Wicking

Wicking

This function in garments has become an essential function when it comes to active clothing.

The function basically does two things –

1. Pulls water/moisture from skin side to the surface side of the garment fast.

2. Drys the fabric quickly to avoid a damp/wet garment.

This ensures your clothing stays dry and doesn't feel sticky when you start to sweat.

What is the science behind it?

Simply put, the effect relies on a capillary action.

A great example of this is trees.

The roots of the trees pull water from the soil and transports it to the body and leafs of the tree.

You will find this function mostly in polyester fabrications, but the fabric needs some extra help to achieve this.

Polyester has a water retaining rate at around 0.4%, which means they are good at evaporating water

since it doesn't hold it inside the fabric but is inherently bad at pulling in water.

To give it a boost, weaving hydrophilic fibres into polyester increases its ability to hold water and start the capillary action.

Another way is to add chemicals to enhance the effect, often referred to as finishing agents.

keep sweat off your body, dry fast, keep you cool and comfortable.

That is what it's all about.