Hi, am trying to design a certain type of bag with the benifits of it being light weight and has the capacity to keep liquids hot or cold. I would idealy like it to be environmently friendly, machine washable and dryer safe. Is there such a fabric and where can obtain a sample? Please contact me asap thanks.
T’Shura
By: T’Shura
Dear T’Shura,
WOW, OK I’ll try to answer this as best I can but that’s kind of a tall order. I am sure NASA has something that will do all of the above asked but to us normal average every day people, access to such material may not be achievable. However there are a few fabrics that will do some but not all of what you want it to. The first thing your gonna probably have to give up though is the environmentally safe part. Sure there are lots of environmentally safe fabrics but they won’t have the insulation your looking for. Polyester is probably going to be your biggest friend. While the process of making it is pretty environmentally safe, it’s discard is a whole other matter. There are a couple of lining materials that have a polyester micro-fiber batting with a nylon cover that would have the insulation that your looking for and are perfectly machine washable. The problem is the nylon cover. If you can find one with a polyester exterior that would be better. Nylon has a tendency to melt at low temps. Thinsulate is probably going to be your best bet. Fabricated ‘like down’ material, it is lighter than down, resists water more than down and polyester has an inherent quality of resisting molds and mildews. Machine washable and dry-able, is not biodegradable. http://www.questoutfitters.com/insulations.htm. Good luck, hope that helps.