Insulation, Radiant and Vapor Barriers - Rating House Wraps

Is Tyvek any better than Barracade?

How does one determine the best House wrap for a particular climate(Chicago)?

What does one look at when rating House wraps?

Thank You:)

House wraps are vapor diffusion retarders. Here is what the Dept. of Energy says about them.

http://www.eren.doe.gov/consumerinfo/refbriefs/bd4.html

You might also want to ask Resercon about house wraps on F. R. Lazaro's forum at http://resercon.com/msgboard.mv?parm_func=showmain+parm_starting_root=1 Resercon is an expert on insulation and vapor retarders.

Redundant barriers
"This is a system that uses moisture impermeable house wraps (like Tyvak and Typar) and flashing to direct any water that gets through the siding down to the bottom of the wall assembly and back outside. For this method to be effective, the house wrap must be properly installed and sealed so that no holes are present. Flashing must also be properly installed to work in conjunction with the house wrap so that any water draining down the house wrap can be directed back outside."
Moisture Barriers. Foam Tech. Retrieved 29 May 2002.
http://www.foam-tech.com/moisture_barriers.htm

What some research reveals:

http://www.umass.edu/bmatwt/weather_barriers.html

Twelvepole,
Thank you very much for your input.

I will take a look at the links you provided and post what I can find back here.