If you’re a follower of workwear and outdoor apparel, you may have heard terms like “three layer fabric” get thrown around. But what’s the big deal? If you’ve ever tried to finish a winter job dressed in canvas or duck, you know the importance of wearing the right fabrics. You dress to stay warm but overheat, or you put on something tough but it restricts movement. The beauty of 3-layer bonded fabric is that you get all the benefits you need in one product.
The Fabric
Layered fabrics have the same intention: protection from the elements and breathability. They help ensure that heat loss, skin temperature, air movement and humidity at the body surface is maintained no matter the conditions by using different fabrics with unique benefits.
Truewerk’s 3-layer bonded hex fleece fabric is made with three different fabrics that are pressed together to create a single fabric package with improved performance.
1. Exterior Layer - Polyester/spandex ripstop shell with a DWR treatment
- What it does: Provides protection from tears and snags, stretches, blocks wind and repels water.
- What it does: Moisture barrier. While the membrane is waterproof, it’s not vapor-proof. This means larger water molecules (like raindrops) can’t get in, but water vapors (like evaporating sweat) can escape.
- What it does: Design creates a mechanical wicking action, pulling sweat away from your body to keep you dry. It also provides more air space against the body and traps warm air.
The Benefits
When fighting the elements, especially in the cold, staying dry is priority #1. Exposure to rain, snow, wind and even your own sweat can bring about hypothermia—so having a breathable fabric is a must.
Three-layer bonded fabrics are much more efficient at moisture management. Sweat is pulled away from the skin, turned into water vapor and carried out of the interior fabric, while the exterior keeps larger water molecules out. It has a similar effect in the summer to keep you cool: wicking away sweat, trapping air between your skin and keeping your body from dehydrating.
The Products
Bonded fabric is much more common in athletic sportswear and outdoor apparel than workwear, which is what makes Truewerk products unique. We took the same idea of protection, flexibility and temperature regulation and applied them to the job site for premier performance.
You’ll find our 3-layer bonded fabric in plenty of our winter workwear offerings like the S3 Solution Hoodie, Jacket or Vest, and T3 WerkPants or WerkBibs. It’s also used in our S4 Tower Parka and T4 WerkBibs as the outer fabric, with extra insulation and a liner behind it.
How does this gear make a huge difference on the job? They’re essentially waterproof (without taping the seams) but highly breathable. Water vapor can still pass through to keep you from overheating or getting soaked in sweat. The hex fleece backing adds insulation to keep you warm and dry. On top of it all, they’re lightweight, durable and more comfortable than duck or canvas workwear could ever dream. Take that, winter.
