Darwin or XLA fabrics

[JamesSwim]

Originally Posted by Byron

No, but interesting to read about them and SwimOutlet do refer to Darwin for the Barrucuda
Brief made in the USA.

Have to admit never heard of this - a 100% polyester fabric with an Aussie name and manufactured near Bergamo by a leading Italian company called Carrico (perhaps I should get out more).

PS: As a very soft fabric what is its "hold up tight" capability in a speedo?

Even though it's soft, the Darwin fabric holds up its stretch well even after many uses. It is very comfortable -- it feels like a micro fiber cloth.

The XLA suit does not stretch as much, and feels tighter. You can even wash it in warm water & tumble dry. I happen to find XLA also used in a regular collared shirt, used like Lycra to give it a bit of stretch.

[Byron]

Thanks for info.

Use in a regular shirt alarms me a little as I remember the wonderful new nylon shirts of a few years back which were labor-saving as "non-iron" but
which turned out to be really awful to wear as regards body perspiration.
It has therefore been only cotton for me ever since, so how does XLA match up to that problem ?

[JamesSwim]

Originally Posted by Byron

Thanks for info.

Use in a regular shirt alarms me a little as I remember the wonderful new nylon shirts of a few years back which were labor-saving as "non-iron" but
which turned out to be really awful to wear as regards body perspiration.
It has therefore been only cotton for me ever since, so how does XLA match up to that problem ?

The shirt I have was made with 97% cotton and only 3% XLA, so it did not have a problem with perspiration. This is different than a shirt with high content of nylon or polyester, which can get stuffy. So the shirt with XLA gets very few wrinkles from normal wear.

In any case, the description of XLA says it has good breathablity and is fast drying. I believe modern synthetic fabrics have gotten better -- people even prefer some polypropylene undergarments over cotton for sports since it wicks away moisture.