Material Selection Guide
Composite Systems
Before choosing which turnout materials make up the right combination for your department's safety, you need to understand how they work together as a composite system.
What is a composite system? All fire suits are made up of 3 layers; the outer shell, moisture barrier, and thermal liner. When talking about these 3 fabrics together, we refer to them as a composite system. It is not possible to build safe gear that meets all NFPA requirements without one of these layers. Therefore, it is extremely important that each layer works well together to provide balanced protection.
Composite systems determine:
- How much the overall turnout gear will weigh
- How easily your body will be able to self regulate back to a normal temperature
- How much heat your turnout gear will endure while protecting you
- How much strength it'll take for an object to penetrate through the protective layers
- How easily you'll be able to move through a fire scene
Deciding on the right composite system for your fire department begins with determining your needs, then finding a suitable balance.
TECGEN71 OUTER SHELL
TECGEN71 is our exclusive outer shell and can't be found in turnouts made by any other manufacturer.
This outer shell is unique in that it is the ONLY material out there that can pair with Glide Ice 1-Layer or Prism 1-Layer thermal liners (the lightest thermal liners on the market today) and pass composite certification.
Tests and field studies have shown that composites with TECGEN71 are 20% lighter, 45% thinner, and 70% more flexible than typical composites - all while achieving 50% higher breathability!
TECGEN71
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Gold
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Black
AGILITY™
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Light Gold
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Dark Gold
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Black/Gold
ARMOR™ AP
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Gold
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Black
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Khaki
CHOICE® ALUMINIZED FABRICS
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Aluminized
GEMINI™ XT
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Gold
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Black
KOMBAT™ FLEX
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Gold
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Black
NOMEX® Essential
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Yellow
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Tan
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Black
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White
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Red
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Navy
PBI MAX® 6oz
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Gold
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Black
PBI MAX® 7oz
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Gold
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Black
PIONEER™
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Gold
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Khaki
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Yellow
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Black
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Light Gold
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CROSSTECH® 3-Layer
Substrate : NOMEX® fabric woven from spun fibers (pajama check on front, proprietary weave on back)
Membrane: Enhanced bicomponent GORE™ ePTFE film
Total Weight : 7.0 oz/yd2
Supplier Warranty : 7 years
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CROSSTECH® BLACK
Substrate : NOMEX® fabric woven from spun fibers (pajama check)
Membrane: Enhanced bicomponent GORE™ ePTFE film
Total Weight : 4.7 oz/yd2
Supplier Warranty : 5 years
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STEDAIR® 3000
Substrate : NOMEX® non-woven spun lace
Film : Bi-component ePTFE membrane
Total Weight : 5.2 oz/yd2
Supplier Warranty : 4 years
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STEDAIR® 4000
Substrate : NOMEX® non-woven pajama check
Film : Bi-component ePTFE membrane
Total Weight : 5.5 oz/yd2
Supplier Warranty : 5 years
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STEDAIR® GOLD
Substrate : PBI®/NOMEX® blend non-woven spun lace
Film : Bi-component ePTFE membrane
Total Weight : 5.2 oz/yd2
Supplier Warranty : 7 years
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DEFENDER™ M ELITE NP
Face Cloth : LENZING FR®/Aramid/Nylon blend spun yarn, plain weave. Available in brass.
Batting : 1 layer aramid needle punch
Total Weight : 7.0 oz/yd2
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GLIDE ICE™ 1-LAYER
Face Cloth : 3.6 oz/yd2 86% Aramid/14% Viscose Twill Weave
Batting : Quilted 1 layer of 2.3oz/yd2 Aramid
Total Weight : 5.9 oz/yd2
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GLIDE ICE™ 2-LAYER
Face Cloth : 60% NOMEX® filament yarn with 40% NOMEX®/LENZING FR® blend spun yarn, twill weave
Batting : 2 layers of NOMEX® E89™ spunlace (1 layer each of 2.3 and 1.5 oz/yd2)
Total Weight : 7.4 oz/yd2
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GLIDE ICE™ NOMEX® NANO
Face Cloth : 60% NOMEX® filament yarn with 40% NOMEX®/LENZING FR® blend spun yarn, twill weave
Batting : 2 layers of NOMEX® E89™ spunlace (1 layer each of 2.3 and 1.5 oz/yd2)
Total Weight : 7.4 oz/yd2
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Milliken® ResQ™ CoreCXP™
Face Cloth : 100% spun Nomex®
Batting : 2 layers of spunlace E-89
Total Weight : 7.1 oz/yd2
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OMNIQuilt®
Face Cloth : Woven Nomex® fabric
Batting : Hydro-entangled nonwoven fabric composed of Basofil®, meta-aramid, and para-aramid fibers
Total Weight : 6.2 oz/yd2 -
PRISM™ 1-LAYER
Face Cloth : 3.6 oz/yd2 68% Aramid/21% FR Viscose/11% Polyamide Dobby Weave
Batting : Quilted 1 layer of 2.3oz/yd2 Aramid
Total Weight : 5.9 oz/yd2
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Q-8™
Face Cloth : Meta-aramid, FR modacrylic (spun)
Batting : Aramid, FR rayon, needle-punch, non-woven
Total Weight : 8.0 oz/yd2 -
QUANTUM 3D™ SL2i
Face Cloth : KEVLAR® filament yarn with LENZING FR®/KEVLAR®/Nylon spun yarn, check weave
Batting : NOMEX®/KEVLAR® blend non-woven spunlace (1 layer 2.3 oz/ yd2 with waffle design and 1 layer 1.5 oz/yd2)
Total Weight : 7.7 oz/yd2
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QUANTUM 4I™ SL2i
Face Cloth : KEVLAR® filament yarn with LENZING FR®/KEVLAR®/Nylon spun fibers, check weave
Batting : Two layers of aperture PBI®G2™ spun laceTotal Weight : 7.0 oz/yd2
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TITANIUM™
Face Cloth : Filament Nomex® and COOLDERM™ technology
Batting : 2-layer, spun lace
Total Weight : 7.7 oz/yd2