The Fabric of Our Nation

One of the greatest new products in our garment line up is based on an idea dating back to as long ago as 1853, maybe even before that. It was in that year, however, that citizens in the town of Balaklava, Crimea, knitted a form of headgear to protect British Troops from the bitter cold while battling in the Crimean War. The garment would eventually be named after the town, with the letter "c" replacing the letter "k" in Balaklava.

Since then, the balaclava concept and design has been widely adopted for a wide variety of uses… for protection against the cold, for use in outdoor winter athletic events, and for military applications. Our Performance Wear version keeps people every bit as dry and warm, if not more so, than any other product of this type made anywhere in the world. But in addition, DRIFIRE balaclavas feature flame resistance that is engineered right in to the product itself… it is permanent.

You probably know this, but for the record, some of the worst burns a person can get are not found on areas of the body that are bare and uncovered by garments. They occur where ordinary clothing catches fire and remains on fire. DRIFIRE products are self-extinguishing. This means that a balaclava wrapped about the head and face guards against the worst of all burns.

I always knew that DRIFIRE's antimicrobial qualities kept our garments fresher. I also know our antimicrobial solution helps prevent the growth of organisms that can harm you. But it wasn't as clear to me that antimicrobial solutions like ours can also prolong the life of our garments. Fact is, based on what I did and didn't know, I was glad to come across this presentation entitled, "The Layman's Guide to Antimicrobial Fabrics and Testing Methods." 

If you're like me, you'll really want to read that presentation. It's only three pages long, but it provides an overview of what you should look for in a garment and what the right solution can mean to your health and your garments. Then I recommend you visit this page on our website where you can read about a DRIFIRE antimicrobial solution we source from Noble Biomaterials, Inc. You'll quickly note — as the Layman's Guide advises — that we do it right:

Noble Biomaterials is a leader in the apparel application of precious metals, which are used for natural antimicrobial, anti-odor and anti-static properties in DRIFIRE. Noble Biomaterials is best known for X-STATIC® - The Silver Fiber® which is a fiber produced by permanently bonding a layer of pure silver to fiber providing a sustained release of silver cations. X-STATIC is used by numerous market leading manufacturers as a component of medical devices, medical textiles, extreme sports wear, military uniforms, space suits and computer shielding.

Many people I meet have rarely, if ever, witnessed a major conflagration. Most have never been in one, thankfully. But with that sort of personal experience, it is equally commonplace to encounter average people who don't characterize fire hazards as a major problem. Those of us like that are a bit like the blind man holding the tail of an elephant: he has no idea how big a problem he has on hand!

If you're a firefighter, you know. You've seen it. But if your own personal recollections of various fire scenarios you've witnessed isn't enough to convince others of the size and scope of the danger, maybe some of these facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will open some eyes. I know they did for me.

For example, did you know the United States ranks only 6th among 25 developed nations for our mortality rate from fires? Based on the most recent stats, someone in this country dies in a fire every 162 minutes. And, fire and burn injuries cost about $7.5 billion annually!

I'm not writing this to imply that private citizens sitting around at home wear DRIFIRE Performance FR garments as a matter of routine, although please feel welcome to do just that… they may be the most comfortable clothes you own and they are certainly the safest. Instead, I'm writing this primarily for the people whose occupation poses an all-too-frequent risk of fire: linemen and utility workers, refinery employees, law enforcement professionals and others. It's easy to get complacent; natural to think it only happens to others. Obviously, fires happen a lot, affect many, and cost much. As we see it here, to borrow a phrase, an ounce of prevention… and an ounce or two of protection… is worth a pound of cure. 

An long feature article by Celia Storey, entitled 'Layers of meaning,' and published in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, may be the best and most practical guide to staying warm and dry in your clothes in a wide variety of climates and during a range of activities. It answers a lot of those old questions with assumed answers: do we lose most of our body heat through our heads; do the digits on our hands and feet need special attention; are big, bulky fabrics the best for keeping out the cold?

But I especially want to draw your attention to where Ms. Storey refers to the primary value and job of next-to-skin garments:

As Chris Townsend puts it in the second edition of The Backpacker’s Handbook (Ragged Mountain Press ), “the prime purpose of the inner, or base, layer is to keep the skin dry rather than warm. If perspiration is removed quickly from the skin’s surface, your outer layers keep you warm more easily. Conversely, if the layer of clothing next to your skin becomes saturated and dries slowly, your clothes, however good, have a hard time keeping you warm.

The feature story also validates the significant progress that has been made in performance wear technologies that optimize moisture management — and it even names a few of the brand name solutions in this general category. DRIFIRE, just to remind everyone, is the only FR variant of a patented performance wear formula shown in a wide array of tests to wick and dry better and faster than anything. This means that from a purely recreational standpoint, consumers have a few choices they can make, which is all well and good. But if you need the best performance wear and your job or occupation exposes you to the risk of fire, arc flash, or intense heat, DRIFIRE is the first and foremost choice for you.

Years ago as a youngster, while at a friend's house, my friend's mother came in from grocery shopping and started to unpack the bags while we sat at the kitchen table. When she got to the jar of mayonnaise, she opened it, closed it and put it in the refrigerator. When asked why she did that, my friend's mother took the jar out of the fridge, pointed to the label, and said, "See… it says refrigerate after opening."

Back in those days, too, every new back-to-school outfit was worn right out of the box. Nothing got washed first, which I think had much more to do with frugality than comfort… some of those new BVDs and T's were, well… very factory olfactory and not so kid friendly. I'm saying you could be blind and know it was the first day of school just by the scent of Fruit of the Loom in the air!

DRIFIRE garments can be worn right out of the box, too, of course. But you may wash them first. In fact, you can wash them as many times as you want since the FR feature and the overall performance wear attributes are a function of our fiber technology and patented blend. No additives or coatings are used to achieve these qualities. Therefore, there are no FR or performance wear additives or coatings to wash away.

There are a couple of reasons why you may wish to launder your new DRIFIRE garments before wearing them for the first time. In order to achieve the high-grade stitching and state-of-the art seam profiles that are a hallmark of our product, a one-time, impermanent textile industry coating is used so that machine needles do not tear or rip when penetrating our fiber blend. For some, the small amount of harmless residue created by this protective process means the out-of-the-box DRIFIRE garment doesn't seem to have as soft a hand as the same garments after one washing. Others wash first simply because they prefer wearing garments that have been laundered in their own favorite and familiar cleanser. Still others really like that 'back to school' feeling at least for the first wearing.

Lastly, when laundering your DRIFIRE garments, we've learned that washing them inside out in cold water not only achieves a superb result, but also helps further prolong the life and true color of the garment.