Cordura damaging clothes?

[bluedawg]

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.

[Kinsale]

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.

[flitcraft]

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...

[Bag Lady]

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.

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!