Questions about soaker materials

gymdog81

I need to make some new inserts and snap in/sew in soakers and was wondering what materials to use.  I am thinking of getting some hemp, but I dont know which type (hemp fleece, hemp terry, etc.) is best.  I am also considering bamboo fleece, sherpa, or cotton fleece.  I am not sure about zorb... some people love it, but I am not sure how EF it is. 

smurfetteinred

gymdog81:

I need to make some new inserts and snap in/sew in soakers and was wondering what materials to use.  I am thinking of getting some hemp, but I dont know which type (hemp fleece, hemp terry, etc.) is best.  I am also considering bamboo fleece, sherpa, or cotton fleece.  I am not sure about zorb... some people love it, but I am not sure how EF it is. 

Here's a good rundown or what everything is:

Hemp - Absorbs the most liquid but is slower so if you have a flooder you might want to pair it with something faster on top like bamboo

Hemp Fleece - Fluffier and softer
Hemp Terry - Much like a terry towel

Bamboo - Absorbs faster but less than hemp
Bamboo Fleece - Fluffier

Sherpa - Have never worked with it but I hear it's the same as what Kissaluvs are made out of. Will absorb on the lower end.

Cotton Fleece - Fluffy and soft but a very low absorber. 

Zorb - Very much like Sham Wow material. It's a mix of natural and synthetic fibers. I've heard very mixed reviews from seamstresses on this. You either love it or you hate it. It absorbs like crazy but it's prone to compression wicking. Also it needs to be sandwiched between other fabrics not on it's own or it will break down and you'll end up with holey soakers. 

HTH!