Commonly Used Materials For Man-Portable Equipment

military clothing fabric



Generally, the descriptions of fabrics in the manuals of military equipment and tactical backpacks are not very detailed, only whether it is CORDURA or HD. All it says is a weaving method. A more detailed description should be material + fiber degree + textile method. For example: N. 1000DCORDURA, which means 1000D nylon CORDURA material.

Many people think that the "D" in the backpack material stands for density (density), or weight. None of this is right. D is an abbreviation for denier, and Denier is a unit of measurement for fiber. The calculation method is: 1 gram per 9,000 meters long line is called Denier. Therefore, the smaller the number in front of D, the thinner the line and the smaller the density. For example, 210D material has very fine lines, and is generally used as the lining or compartment of the bag. However, 900D or 1000D materials have thick lines, thick threads, and are very wear-resistant, so they are generally used as the bottom of bags.

The raw materials generally used in military equipment fabrics are generally nylon, polyester, cotton canvas and other fabrics. Nylon is a little better quality than polyester, and of course it's a little more expensive. From the fabric, Nylon feels softer.

The following is a brief introduction to the commonly used fabrics that often appear in equipment and tactical vests:

           1.Nylon

  • Cordura (CORDURA) nylon     
      It is a kind of fabric invented by DuPont Company. It is light, quick-drying, soft and durable, and it is not easy to change color after long-term use. It is generally woven with Nylon, with the fiber density (Denier) as the strength standard, including 160D, 210D, 330D, 420D, 600D, 900D, 1050D, 1680D, etc. The higher the number, the stronger and the thicker the texture. 1050D and 1680D Cordura Nylon are commonly used on PLCE and ALICE backpacks.

    Italian Military Backpack (1680D Cordura Nylon)

  •     KODRA Nylon
      KODRA is a fabric produced in Korea. To some extent it can replace CORDURA. It is said that the inventor of this fabric originally wanted to study how CORDURA is spun, but in the end he did not research it, but invented a new fabric, which is KODRA. This fabric is generally woven with Nylon, and the fiber degree is also used as the strength standard, such as 600D and 1000D. The back is coated, similar to CORDURA.

    American Tri-Color Desert Camouflage MOLLE II Assault Pack (1000D KODRA Nylon)

  • Ordinary Nylon
      Also known as Nylon, polyamide fiber. The advantages are high strength, high wear resistance, high chemical resistance, good deformation resistance and aging resistance. The disadvantage is that it feels harder. Generally, fabrics that are multiples of 70D are nylon. For example, 70D, 210D, 420D, 840D, and 1680D are all made of nylon. The gloss of the fabric is brighter and the hand feels smoother.

    Waterproof Nylon Jacket (420D Nylon)



    2.Polyester
      POLYESTER, characterized by good air permeability and moisture release. It also has strong acid and alkali resistance and UV resistance. Generally, fabrics that are multiples of 75D are polyester, such as 150D, 300D, 600D, 900D, and 1200D are all polyester. The surface of the fabric is darker and rougher than nylon. Generally, those with a strength of 600D can be used as the bottom of the mountaineering bag, but its weaving method is not as strong as CORDURA.

    Black small MOLLE backpack (600D polyester)


    Ukrainian army green MOLLE backpack (900D polyester)



    3.cotton canvas
      Years ago, cotton canvas was the fabric of choice for backpacking materials. The only flaws in early backpacks were that they were heavy with canvas and had a tendency to rot when stored. Now it is generally used in the old PLCE, such as 37, 44 backpacks and large all-in-one bags.

    NATO Large Overalls Bag (Cotton Canvas)


    U.S. military large overall bag (cotton canvas)



    4.Other fabrics
  • AIR MESH
      It is generally called the space network, which is different from the general network. There is a gap between its mesh surface and the material below, which is generally 3mm or larger. And it is this kind of gap that makes it have good ventilation performance, so it is generally used as a strap or back or other places close to the body.






Thanks for reading.