inch
under armour heatgear — marketed on sweat wicking since 1996
nike dri-fit — polyester engineered to pull moisture outward
merino wool base layers — used by everest climbers for centuries before synthetics