Ventile®

A completely natural, 100% cotton fabric

Ventile® is a completely natural fabric made from cotton. It is durable, highly breathable and quiet which makes it perfect for hunting, nature watching, bushcraft, nature photography and cold weather sports.

Ventile® fabrics are 100% cotton, utilising the finest, long staple fibres, only found in the top 2% of the world's crop. After gentle spinning and doubling, the yarn is woven into a very dense weave, using up to 30% more yarn than conventional woven fabrics.

The performance of Ventile® fabrics results from the properties of cotton fibres which expand when they come into contact with water. The combination of fibres, yarns and weave causes expansion in a uniform manner. This allows the interstices within the fabric to close up, preventing the further passage of water. In addition to this, Ventile® is impregnated with a PFC free DWR system which enhances the fabric's water resistant properties and increases performance.

Ventile® was invented just before World War 2 at the Shirley Institute in Manchester and was used in the Battle of Britain in pilots suits where it saved many lives. It was the first performance fabric used by mountain rescue teams in the UK and was used in exploring the world's highest mountain ranges and the polar regions before the advent of synthetic fabrics.

Ventile®’s breathability performance remains unsurpassed.

We have used Ventile® in our garments for over 30 years and offer different fabric solutions Single Ventile®, Double Ventile®, Hybrid Ventile®, Cotton Analogy® and Ventile® Pile - and a range of Hilltrek Organic Ventile® garments is available which uses Ventile® Eco Organic fabrics which are GOTS certified.

Single Ventile® (SV)

Single Ventile® is a single layer used for windproof and showerproof applications. In our experience Single Ventile® is more breathable and will withstand showers longer than most synthetic windproofs. See all Single Ventile® products here

Double Ventile® (DV)

Double Ventile® comprises two layers of Ventile® - the outer and the inner of the garment. Double Ventile® is windproof, fully waterproof and is highly breathable. See all Double Ventile® products here

Hybrid Ventile® (HV)

Hybrid Ventile® is a concept developed by Hilltrek where areas of a garment most exposed to rain use Double Ventile®, with the rest of the garment made from a single layer of Ventile®. This optimises the garment weight while protecting the wearer in most conditions. See all Hybrid Ventile products here

Organic Ventile®

Ventile® Eco Organic is a completely natural fabric made from organic cotton fibres which has PFC-free water repellency. As with all Ventile® fabrics, the Organic option is durable, highly breathable and quiet - perfect for hunting, nature watching, bushcraft, nature photography and cold weather sports. Hilltrek garments made with Ventile® Eco Organic fabrics offer our customers greater levels of outdoor clothing choice where sustainability, low environmental impact and a recognition of the move towards slow fashion are of personal importance. Find out more about Organic Ventile® here, and see all Organic Ventile products here

Ventile® Pile (VP)

Ventile® Pile combines a Ventile® outer with a deep fibre pile fleece with the features of Ventile® - robustness, breathability, showerproof and quietness - with the wicking properties of deep fibre pile.

Ventilereg; Pile is our warmest fabric and is ideal for cold weather outdoor activities such as mountaineering, bushcraft, trekking and professional outdoor activities. See all Ventile Pile products here.

Read about Cotton Analogy®

Ventile is a trade mark of Stotz & Co. AG, formerly Talbot Weaving Ltd
Analogy is a trade mark of Nikwax Ltd