Ok, people, our outwear nerds / gurus want you to start properly taking care of and cleaning your waterproof jackets & pants, down jackets & mid layers, and other technical apparel to keep them performing at their best. So they’ll tell you how, and recommend several products to use.
Bison Wool? Bison Down? That’s a thing? Well it’s being used by United By Blue,
who started salvaging otherwise wasted bison fibers, and is now incorporating them into a growing range of products. So we talked with Brendan Raugh at United By Blue about how the company was founded as a waterway cleanup company; how they went on to develop an entire line of apparel around salvaged bison coat fibers; how bison fibers compare to sheep’s wool and goose down; and more.
Shooting hemp t-shirts with guns; eating hemp seeds; building houses with hemp; and industrial hemp legalization in the US — Part 4 of our “What You’re Wearing” series tackles the complex history, misconceptions, and many uses of hemp.
Misconceptions about down are everywhere — fill power, proper care, and animal welfare are all often wildly misunderstood. So today, we’re talking with Matthew Betcher from Allied Feather & Down to shed some light on this fascinating material.
Why are more and more companies making products out of wool? What makes it unique from other fibers? And how is merino wool different from regular wool? We talk to Icebreaker’s Josh Vaughan about these questions; wool’s environmental impact; the variety of wool types and how they differ; and he provides some amazingly in-depth insight about wool’s unique properties.
How much do you actually know about the clothes in your closet, and the stuff we all wear to go play in the mountains? In our new “What You’re Wearing” miniseries, we’re shining a light on the most foundational part of apparel: the fibers. And in part 1, we dive into the world synthetic fibers with Sara Ellis from Gore (the makers of GORE-TEX).
What’s the best way to dress for ski touring when it’s sunny and hot? Alpine climbing in mixed conditions? Lift-accessed skiing in the dead of winter? There are a zillion new base layers, mid layers, and shells out there, so we’ve put together a guide on the new technologies, and how to layer for a variety of activities and conditions.
Is down insulation a “green” material? How do synthetics compare? We discuss the environmental and ethical impacts of insulation in our Topic of the Week.
We’ve been testing outerwear with new “air permeable” membranes, materials threatening the outerwear industry’s old hierarchies. Read up on this impressive waterproof / breathable tech.
Time to talk socks. Our reviewers weigh in on what they actually wear on the mountain—and why. Plus, two bits of conventional wisdom when it comes to socks and snowsports.
GORE-TEX or eVent? 2-layer or 3-layer construction? If you think waterproof/breathable gear is all the same, you need to read this.