another company wants in on the wp/b action

OMNIBLOG: KEEPING FLYLOW GEAR DRY AS A BONE

That is the headline of an article in the March/April 2019 issue of TextileWorld magazine.

The manufacturer of the omniblog chemical which is a durable water repellent from Bolger & O’Hearn (B&O) of Fall River , MA.

The omni stuff I thought was locked into by Columbia sportswear with their omni this and omni that, but I guess not.

[This omni chemical is “engineered” to “keep out the harshest of snow storms, rain and squalls and has been engineered to deflect heavy, wind-driven rain and provide laminate-like rain resistance when applied to a single-ply, woven manmade fabric. Omniblog also maintains a fabric’s breathability without compromising fabric hand or wearer comfort.”]

I never heard of the “flylow gear company” so I went to their web site. I could not find one garment made with material that has been treated with omniblog, but they already know that the fabric treated with omniblog will keep you “dry as a bone”.

I was contacted by Bolger & O’Hearn when they were developing the chemical and received samples. The only thing I can say about this chemical is it may last longer on fabric than what has been on the market for 70/80 years. Other than that it does “wet out” after a while like all of the rest of the dwr treatments.

I do not know the cost to have this chemical applied to fabric but I know it is a waste of money. It is just another textile ploy to sell something that has absolutely no benefit for the consumer who buys a garment made with fabric that has been treated with the omniblog chemical.

In my communication with the B&O representative I told him my interest in his product was not there on my part because body produced moisture was simply not going to get out of the garment. He like everyone else wanting to solve the problem of keeping water out of the garment and getting water out of the garment have most successfully failed to do so since the inception of goretex. The proof of the failure of gore and every other company that has tried to solve the problem can be seen all over the world by every person who is wearing a jacket with either a film laminated to the inside surface of the shell fabric of their garment or a film laminated to the exterior surface of the shell fabric of their garment. It matters not how durable the water repellant treat maybe the moisture created by the body which is inside the garment simply put does not get out.

The statement “dry as a bone” is as ridiculous as waterproof / breathable. One more time a company is offering a bogus product just like a number of companies that have come before then.

I could not find a location for the flylow company so I would not be surprised if they are getting their garments made in Asia.

Maybe one day in the future someone will wake up and say this cannot be done so let us meaning the industry look at what can be done. Do not hold your breath. WP/B will be recycled for the next 5 years and then maybe longer.