In science this term we have been investigating different materials and we are going to develop an information pack for outdoor adventurers based on our findings. We have been lucky enough to have the support of No Sweat Outdoors in Barnstaple who have provided us with samples of materials, explanation leaflets and even a kit that tests the level of water resistance in each material. At the end of our topic we are going to send our work to Pete at No Sweat Outdoors and he is going to let us know what he thinks.
All of the samples from No Sweat. Thank you Pete!
We looked carefully at the samples.
Then we investigated the samples Pete gave us, as well as some of our own materials, to see how waterproof they were.
So next time you need a new coat class 4 can give you lots of ideas about ways of testing how waterproof the material will be.
Well done everyone! We’ll let you know how the project is going during the term 🙂
I loved doing that it was very fun,(although we did get a bit wet).
It looked it Liza!
Glad you enjoyed it Liza, I think we found out that some materials would be rubbish at keeping us dry! 🙂 I think I’d like a coat made out of some of materials No Sweat gave us….a whole coat though, not just a sleeve 😉
Looks like you had fun testing all the materials. I think you’re that the plastic bag was very good at keeping the water out, but probably not very strong.
The clothing manufacturers have a very tough job. They must make things for us that are;
– ‘waterproof’ to keep out rain BUT
– ‘breathable’ so you don’t get wet from sweat AND
– ‘durable’ so that it is strong and will not rip on rocks or bushes. They also need to be ‘lightweight’ so that they feel nice to wear. Hopefully you saw from the samples that some materials are better at one thing than another and it is really difficult to get one thing to do it all very well.
I must say a big thank you to Becky from RAB clothing for helping me get together all the samples for you to test. http://rab.uk.com/
Thanks for commenting on our blog Pete 🙂 We spoke a lot about how hard it is to decide on the best material for a coat because they all seem to have their own positive points. Yes, a big thanks to Becky too!
Next week we are looking at the strength of a material and using a data logger to find out if a material is a good insulator!
Great that you all enjoyed testing the fabric samples.
Its a tough job making sure all the clothing does the job in the various weather conditions. Dont forget many of these fabrics let the body breath and not get too hot in activity.
Happy testing Class 4 look forward to seeing the results.
Becky from RAB
Thanks for taking the time to comment Becky. The samples were great. We’ll keep you updated on our progress. 🙂
I loved how we tested to make sure that they were water proof
Thanks for your comment Beau, yes it was good fun wasn’t it? 🙂