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kayak karl
06-01-2008, 07:23
when looking at clothes at thrift shop. i found nylon, silk and 100% polyester. these seem to wick well and dry quick, but i ran into "Rayon". i remember it being advertized as the cloth for the future in the 60's. Don't see it around much. Would this cloth be good for hiking in?

Frolicking Dinosaurs
06-01-2008, 07:57
I have a few Rayon items and they wick well -- Rayon does not dry quite as fast as nylon, but is similar to textured polyester in this respect.

Appalachian Tater
06-01-2008, 09:04
Rayon is made from plant material; although it is obviously very processed, at least it isn't actually made from petrochemicals. Some rayon is delicate and some can be machine washed, there are different types.

take-a-knee
06-01-2008, 09:12
Make sure it isn't flammable.

tzbrown
06-01-2008, 10:21
If you can find it Silk in the thrift stores it makes the best hiking shirts I have found.

Fast drying and doesnt stink the way some of the other fibers do after a while

kayak karl
06-01-2008, 11:03
If you can find it Silk in the thrift stores it makes the best hiking shirts I have found.

Fast drying and doesnt stink the way some of the other fibers do after a while
found 2 silk shirts at $3.99 ea. then got 50% off for half price day:)

Rocketman
06-01-2008, 11:19
I'm reading "Secrets of Warmth" by Hal Weiss (about 1988 edition) and he discusses fabrics several places.

For (warm) underwear, he has 3 groupings of materials. In the last or poorest grouping are COTTON and RAYON. The primary issue is the water absorption. Rayon is given as 8% and cotton as 11%.

So, if cotton is OK for the clothes you are seeking, then rayon would likely be OK, based on warmth considerations.

Rayon isn't a "tough" or strong fabric. It is pretty. It has a good feel to it.

On the whole, it just doesn't seem to have any outstanding characteristic for use as an outdoor fabric for backpacking.

It is probably a great idea to stay with the long used standards like polyester, polypropylene, nylon ....... as often, long term use has occurred for a reason or two.

Cosmo
06-02-2008, 12:16
Rayon is quite flammable. Most of the polys and silks will just get a melt hole from a spark or from drying too close to the fire. Rayon will burn w/ very little provocation, as it is mostly cellulose.

Cosmo

Dances with Mice
06-02-2008, 13:39
Rayon is cellulose - 'regenerated cellulose' is the term. Wood pulp is dissolved in strong caustic then the dissolved slurry is spun into fibers inside an acid bath. The acid cancels out the caustic and leaves behind cellulose again. Although no petrochemicals are involved, the process is so dirty that it isn't at all kind to the environment. Rayon production sites are major water polluters and today it's mostly produced in countries with few environmental restrictions, like China.

Rayon has all the characteristics of cellulose - it absorbs water and will burn but it doesn't have the strength of natural cellulose fibers like cotton. It's not an outdoor fabric.

take-a-knee
06-02-2008, 13:54
Rayon is cellulose - 'regenerated cellulose' is the term. Wood pulp is dissolved in strong caustic then the dissolved slurry is spun into fibers inside an acid bath. The acid cancels out the caustic and leaves behind cellulose again. Although no petrochemicals are involved, the process is so dirty that it isn't at all kind to the environment. Rayon production sites are major water polluters and today it's mostly produced in countries with few environmental restrictions, like China.

Rayon has all the characteristics of cellulose - it absorbs water and will burn but it doesn't have the strength of natural cellulose fibers like cotton. It's not an outdoor fabric.

The army used to issue a pullover shirt called a "sleeping shirt" that was made of rayon, they were quite fragile and didn't last long.

Hyphen
06-04-2008, 23:00
ok well as you people seem to know about fabrics, I have a polynosic (and polyester) shirt... according to a few articles on the web, it is both like rayon, and like silk... I think it is also derived from plants... does anyone here know any more than I about this alien fabric? (mainly drying capability)

kayak karl
06-08-2008, 11:47
worked roofs the last 4 days. in the :sun.

cotton - was off in first hour

rayon shirt - soaked up sweat, but would not dry. ripped easy when wet. warm in AM

polyester - wicked well, dried but slow. warmest in AM

silk - worked the best, dried fast. AM was hot saturday (hot at 7am)

so in conclusion, im taking silk for the hot, hot days.