Atmos™

Atmos™

This soft, stretchy polyester membrane is engineered to keep you dry in any weather, made using circular materials and never treated with toxic chemicals.

Different kinds of membranes

The oldest membrane technology is the microporous one which means that the membrane is perforated with tiny holes that are big enough to allow vapor to pass through, but are too small to fit water in liquid form. This is the most commonly used technology today.

The more recently developed alternative is the hydrophilic membrane. It does not have pores, but instead consists of a solid surface that absorbs the vaporized water molecules on one side of the membrane, transports them through the material, and then releases them on the other side.

Atmos™ - Performance and Sustainability

At Houdini, we use a hydrophilic membrane called Atmos™. It is stretchy in a way that microporous membranes are not, which makes it compatible with soft, stretchy outer fabrics (bye bye stiff, crinkly shells and hello smooth, silent shells).

The hydrophilic membrane increases its vapor transmission as you get warmer and it does not have any pores that can clog up over time with dirt, salt or sweat. Hydrophilic membranes can also be made with pure recyclable polyester and without adding PFAS chemicals for water repellency, making it the only option when sustainability is a key factor.

DWR and Other Fabric Treatments

Historically, the substance of choice for DWR (durable water repellency) has been different kinds of PFAS, a group of chemicals that are efficient but also very harmful for living beings. Nowadays science has caught up and created alternatives that work just as well without poisoning ourselves and the world around us. At Houdini, we started phasing out PFAS in 2012 and haven’t used them since 2018. Instead, we use a carbon based wax treatment or a silicon based finish, depending on the structure of the fabric.

The Hard Facts:

• Hydrophilic technology
• Waterproof 20.000 mm H2O
• Breathable 20.000 g/m²/24h
• Progressively increasing vapor transmission
• Smooth and stretchy
• PFAS free
• Recyclable