Fabrics

What’s behind the legendary “Made in Germany” waterproof quality? We work exclusively with durable materials, advanced bonding methods and proven types of closures. For instance, we use high frequency welding to meet the highest of waterproofing specifications. This helps to distinguish ORTLIEB products as true outdoor champions compared to other merely sewn or glued products.

ORTLIEB’s outstanding waterproof quality is based on selected materials that are developed for specific applications. Such materials include polyester, nylon and Cordura fabrics that are coated on one or both sides. If a fabric is coated on one side only, the opposite side will retain its textile look. If both sides of a fabric are coated, they will both have the familiar tarpaulin look. ORTLIEB’s thermoplastic coatings meet extremely high waterproofing specifications, and are therefore far superior to most commercially available tent or backpack coatings.

Waterproof Ratings: What’s Behind the Numbers?

A standard procedure (ISO 811) is commonly used to determine the degree to which a material or fabric is waterproof. Sometimes referred to as the hydrostatic head test, the procedure determines the pressure – measured by the height in millimeters of a column of water held in a tube above the fabric – at which the fabric begins to leak. A piece of fabric that shows no signs of leaking when placed under a 4,000 mm column of water is essentially capable of withstanding the hydrostatic pressure objects are exposed to at a submerged depth of four meters.

The structure of our fabrics