CiloGear ‘Doubles Strength’ with Spectra Fiber

Honeywell announced its partnership with CiloGear, a rugged pack manufacturer, to develop ripstop fabric. Nearly all of CiloGear’s pack designs will now incorporate Honeywell Spectra fiber – the same fiber used in protective vests for law enforcement – to provide added durability and abrasion resistance.

Spectra integration in this cutting-edge fabric nearly doubles the packs’ tear strength, increasing longevity while reducing overall weight, said the companies. Traditionally outdoor backpacks used a single strand ripstop, now CiloGear’s Spectra Quad introduces a quad weave of Spectra fiber, almost doubling the tear resistance. Spectra fiber replaced legacy fabric in the packs’ back and side panels. After over a year of mountain testing, CiloGear confirmed test results of substantially enhanced performance, all at a lighter weight.

“We chose to work with Spectra as our development partner because of the team’s proven ability to deliver and push conventional boundaries to innovate a better overall product with us,” said Graham Williams, founder and lead designer at CiloGear “Our new quad weave fabric sets the new standard for weight, strength and durability without sacrificing our environmental requirements.”

The Spectra Quad fabric was manufactured using entirely bluesign-compliant systems, enabling the production of a more environmentally friendly, sustainable product that didn’t compromise quality.

“CiloGear is widely recognized as making some of the world’s best alpine climbing packs, and we’re similarly dedicated to making the best fiber,” said Gregory Norton, business director, Industrials – Packing & Composites at Honeywell. “This opportunity to help an already established brand set a new standard within their industry was a unique challenge that we welcomed to expand the uses of Spectra.”