VELCRO® panel is a connecting device that either permanently or temporarily connects two fabrics together (or any other pieces of equipment or clothing). One part is made of fabric with protruding fibers/loops and the other for a change with fabric having protruding fibers/hooks. In short, the hooks and loops are finally caught in each other in the spirit of a simple "piece" - "counterpart" operation.
The VELCRO® brand primarily includes the privately owned Velcro Companies, which is engaged in the production of mechanical fastening and fixing elements in all forms. And of course, this production includes, first of all, fastening elements for clothes (velcro shoes, bags, ...) and equipment (pistol holsters, tent doors, ...) in an incredible volume of individual shapes and forms.
Where does VELCRO® come from?
The term "dry zipper", as it is understood by the average people like you and me (or soldiers/survivalists) today, usually refers to a connecting material that is made up of a pair of different fibers (made of woven nylon, which is then attached to the desired place by simple weaving or gluing). Its great advantage is that, depending on the needs of the environment, the event or the user in question, this form of attachment can be either temporary or permanent.
As for the creation of the whole idea, it is not entirely original for man, because man evidently (as many times already) was inspired by nature. And what do we mean specifically this time? It's about the fact that burdock anthodium is similarly caught in nature (yes, those are the kind of balls that children throw at each other on mountain vacations...) or, for example, the fruits of agrimony or geum species on the fur or feathers of an animal.
The VELCRO® panel has literally incredible stability. It is designed in such a way that on the one hand it can be easily disconnected even by a small child, and on the other hand, its resistance to lateral shear forces with an area of 120 mm square can withstand the weight of one ton!
Even though nature already overtook us with the invention of velcro millions of years ago (for mankind it was the Swiss Georges de Mestral in 1948, who noticed during a walk that burdock balls/anthodium stuck to his dog's fur and his clothes, he was awarded the patent then in 1955), certainly there is no need to be in a bad mood about it. On the contrary, similar things will, if nothing else, save scientists work next time, because they will be able to sometimes invent the so-called "already invented"…
What is VELCRO® used for?
When it comes to the use of the aforementioned, VELCRO® panel is most often encountered today in the textile industry, where it has been a regular guest since the eighties of the last century. Currently, you will have a hard time looking for a tent, backpack, satchel, bag, case... that doesn't have at least one on the market.
Already in the sixties of the last century, however, it began to be used to a large extent in the Apollo program, because, as it turned out, it is an ideal form of temporary, but still firm attachment of all equipment to the wall of spaceships (possibly directly to the spacesuit of the astronaut), so that nothing flew by itself in the universe. In short, the VELCRO® panel is a perfect alternative for not having to operate with ropes or even metal handles, magnets or levers. However, a different form of velcro was developed just for space—it offers, first of all, polyester loops and miniature Teflon hooks located opposite them.
In some types of modern uniforms (most often military), the VELCRO® panel is traditionally used above the breast pocket as a label, on which a small rank plate/stripe is placed.
By far the most common form of Velcro today can be seen in the picture.
So what are the biggest advantages and disadvantages of VELCRO®?
Surely anyone who has ever operated with a standard or dry zipper will gladly swear to you that VELCRO® is the unequivocal number one in terms of ease of handling (it will always be so, also because it only needs one hand to operate). It also doesn't mind water or any kind of human operation with it under water. Its durability is also exemplary when it comes to washing—you just throw it in the washing machine and that's it. Production is cheap and easy even without special and expensive equipment. And a major advantage is that, unlike other human fixation alternatives (string, metal, loop, etc.), it is extremely light and takes up practically no space. And let's close the advantages with the interesting fact that it can also be used in places where, for example, the magnetic connection would cause problems for the surrounding technology.
If, on the other hand, we were to talk about the disadvantages of VELCRO®, there are certainly not a few of them... But probably the worst factor is that VELCRO® wears out with each cycle and its practical effectiveness slowly decreases. It is certainly logical that when some links are broken, the connection will not be what it was at first. Velcro fasteners are also very limited by the working temperatures of the environment, because nylon hooks are of course not indestructible (literally a matter of life and death for firefighters, for example). And as anyone who has ever used them knows very well, you must have noticed over time that VELCRO® is extremely fond of sticking to other materials and it is very difficult to get them out of it by yourself (and before completely clean, of course the hooks are useless). And it is also necessary to respect the fact that when things with Velcro are washed, they can accidentally catch other pieces of clothing and destroy them in this way.