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| | Malden Mills: Polartec, Polarfleece, Powerstretch and Powerdry are all registered trade marks of fabrics made by Malden Mills. | |
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Wool : | | |
Why wool as opposed to synthetic fabrics? And why Merino as opposed to ordinary wool? Well here is what Icebreaker say:
Icebreaker Merino vs Synthetics?
Synthetic fibres such as polypropylene or polyester have a much simpler structure. They are made from melting, extruding and setting a petrochemical-based product, similar to plastic. The fibre can't breathe, absorb or release moisture. When knitted into fabric, they are limited to one-way moisture movement, with limited breathability, which can create a chill zone when moisture sits on the outside of the fabric. Icebreaker merino has the ability to absorb and release moisture, to cool or warm the body, thus regulating temperature.
You‘ll warm up quickly but not overheat due to the exceptional breathability of the fabric.
Icebreaker Merino vs Traditional?
Compared to traditional wool, the merino fibre is a fraction of the diameter, which is one of the reasons why your icebreaker doesn't itch. The large scales on traditional wool act like barbs against sensitive skin. Merino feels like silk.
In practice, wool can take longer to dry out than synthetic fibres, but it is more comfortable to wear, keeps you warm when it is wet and smells far less when used for highly aerobic activities. | |
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Powerdry : | | |
Polartec® Power Dry® is an extremely lightweight and thin quick-wicking fabric. Ideal for wearing under motorbike helmets etc and for use in mountain marathon type events. | |
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Powerstretch/Microfleece : | | |
Polartec® Power Stretch® is a very lightweight and stretchy fabric that is none-the-less very warm and quickdrying though not especially windproof. It is idealy suited to emergency use in summer and high aerobic activities in winter.
Microfleece is a similar weight to Power Stretch but is usually a bit cheaper as it comes from many sources. | |
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Polartec 200 : | | |
Polartec® 200 is ideal winterwear for many activities. It is light, warm, highly breathable and quickdrying. The only thing it isn't is windproof. | |
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Windstopper, Windbloc, Wind Pro and Soft Shell : | | |
In many ways Gore Windstopper® is ideally suited to hats: it is lightweight and highly windproof. However it can cause condensation problems, does not work so well when it is wet, and makes it difficult to hear well if it covers your ears. The latter problem can be solved to some extent by obtaining a hole punch and making a series of small holes in the cloth in the vicinity of each ear. | | |
Polartec® Windbloc® fabrics combine the warmth of Polartec® thermal fabrics with a polyurethane barrier membrane that allows moisture vapor transmission and is completely windproof and waterproof - in other words it has similar advatages and disadvantages as Windstopper. | | |
Polartec® Windpro® is not as windproof as Windstopper or Windbloc but as it has no membrane it has none of the problems associated with Windstopper. It is made by increasing the density of the weave and is about 4 x more wind resistant than standard fleece. | | |
Soft Shell fabrics such as Polartec® Power Shield® feature a smooth, tightly woven nylon face for abrasion resistance equal or superior to the best waterproof shells, but without the stiffness and noise. A polyester velour back traps air and provides a high warmth-to-weight ratio. Soft Shells protect against all but driving rain but give much greater breathability than waterproofs as a rule, though their ratio of wetherproofness vs breathability depends on whether they have a membrane in or not - a membrane will reduce breathablity but increase waterproofness. | |
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Waterproof Hats : | | |
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