"Moving" winter clothes! 7 reasons why we recommend modern synthetic fiber insulation and 7 popular items

The synthetic fiber insulation that allows you to move without getting cold even when you're on the move is excellent

In the outdoors during the cold season, especially in autumn and winter, you get sweaty when walking, and when you stop, it gets colder so quickly that it's very difficult to regulate your temperature. In the past, you had no choice but to take off your cold clothes frequently. If you leave your clothes wet and sweaty, you risk losing your body temperature more than you imagined in the mountains, and in the worst case scenario, such as hypothermia.

High-tech synthetic fiber insulation is a new trend in middle layers (= cold weather clothing), which is about to become a major trend this year. When you hear the word middle layer, most people probably think of fleece, mountain shirts, and down insulation. With the spread of new synthetic materials as a catalyst for interesting models from various manufacturers, the image of this is about to change dramatically.

If you want to know the recommended high-tech synthetic fiber insulation right away, click here Jump

The classic winter clothing, fleece worries

During the autumn and winter season, winter clothing is increasing rapidly compared to summer. This winter clothing is not a problem if you only have to keep warm in the mornings and nights when you don't sweat too much, but down clothes cannot be used to "cold due to sweat" while sweating a lot. Fleece, which combines just the right amount of breathability and heat retention, was considered the most popular style to date, due to its good balance between price, functionality and design, as a convenient winter clothing that can be used when it is stopped or moving .

Fleece certainly has a certain degree of heat retention and breathability, but at the same time, it in that its low heat retention despite its weight and bulk, and its ability to effectively absorb and release large amounts of sweat is Everyone has probably started hiking up in the cold while wearing fleece before they acted, and then soon they couldn't stand the heat and wanted to take it off.

Introducing high-tech synthetic insulation

Polartec Alpha, a synthetic fiber padding material newly developed by Polartec, a manufacturer of fleece and other materials, was introduced around 2012 . This material, developed for military use in the United States, was truly a dream high-tech synthetic insulation that combines the comfort and breathability of fleece, heat retention and lightness and compactness of insulation.

This material was naturally celebrated with praise, but what's interesting about the world of outdoor gear is that it doesn't end up being the majority of manufacturers who use it to develop new clothing. A manufacturer always appears to challenge themselves to compete against this attractive material and create even more impressive gear, and each one will try and error. After several years, the 2015-2016 season truly begun to become a year in which competition has begun to take the lead in new, highly functional middle-layered clothing (cold protection clothing), which will transform into fleece . It may be a bothersome thing for users, but it's exciting to see new products appearing one after another.

Now, I've made a long introduction, but below we've put together seven characteristics of how excellent high-tech synthetic insulation is.

7 reasons why we recommend high-tech synthetic fiber insulation this season

1. Highly breathable heat-retaining material makes you sweat easily

Conventional winter clothing was not intended to be used in "moving." One of the best things about high-tech synthetic fiber insulation is its high breathability and sweat absorption and dissipation performance, which is "assuming it moves." These insulation, which uses much more breathable synthetic fibers than before, allow heat to escape moderately while maintaining heat retention, and even more effectively dissipates sweat as water vapor.

2. Stretch material is placed all over the place and at key points, making it extremely easy to move

Another important thing when it is "assuming it will move" is, of course, ease of movement while wearing clothing. Many models using this insulation are stretchy (or partially with stretch panels) and are designed to not interfere with active activity.

3. Excellent heat retention exceeds fleece

Not only is it the latest synthetic materials, but the advantage of insulation over fleece lies in its high insulation (= heat retention) caused by the filling. The new synthetic fiber insulation that has been firmly inherited has not only achieved the breathability and ease of movement of fleece, but also retains the advantages of the heat retention that has been around for a long time, making it truly a good fit and there are no gaps.

4. Heat retention and high quick drying properties that won't fall off even when wet

This is also the original characteristic of synthetic fiber insulation. Unlike traditional down, which absorbs moisture easily and loses heat retention when wet, the excellent point of insulation of synthetic fibers is that it does not lose heat retention even when wet, and this advantage has been carried over.

5. Lightweight and compact

Although it is not as good as down, it has better compressibility than fleece, with the same heat retention power, and is lighter and more compact (however, the compressibility varies from individual to individual depending on the concept and ingenuity of each manufacturer).

6. Durable water-repellent finish makes it useful as an outerwear in case of light rain.

What's even more impressive is that it has the best features of this model, yet has excellent breathability, it has DWR (durable water repellent) finish. If it's light rain, it won't be overwhelmed, meaning it can be used as a sufficient outerwear under stable weather.

7. Wash thoroughly and clean

Finally, there is a common advantage to all synthetic clothing, including fleece, but it can be easily washed in the washing machine every time, so you can always keep it clean.

Summary: High-tech synthetic fiber insulation vs fleece down

kinds	High-tech synthetic insulation	Fleece	Down insulation
Breathable	◯	◯	△
Breathability	◎	◯	△
Stretchability	◯※1	◯	×
Heat retention (dry)	◯	△	◎
Heat retention (wet)	◯	◯	×
Weight and compressibility	◯	△	◎
Water repellent	◯	×	△
Windproof	◯	×※2	◯
Easy to wash	◎	◎	△

*1 Since the Polartec Alpha itself does not have stretchability, whether or not stretching depends on the material and model used.
*2 Fleece with windproof measures is excluded as their features will change overall.

7 recommended high-tech synthetic fiber insulation

The latest articles for 2016 have been updated. Click here to find the latest recommendations.

High-tech synthetic insulation wear is sure to be a great help in the upcoming fall and winter season, as it can be warmed up while you are still in motion or stagnant. Here we will introduce seven of the models to be released this year, the editorial team's top recommendations. We would like to conduct a comparison test report in the future, so stay tuned!

*The indicators shown for each model are estimates based on the specifications and the trials at this time (2015/9/24), so please use this as a reference only.

MAMMUT Eigerjoch Light Jacket

Heat retention★☆☆ Mobility★★★ Breathability★★☆ Weather resistance★★☆ Lightweight and compact★★★

First, we'll start with the popular model that incorporates Polartec Alpha, which opened the door to breathable synthetic fiber insulation. By mapping stretchy fleece to the sides and sleeves while still providing high moisture permeability, it allows for high mobility despite its extremely slim silhouette. As a result, it's light and compact, and just wear it over the base layer and you don't need anything else. It is a unique model that can move in an interesting and light manner.

Patagonia Nano-Air Hoody

Heat retention ★★☆ Mobility ★★☆ Breathability ★★★ Weather resistance ★☆☆ Lightweight and compact ★★☆

Next, we use Patagonia's new synthetic material, FullRange, which takes on Polartec Alpha head-on, and a new type of insulation that has been exploding popularity for two years. Its biggest appeal is its extremely comfortable to wear due to its overwhelmingly smooth texture and moderate stretchability. Of course, it is also highly breathable (very ventilated), and the ultimate DWR (durable water-repellent) coating repels light rain, making it impossible to get any extra effort to wear as an outerwear for your activities. *Available in a hoodless model.

MILLET TOI 3D INSULATED ST JKT

Heat retention ★★☆ Mobility ★★★ Breathability ★★★ Weather resistance ★☆☆ Lightweight and compact ★★★

This new product has been a long-established European comprehensive outdoor manufacturer, featuring the new material "3DeFX+" and is a very ambitious work. In addition to the characteristic that Polartec Alpha lacks in the material itself, the four types of coiled fibers ensure the "bulk" required for high heat retention. The highly breathable padding, highly breathable outer material, and the three-dimensional cut silhouette provide a high degree of mobility that is as if it were just this. Weather resistance and lightweight compactness are almost unknown, but based on the specs, I'm very excited. *Hooded model available.

finetrack drout polygon 3

Heat retention ★★☆ Mobility ★★★ Breathability ★★★ Weather resistance ★☆☆ Lightweight and compact ★☆☆

Although it is a domestic manufacturer, FineTrack is actively involved in new materials and unique technologies, and is still competing with its own unique synthetic materials. Normally synthetic fibers are thread-like, but the original material, Fine Polygon, has a unique structure that uses a special, ultra-lightweight sheet fabric to create a bulky structure. This means that there is no need to worry about fibers leaking out, and it is possible to place a front and back fabric that is close to ideal, with breathability, breathability, stretchability, and water repellency. Polartec Alpha models are appearing one after another from various manufacturers, and it is a bit frustrating, but these movements and various challenges should be welcomed.

MONTANE ALPHA GUIDE JACKET

Heat retention★☆☆ Mobility★★★ Breathability★★☆ Weather resistance★★☆ Lightweight and compact★☆☆

The Polartec Alpha wear used by Montein, which is well-known for its light and highly motile clothing and jackets, is an incredibly technical winter wear that achieves the highest level of mobility, as expected. As the fact that it was designed for climbing shows, the front and back panels are made of high density, highly breathable, water-repellent, and wind-resistant PERTEX Microlight with stretch function, and DRYACTIV stretch fleece is placed on the hood, providing both high mobility and moderate heat retention. However, I can't get the design this time.

Houdini C9 Loft Houdi

Heat retention ★★☆ Mobility ★★☆ Breathability ★★☆ Weather resistance ★★☆ Lightweight and compact ★☆☆

Houdini's Polartec Alpha insulation has many secret fans due to its Scandinavian design and reliable quality, but the two of the same padding materials introduced above place more emphasis on cold protection, making it a model that can be used as comfortable winter clothing in light outdoor wear, such as in street wear or ski resorts. However, its sufficient heat retention, fine texture and slight stretch provide unique comfort. Rather than sweating hard, it's perfect for elegant winter activities. If you want to use it as an inner layer, there are also hoodless types

Arc'teryx Atom LT Hoodie

Heat retention ★★★ Mobility ★☆☆ Breathability ★☆☆ Weather resistance ★★★ Lightweight and compact ★★★

This Atom LT is the classic synthetic fiber insulation from Arc'teryx. The padding material used here, Coreloft, has been a material that replaces down in context (such as PRIMALOFT for synthetic fiber materials with similar positions), so the advantage is necessarily lighter, more compact and more heat retention than mobility or breathability. However, what makes this model so impressive is that it has already been optimized for active activities under low temperatures, such as the highly stretchable fleece material placed under the armpits, with high breathability and mobility, and the windproof and durable water-repellent outer material. We will now be making detailed comparisons, but I think it is a synthetic fiber insulation that is fully "movable". *Available in a hoodless model.

That's the introduction to the seven recommended items. In addition to the above, many other models have been released in addition to the above, and we will continue to add any interesting models if there are any interesting ones in the future. That's all for this time. See you next time by comparing each model!