Cordura damaging clothes?

i almost hate posting this because i don't want to sound like a complainer, but i did want to mention that my smart alec pilled up another article of clothing today. :( it's my favorite hoodie, which i've worn all summer, and today with the smart alec for the first time. for the record, it's a girly-style american apparel hoodie, 100% cotton. i'm now sporting pills all over the back. i'm really going to have to figure out which clothes are likely to pill and which aren't, so i know what i can/can't wear when i want to use my backpack.

I just got back from a week long trip to the Philippines with my TriStar. The bag worked great but I was amazed at the amount of fuzz that accumulated on the back of the bag while wearing it in the backpack mode. Especially at the waist/hip and shoulder areas where it was rubbing against my sweater/shirts as I walked. Cotton t-shirts and acrylic/wool sweater. It was very noticeable on the back panel. Minimal pilling on the garments. Funny but I have a Smart Alec and never noticed this on that bag before. I'm hoping the abrasive effect will lessen as the bag's material gets worn in a little.

This would not stop me from wearing the TriStar unless I was wearing cashmere or something equally pricey. Then I'd probably carry the bag by a shoulder strap.

I think it may be less a function of the fabric of the bag and more the result of the inevitable friction with a backpack. I usually am wearing a jacket when carrying my Tristar, so it hasn't been a problem, but if I were wearing something that has a tendency to pill, I would err on the side of caution and use a shoulder strap or even carry it as a suitcase--especially if the clothing was expensive.

Good to be aware of...

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Originally Posted by flitcraft

I think you are right that some clothing--especially knits--have a tendency to pill when exposed to friction from other items. One of the big offenders is Travelsmith's little black dress--it washes and dries in a flash in a sink and refuses to wrinkle even when balled up in luggage. So it would be a perfect travel companion except for the fact that the fabric pills at the slightest provocation. I have a nice diagonal band of pilling across the front of it from wearing my seat belt!

I've given up on nylon based travel knits--they don't play well with others.

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Thanks for the advice learned the hard way... My goal is to accumulate a travel wardrobe that stays in my suitcase ready to go! The wrinkle-free line from Travelsmith was attractive to me, now I may reconsider my future purchases, esp. if it pilled from the plane's seat belt!