Question Waxed cotton abrasion

[Rabbit]

I have seen a number of allegedly protective clothing pieces made from Waxed Cotton or a wax cotton blend. I understand the attraction but does anyone know how abrasion resistant that material actually is? Aerostitch only says ‘you’d be surprised’ compared to their 500d cordura.

 

[melensdad]

I have some waxed cotton jackets, one from Scotland and one from England. Neither seem close to any of my moto-gear. I can't find any actual data, but I know of a company that makes quality camera gear and they switched from waxed cotton to cordura. From their website:

Since 2014, WOTANCRAFT replaces our old waxed cotton fabric with CORDURA ® Nylon fabric, which is 60% thinner, 50% lighter, and 10 times stronger in terms of “abrasion & tear resistance”.​

That is their claim, I don't know it to be factual. But 10x greater abrasion and tear resistance would be pretty good reason to switch.

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[Rabbit]

Then why the hell would a company like Aerostitch market an all wax cotton jacket for riding? Boggles the mind. Thanks for the input. I haven’t really ever seen a waxed cotton garment.

 

[TheIronWarrior]

Then why the hell would a company like Aerostitch market an all wax cotton jacket for riding? Boggles the mind. Thanks for the input. I haven’t really ever seen a waxed cotton garment.

I'd guess it's "some protection is better than no protection," and "let the customer decide what they want." Similar to how companies still market leather vests which obviously offer zero protection for anything but your torso..
As a rider, you get to decide if the tradeoffs are right for you. Some people will pay the extra and deal with the swamp-arse sweating of wearing leather because they but a higher value on the protection and feel leather is undeniably the best protection you can get. Some people prefer the (maybe) slightly less protective, but more comfortable and cheaper textiles. I'm assuming the waxed cotton would be a similar fabric to heavy duty work pants/overalls and not, like, a cotton shirt, so I'd suspect it would have better abrasion properties than heavy denim (which is both made from cotton and a common, though not super protective, motorcycle apparel material).
By the sounds of it, in addition to a more "comfortable" (subjective) jacket, the waxed cotton also offers a vintage aesthetic, that some people prioritize over straight protection, too.

 

[GregC]

Then why the hell would a company like Aerostitch market an all wax cotton jacket for riding? Boggles the mind. Thanks for the input. I haven’t really ever seen a waxed cotton garment.

serving the marketplace. While Aero's primary market are the folks wanting the Roadcrafter and Darien goods, I'm sure they figure there's no point in ignoring those who want the "classic good looks" of waxed cotton (after all, Barbour and Belstaff can still charge premium prices for it ... Belstaff thanks in part of Charlie and Ewan in LWU).

 

[Rabbit]

Those are fair points. I suppose it irks me because Aerostitch has branded themselves as a safety oriented company and it doesn’t seem like they do a good job of explaining the difference between their cordura and waxed cotton garments.

 

[TheIronWarrior]

Those are fair points. I suppose it irks me because Aerostitch has branded themselves as a safety oriented company and it doesn’t seem like they do a good job of explaining the difference between their cordura and waxed cotton garments.

I agree, I'd like to se a better comparison (maybe actual numbers) than: "comparing to *superior fabric* it's actually not as much worse as I bet you think it is!"

 

[GregC]

Those are fair points. I suppose it irks me because Aerostitch has branded themselves as a safety oriented company and it doesn’t seem like they do a good job of explaining the difference between their cordura and waxed cotton garments.

I suspect their lawyers don't want them saying, "of course, waxed cotton looks great but it's crap compared to performance textiles, and you may die wearing it."

 

[Rabbit]

I suspect their lawyers don't want them saying, "of course, waxed cotton looks great but it's crap compared to performance textiles, and you may die wearing it."

Heheh, I suppose that might Be frowned upon, certainly.

 

[Rabbit]

I agree, I'd like to se a better comparison (maybe actual numbers) than: "comparing to *superior fabric* it's actually not as much worse as I bet you think it is!"

Yeah, I sent them an email asking about that. I’ll post if I get something back

 

[TheIronWarrior]

I suspect their lawyers don't want them saying, "of course, waxed cotton looks great but it's crap compared to performance textiles, and you may die wearing it."

Compared to what I see many people wearing, even a bedsheet would be an improvement in protection for some...

 

[Rabbit]

Compared to what I see many people wearing, even a bedsheet would be an improvement in protection for some...

Don’t doubt my Magic flip flops!!!! They’re made with genuine unicorn hide.

 

[showkey]

I have owned multiple Aerostich Darien jackets over 35 years.
Have yet to a major crashes in any other jackets.

The last jacket I purchased is the Aerostich Falstaff Waxed jacket.
Its not crap.
Has great fit.
Excellent wind and water protection.
The Falstaff jacket has an inner liner.
Has the elbow and shoulder crash pads ( armor)
The liner makes the crash pad protection more comfortable in daily use.
Use of the pads in the standard Darien was less comfortable.

While I don’t want to test the crash protection of any jacket …….very confortable and confident the wax jacket will offer excellent protection.
I now prefer the Waxed vs the other choices.

The other recent thread where Aerostich gear discussion:

Is Aerostitch worth it?

One note Aerostitch will not alter their used jacket or suits ……..so………buy only what fits.

www.nc700-forum.com

 

[Rabbit]

I actually got responses back from Vanson and Aerostitch. Aerostitch said they have no test data between the 2 different fabrics which isn’t terribly confidence inspiring. Vanson was a bit more straightforward. They said “the cordura is super abrasion resistant and strong, the wax cotton is not. The wax cotton will tear if you go down.” So despite the weather resistance it doesn’t sound like it’s terribly strong.

 

[melensdad]

. . . “the cordura is super abrasion resistant and strong, the wax cotton is not. The wax cotton will tear if you go down.” So despite the weather resistance it doesn’t sound like it’s terribly strong.

Of course it will.

It is cotton. Wax is not magic. I have 2 high priced waxed cotton jackets, neither seems like it would be good moto gear.

Denim blue jeans shred upon impact. Carhartt work pants shred upon impact. Cotton is still cotton. Wax or no.

But if you want waxed cotton and you realize that it will shred upon impact, when materials like Cordura or Leather will typically survive most short impacts with asphalt and still be in good enough condition to continue use.

The REAL question in my mind is will Waxed Cotton hold together LONG ENOUGH to save my hide? Will it hold long enough to keep the armor in place if I tumble down the road during a slide? Will it minimize or eliminate the road rash if I slide? ​

​

Personal thoughts, and without any actual evidence, I'd guess wax cotton will probably hold the armor in place for a short period while rolling down the asphalt, probably will take a little bit of road rash away but not much. It would be far more suitable for trail or desert riding, perhaps for urban commuting at city/suburban speeds, but probably not good for higher speed travel rural roads were there is a real chance of encountering a longer distance/higher speed slide if you value safety over comfort.​

 

[Oldbear]

Back “in the day“ Belstaff stuff (waxed cotton) was quite the thing, offering weather protection and some crash protection. (course in those days a denim jacket and blue jeans was kind of the “standard”, a leather jacket with jeans was top shelf.). Leather wasn’t the best for rain-waxed cotton would keep you dry-remember, Belstaff stuff was from Jolly Olde, a place known for a soggy climate. Today I just don’t see it. Decent Cordura (500 d or greater) gear will keep you dry and hold up pretty well in a worst case. The “Cousin Jeremy” stuff looks the part on an old Britbike, but I’ll stick with Cordura (or leather).

 

[Rabbit]

So we all seem to agree, despite the marketing Wax cotton should not be viewed differently than carhartt duck wear. It will shred, it isn’t abrasion rated and should be loved for it’s weather resistance and style only.

 

[brb]

Belstaff was the norm back when I started riding in the late 70s. The waxed cotton repelled water but when they are old and wet like a dog they smell is the same. The modern Nylon fibers like Cordura are better than any natural fiber like cotton from weight to abrasion resistance. And with the body armor and Scotchgard available today in any gear It comes down to style and preference. Any gear is better then no gear buy what you like and you will always be happy.

 

[Oldbear]

So we all seem to agree, despite the marketing Wax cotton should not be viewed differently than carhartt duck wear. It will shred, it isn’t abrasion rated and should be loved for it’s weather resistance and style only.

pretty much the deal. Cotton is cotton. Thick cotton works better than thin, waxed should be better than untreated, but all of it will disintegrate in the right condition. The armored gear will be better, but still, it’s cotton.

 

[Rabbit]

The armored gear will be better, but still, it’s cotton.

Which is why I’m frustrated that it’s being sold by protective gear manufacturers without some sort of disclaimer or comparison to their normal material.