Challenges in Moisture Management Testing

The clothes we wear when we go outside, go hiking, or go to the gym aren’t there just to make a fashion statement. Rather, they serve a purpose: to keep us warm, to keep us cool, to keep us dry. As the active-wear industry has boomed over the past several years and fabric technology has simultaneously advanced, the field of moisture management has made an array of moisture-wicking, sweat-absorbing, quick-drying textiles available to the market. Even though your yoga top or your basketball shorts get tested for a variety of qualities every step of the way, the system is still difficult to navigate—largely because the disparity between tests done in a lab and tests based on real, human performance is quite significant. A number of other challenges also contribute to moisture management’s position as an imperfect science. But as technology continues to improve, the future of testing holds a lot of promise.