Ion-mask military waterproofing technology coming to civilian garb

Gore-Tex is fine and dandy, but the real argonauts out there know it still buckles under the most extreme conditions. Now, however, adventurists that happen upon a ridiculous amount of water could soon ford rivers (à la Oregon Trail, of course) without worrying about soggy socks. The technology, dubbed ion-mask, was originally crafted to "ensure soldiers' clothing remained impermeable to chemical weapons," but now shoe maker Hi-Tec has inked a deal that will being the solution to a smattering of its kicks. Reportedly, ion-mask can outperform "commercial waterproof fabrics such as Gore-Tex by more than a factor of 100," and in testing, it maintained its breathability / waterproof abilities even after 100,000 flexes. No word on when full suits will be doused in this stuff, but hopefully you'll be able to wear the same outfit to the office and the jungle here shortly.

[ngamer007 @ Aug 31st 2008 12:48AM]

Nice. I'd love to see this on ski gear.

[Flashpoint @ Aug 31st 2008 1:01AM]

someday umbrellas won't be neccessary.

Just a pair of red goggles with your nanosuit.

[klew @ Aug 31st 2008 4:03AM]

They could make it feel like you're wearing nothing at all. Nothing at all.

[ngamer007 @ Aug 31st 2008 7:13PM]

Stupid sexy Flanders.

[nick @ Aug 31st 2008 12:50AM]

I bet the original Mario wishes his suit had been made out of this. Stupid water levels.

[Seanross @ Aug 31st 2008 12:51AM]

I don't have any uses for this, but I'll damn sure find some!

[who? @ Aug 31st 2008 1:07AM]

Don't you have any portable electronics that they could make a case out of this for?

Hard plastic/metal cases that are water-safe (airtight) are OK, but I'd prefer a waterproof cloth material personally. Much more comfortable and less slippery, you know?

[Colin Potter @ Aug 31st 2008 12:52AM]

Does it make human protein cells glow blue? Cuz that would be entertaining.

[jason @ Aug 31st 2008 1:21AM]

What is a protein cell?

[who? @ Aug 31st 2008 3:52AM]

@jason

Exactly.

[N3XuS @ Aug 31st 2008 8:09AM]

perhaps he was trying to say skin cells?

[Ridgecity @ Aug 31st 2008 12:55AM]

"No word on when full suits will be doused in this stuff, but hopefully you'll be able to wear the same outfit to the office and the jungle here shortly."

Finally, I will buy a few bottles for the cheapstakes in my office that smell like ass...

[)law( @ Aug 31st 2008 1:05AM]

Maybe it could stand up to even the toughest of supersoakers

[Colin Potter @ Aug 31st 2008 1:10AM]

actually it repels the water so well you could have a DBZ style beam struggle with your shirt and a firehose

[Sanh @ Aug 31st 2008 1:17AM]

Finally, they have invented good waterproof socks. Man i hate it when it is raining and my socks gets wet and I have to sit through 6 hours of school with wet socks.worst feeling ever

I can now die in peace.

[jason @ Aug 31st 2008 1:33AM]

The reason socks are comfortable are because they absorb the moisture of your feet.

A waterproof sock would be very uncomfortable and useless.

[JMMGoalster @ Aug 31st 2008 1:25AM]

if that's what your waiting for to die in peace, then you have a sad life my friend

[ByronGman @ Aug 31st 2008 1:35AM]

What I don't get is why he'd want to die now that the technology is out.

I mean, I'd like to stay alive for a bit and enjoy the stuff. :-P

[PynkFloydd @ Aug 31st 2008 5:52AM]

@Jason: ...never been in the military, eh? The reason wool socks (and glove inserts) are still issued is because they don't absorb much moisture and they dry relatively quickly. If socks worked as you claim, people would lose their feet from hypothermia when the sweat froze. Another problem with soaked (especially cotton) socks is that you'll get nasty blisters once you hit the 8+ mile mark on a road march. ...not to mention jungle rot. Jungle rot is nasty stuff, the skin actually peels off of your foot layer by layer and it won't stop.

I've been in conditions that had I worn cotton socks, I probably wouldn't have toes right now. Of course, we'd be in the same pair of socks for a few weeks on end.

The ideal sock is actually one that wicks away moisture from your foot and allows optimal airflow (to evaporate any sweat).

[johnzilla @ Aug 31st 2008 7:32AM]

Sounds like you should be waiting for better shoes, not better socks.

[M @ Aug 31st 2008 10:52PM]

@PynkFloydd

I used to be a big believer in wicking fabrics for all of my athletic activities. I've worn wool (the original wicking, quick-drying material) for winter sports and I've found that sweat lingers around my toes and doesn't get wicked as effectively. For a typical 2-3hr warm weather sports activity, my feet feel dryer and more comfortable with cotton and a set of breathable sneakers vs the same sneakers and polyester wicking socks like the latest Thorlos. The sweat doesn't seem wick as it should, esp in the toe area.

The wicking properties of modern polyesters and polypropylenes are overrated. Yes, they do not absorb water like cotton does, but they do not breathe like cotton either, nor do poly* socks wick as well as companies like underarmor and Thorlo claim.

Hikers will wear wool/polypropylene socks, but they will wear leather hiking boots over them. The wicking properties of the socks are inhibited heavily by the leather of the boots.

For military use where you are wearing the same socks for a few weeks on end, as you said, then I think only then do the overall advantages of non-cotton fabrics come into play.

[PynkFloydd @ Sep 1st 2008 9:16PM]

@M: I used to do my distance runs in cotton socks. I started using a spandex/wool/acrylic/nylon blend and found that to be my favorite. If you're intending use for a limited time then I think it's all personal preferrence.

With military use, we were required to wear (a very limited variety of) leather boots. Most of the time, your options were full leather or jungle (partial nylon and full toe/heel leather). Under certain circumstances you were issued an extreme cold weather boot with full lining (that didn't breathe much). I hated the ECWS boots but, that's just me.

The big warm weather problem besides santitation; you run across a lot of wet conditions. River crossings, heavy rain, etc. You can't stop and change socks or wait for a change in weather. If you wear a material like cotton, bacteria and fungus tend to thrive. Wet cotton also becomes air tight (this is useful as a survival technique...you can actually inflate a wet shirt to stay afloat). One of the old-timers' tricks was to wear a pair of nylons underneath your wool socks. This helps the wicking process but, you come across like a tranny when you're buying them.

Winter also holds unique problems. During winter, your core temperature tends to fluctuate quickly when you're on a 12 mile road march and then stop. If you're waiting to attack an objective after walking in, you risk your previously sweating extremities to being the victims of frostbite. Another winter problem is that your sweaty socks are going to take a lot longer to dry. The more moisture (i.e. sweat) that your socks absorb, the more problems that you have the potential to run into. Since the average amount of sleep on an exercise was 2-4 hours, you want the sock that'd dry the quickest when you had the chance to take them off.


The nice thing about wool is that it's a good balance between cushioning, breathability, wicking, quick-drying and durability. Cotton is an extreme...it's great cushioning but, high moisture absorbtion. Nylon (and the similar materials) are at the other extreme...no moisture absorbtion but, low cushioning. Again, if you're only going to be out and about for a limited time and within reach of resources...it doesn't really matter. If you're going out for a few days+ then knowing this beforehand could save your limbs (or life).

Anyways, this waterproofing sounds promising. It aims to prevent a lot of the problems related to the above-mentioned.

[Suijin @ Sep 2nd 2008 4:33PM]

I thought the thing about wool was that it retained its insulating properties when wet, unlike cotton which has next to none when wet. I didn't think wicking properties had anything to do with it.

[Moogy @ Aug 31st 2008 1:24AM]

I'd expect an exceedingly low male-turnout for an Ion-Mask sponsored wet T-shirt contest ...

[George @ Aug 31st 2008 1:29AM]

Damn, beat me to it. I was going to say I hope they don't put this on womens' t-shirts.

[BigD145 @ Aug 31st 2008 1:30AM]

I wonder which carcinogen they use for this.

[zomg0t @ Aug 31st 2008 1:41AM]

If you're so scared of cancer then either wear another set of clothes under it or get wet. I don't think they intend for you to ingest or inject this material. It's probably just as carcinogenic as plastic.

[BigD145 @ Aug 31st 2008 3:51AM]

Getting wet? Oh, man. Dude. No way. That would be so horrible I'd just die.

[Max @ Aug 31st 2008 1:34AM]

So how the heck do you wash these socks?

[Flashpoint @ Aug 31st 2008 3:19AM]

The whole trick here is using ionic repulsion to make something effectively waterproof.

Most likely, using a cehmical that deactivated the repulsion or contains alot of surfactants would reverse the effect of the waterproofing chemical.

[Zinger314 @ Aug 31st 2008 1:50AM]

Why is a silicone breast implant image in the article?

[Striker @ Aug 31st 2008 1:52AM]

I don't think many people realize this (read: Sanh), but the article is not about Hi-Tec producing waterproof socks, it is about Hi-Tec producing a completely waterproof boot.

[A.C.E.R. @ Aug 31st 2008 2:38AM]

Thanks for clearing that up.

[johnzilla @ Aug 31st 2008 7:32AM]

A completely waterproof boot that should last, oh, about ten days.

It says the stuff holds its properties for "100,000 flexes". Recommended exercise for an adult is 10,000 steps a day. I don't know about anyone else, but my boots flex when I walk, unless I'm walking around like Frankenstein.

1 step = 1 boot flex, 100,000 flexes/10,000 steps per day = 10 days.

Then what?

[Will @ Aug 31st 2008 2:24PM]

After 100,000 flexes, it was still waterproof. It doesn't say after 100,000 it loses it's waterproofing abilities.

[Ikespawn @ Aug 31st 2008 2:49AM]

Isn't this what links blue tunic was made out of?

[macserv @ Aug 31st 2008 2:46AM]

Get this to Speedo, quick. Phelps has got to stay on top of those records :)

[Richard @ Aug 31st 2008 2:49AM]

Would this technology make a condom 100% effective?

[Kevin @ Aug 31st 2008 3:58AM]

I wonder what this does to the texture of the material. If it ends up feeling scratchy like my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sheets, I'm out. Well, unless the boots are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle boots.

[pfromg @ Aug 31st 2008 4:07AM]

how dare you admit in public that you own and use such sheets.
isn't there a law against possessing and or using such things?

™

[Vince @ Aug 31st 2008 5:07AM]

Now we just have to wait for it to be applied to other devices: http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/31/p2is-ion-mask-coating-could-make-waterproof-phones-an-everyday/

[rita hainsworth @ Aug 31st 2008 7:51AM]

I'm waiting for the Mascara implementation

[Brian @ Aug 31st 2008 11:50AM]

In actual fact; the military using Gore-Tex in all of it's boots and clothing =/ So really; this ion-mask isn't even military yet. Not that I've seen through the system yet anyway; our newest boots are Gore-Tex

[dcbCreative @ Aug 31st 2008 1:13PM]

I look forward to seeing this technology being applied to foul weather gear for sailing.

In the last long distance race I was in we spent six hours in a torrential rain and by the end several of the crews foul weather suites began to fail them by letting water through the material.

It sucked much.

[Alistair Loveless @ Aug 31st 2008 3:28PM]

I only see this doing amzing things for the slip and slide community...

Or the fetish community...
and why more often than not are they the same community?

[Jonathan Davis @ Aug 31st 2008 2:46PM]

And you wash it with what when it gets dirty? Clearly not water...

[egotman @ Aug 31st 2008 2:42PM]

In the news:

The manufacturers of Depends releases a new line of adult diapers featuring ion-mask technology. Users can now keep perfectly dry clothes with the minor level of discomfort of carrying a water bag at their crotch while sitting at their favourite slot machine.

[egotman @ Aug 31st 2008 2:43PM]

In the news:

The manufacturers of Depends releases a new line of adult diapers featuring ion-mask technology. Users can now keep perfectly dry clothes with the minor level of discomfort of carrying a water bag at their crotch while sitting at their favourite slot machine.

[egotman @ Aug 31st 2008 2:44PM]

In the news:

The manufacturers of Depends releases a new line of adult diapers featuring ion-mask technology. Users can now keep perfectly dry clothes with the minor level of discomfort of carrying a water bag at their crotch while sitting at their favourite slot machine.

[egotman @ Aug 31st 2008 2:46PM]

My bad... multiple posts... sorry =(