Jack Wolfskin’s ‘No Tape Expertise’ claims to enhance breathability, whereas eliminating greater than 60 toes of extra materials per jacket.
Making attire extra comfy, sturdy, and sustainable with a single growth isn’t simple. It takes creativity, calculation, and innovation — and a few good ol’ original German engineering definitely doesn’t harm.
All of that and extra went into Jack Wolfskin’s new Tapeless Jacket. The sustainably minded German outside model noticed a possibility to enhance the usual design for waterproof attire by eliminating seam tape from the design.
And whereas seam welding has been explored by different manufacturers like CAT and MSC, Jack Wolfskin calls its method an “business first.”
The model claims the Tapeless Jacket supplies even higher breathability, sturdiness, and reliability than related taped-seam jackets. Right here’s what we all know.
Jack Wolfskin: Why ‘Tapeless’ Jacket?
When developing most attire, totally different panels must be stitched collectively. Stitching, by nature, punches holes into the material, opening up hundreds of little alternatives for water to seep by way of. Historically, the answer has been seam tape, a layer of polyurethane movie positioned alongside the inside seam to plug these holes.
It’s in nearly each rain jacket and pant on the market — flip the merchandise inside out and you’ll see for your self. The strip that follows the seams is the seam tape defending your gear from flooding.
Nevertheless, seam tape is by far the weakest level of any waterproofing. Generally it fails and must be changed. It additionally provides weight to a rain jacket or rain pants, and it reduces the breathability — and even sturdiness — of the product.
It isn’t an ideal answer. However there additionally haven’t been higher choices for attire makers to waterproof the seams of their merchandise.
Going Tapeless
Jack Wolfskin’s Tapeless Jacket marks the primary product into which the model will incorporate its No Tape Expertise. As a substitute of utilizing that small strip of polyurethane to seal seams, it used its proprietary three-layer waterproof-breathable material and welded the seams shut as an alternative of taping them.
Jack Wolfskin will sew panels of this waterproof-breathable material collectively, with out punching holes all through. The needle solely penetrates the shell layer, whereas the internal layer is welded with water resistant adhesive. The result’s a steady, totally sealed membrane layer inside the jacket.
Based on Jack Wolfskin, that maximizes the waterproofing and in addition eliminates “double-layering.” This, the model claims, makes the jacket extra breathable and harder than taped-seam equivalents.
Historically welded seams (which corporations like Arc’teryx have been experimenting with for the reason that ’90s) don’t provide as a lot breathability. They will also be susceptible to blowing out when the adhesive degrades, and repairing them will be troublesome.
Jack Wolfskin says its proprietary three-layer material and hybrid welding/stitching approach solves these issues and “received’t fail or leak.”
On high of that, by eliminating roughly 60 toes of seam sealing tape per jacket, Jack Wolfskin reduces the carbon footprint of each Tapeless Jacket.
At $480, the Tapeless Jacket is notably dearer than its different waterproof jackets. It’s obtainable in Hedge Inexperienced and Phantom (black), weighs 13.5 ounces (dimension medium), and will be bought on-line.
