Fabrics

When selecting materials for use in clothing, there are a multitude of considerations and some priorities outweigh others depending on the target purpose for a garment.

For clothing that sees a lot of abrasion (such as rowing shorts, tights, unisuit bottoms), I choose a material that, while comfortable, has a higher priority on wicking, drying, and durability whereas softer brushed fabrics would pill and show wear points.  

For upper body garments, I have more room to pick options with higher comfort.  For example, a new fabric I'm liking is the Featherweight Compression.   At 140 g/sm, it's very lightweight with a soft texture but still shows excellent washablity and durability.    Perhaps not the right material for shorts, but ideal for warm environment tanks and shirts.

Here is a rundown of my key fabrics 

 FABRIC NAME WEIGHT
g/sm
(grams per square metre)
+/- 10gsm 		TEXTURE 
SCALE
1-10
Softest being 10
Abrasive being 1
(RW opinion) 		WICKING
 / QUICK DRY 		 AVERAGE UPF (data from by fabric supplier) Primary Use (but not limited to)
Chito-X
92% polyester
8% spandex
4-way stretch		 255 7 yes 50 Unisuit bottoms, Cool Weather formfit clothing, Tights and shorts
Compression
79% polyester
21% spandex
4-way stretch 		220 8 yes 50 T-shirts, Lightweight tights and shorts
Featherweight
Compression
90% polyester
10% spandex
4-way stretch 		140 9 yes 30

Warm weather clothing, Core Shirts, Weigh-in clothing
Drift
100% polyester
(2-way stretch)		 150 7 yes n/a Sport T's, Dragon Boat jerseys, Tanks.  
Dintex Fleecy
94% polyester
6% spandex  (face)
with DWR
100% polyester
fleece (inside)
Dintex inner
membrane		 320 8 yes n/a Waterproof jacket, vest. Midweight
Dintex Drift
94% polyester
6% spandex  (face)
with DWR
100% polyester
Drift (inside)
Dintex inner
membrane
Dintex inner
membrane 		230 6 yes n/a Light Waterproof Shell
Silvercloud
100% polyester
with DWR
Dintex inner
membrane 		200 7 yes n/a Ultralight
Waterproof Shell 
Merino Blend
48% Merino Wool
48% Polyester
4% Nylon		 220  8 yes n/a Cozy Sport Shirts, toques
Bamboo Blend
66% Bamboo rayon
28% Cotton
6% Spandex		 200  10 no n/a Tight or loose shirts. Toques.
Bamborino
66% Bamboo rayon
28% Merino Wool
6% Spandex 		200 7/8 medium n/a Tight or loose shirts. Toques.
Modal
95% Beechwood Fibre
5% Spandex		 215 11 (seriously) untested 
probably not		 n/a Shirts
Polar Fleece
100% Polyester		 380 9 untested
but probably yes		 n/a Vests, toques, cold weather gear.