For centuries fabrics have been made using pieces of fiber twisted together to make longer and stronger threads. Tough fabrics are made from long, thick fibers whilst soft flexible fabrics like cashmere are made from fine, short fibers. For backpacks we need a combination of long, strong filaments for strength and short fine filaments for flexibility. Lowe Alpine pack fabrics are made from continuous (that's very long...) filaments that are then texturized to give a superior combination of strength, weight, and flexibility while also allowing for excellent coating adhesion. Mixing these strong filaments together gives a twisted thread which is very strong. However, it is further improved to create texturized fabric by adding extra length filaments. Texturizing gives the fabric: 1. More flexibility 2. A matt appearance 3. Better coating adhesion Extra abrasion resistance is created by initial wear on the fabric. The scuffed surface actually protects the underlying filaments so causing minimal loss of fabric strength. On the inside the extra filament provides an excellent surface for coating adhesion. Lowe Alpine's first coating is very dilute so it soaks deep into the woven fabric. This creates an ideal foundation for our 2nd and 3rd coats of PU. On the outside we apply a treatment to improve durability and reduce staining. These principles are used in all Lowe Alpine's pack fabrics and give superior performance regardless of whether you buy a small wallet or a top of the range pack. The fabrics used in our packs are all sourced with strength, durability and performance as the key criteria. Not price. These tight woven fabrics use more threads than cheaper open weaves giving better abrasive resistance, strength and protection. We use the toughest fabrics where the packs will suffer the greatest abrasion, and lighter fabrics in the low wear areas. This saves weight. Our large-capacity packs feature a double layer of fabric in the base, to soak up long term wear and tear. Our fabrics are coded according to type and weight. The numbers relate to the yarn 'weight' or denier (1D=1 gram per 9000 meters), and the letters refer to construction. So TXN1000 is made from1000 denier texturized nylon. TX = Texturized RS = Rip Stop N = Nylon P = Polyester BC = Body Contact TXN 1000 Super strong and very tough. Used in climbing packs and the abrasion areas of large packs. TXN 500 This tightly woven nylon fabric is used in mountain touring and lightweight packs. RSN 500 GRID This is the TXN 500 with a black Ripstop grid woven into the fabric. RSN 500 A nylon fabric with a matching Ripstop pattern weave. TXP 900 A 900 denier polyester fabric used in wear areas of Trekking and Daypacks. TXP 600 This polyester fabric has been used by Lowe Alpine for many years and gives excellent performance/price value. RSP 600 Developed from the TXP 600 fabric. This polyester material has a Ripstop pattern. SRN 420 A small - square ripstop nylon fabric for lightweight strength in our technical packs SRN 210 A small - square ripstop nylon fabric for ultra-lightweight performance in our active packs PSP20S Poly-spun Polyester; long filaments of polyester cut into shorter pieces (called 'staple') then spun together to create cotton-like fabric. Used in our Pax daypacks DPN420 Dot Point Nylon has a white dot pattern in the fabric MNP420 This Nylon/Polyester fabric has a metallic appearance 1680 NYLON A tough 'ballistic' style fabric used to protect travel luggage. Technology Menu