Hey everyone. I'm Sam Shaheen and you're listening to Gear 30 on the Blister Podcast Network.

Right now, the North Face is attempting to do something that many have tried, but few have succeeded in doing.

Compete head to head with Gortex in the waterproof breathable fabric category.

So today we talk with Scott Mellon, the global general manager of Mountain Sports at the North Face,

about this new fabric technology called Future Light.

Scott and I dive into the idea behind Future Light,

what sets it apart in the crowded waterproof breathable market,

sustainability practices related to Future Light, some stories from athlete testing, and much more.

Before we go any further, though, I'm going to define a few terms that Scott and I will use

throughout our conversation. If you're feeling confident with your technical apparel lingo,

feel free to skip ahead. First, some terms related to testing and ratings of fabrics.

Air permeability is a measure of how easily air passes through a textile or laminate. Typically,

the more air permeable a fabric is, the more breathable it is. CFM stands for cubic feet per minute and is a unit of measure for air permeability.

CFM is often used interchangeably with air permeability.

Hydrostatic head is a measure of how waterproof a textile, laminate, or membrane is.

The unit usually represents how much water pressure a sample can withstand before leaking.

Some terms related to waterproof fabrics. Laminate refers to a composite sandwich of fabrics

and or membranes that are bonded together to act as a single textile. Laminates are most common

in waterproof breathable garments. Membrane. Membranes are what makes

laminates waterproof. Membranes are typically non-textile, i.e. not knit or woven, materials that

are designed to protect against water and wind. Membranes are often porous and or air permeable to

increase breathability. Membranes are often made from PU Polyester or

...