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Outerwear 101

How to Care for Your Waterproof Outerwear & Down Jackets

November 5, 2020November 5, 2020 by Sam Shaheen
Blister's guide to taking care of your waterproof, down, and other technical apparel (photo by Taylor Ahearn)
Blister's guide to taking care of your waterproof, down, and other technical apparel (photo by Taylor Ahearn)
Luke Koppa in the Spyder Sanction GTX Jacket, Mt. Crested Butte, CO. (photo by Taylor Ahearn)
Review Navigation:  Intro //  Why Clean? //  Waterproof & Water-Re
…
Categories Apparel, GEAR 101, Outerwear 101

What You’re Wearing, Part 5: Bison Fibers? (Ep.93)

May 13, 2020March 26, 2020 by Sam Shaheen
On Blister's GEAR:30 Podcast, Sam Shaheen talks to United By Blue apparel designer, Brendan Raugh, about bison wool, bison down, and how United By Blue is using all sorts of bison fibers in apparel and more.


TOPICS & TIMES:

  • Brendan’s background & current role (1:35)
  • United By Blue’s mission to clean waterways (2:35)
  • Why use bison fibers? (7:15)
  • Their unique
…
Categories GEAR:30, Outerwear 101, Podcasts

What You’re Wearing, Part 4: Hemp (Ep.65)

May 13, 2020September 13, 2019 by Sam Shaheen
Sam Shaheen talks with Jungmaven founder, Rob Jungmann, about hemp, its history, its many uses, and its future on Blister's GEAR:30 podcast


TOPICS & TIMES:

  • Anti-hemp propaganda (5:40)
  • The battle for hemp legalization (9:15)
  • The future of the U.S. hemp industry (13:31)
  • Is there an ongoing hemp s
…
Categories GEAR:30, Outerwear 101, Podcasts

What You’re Wearing, Part 3: Down (Ep.64)

May 13, 2020September 6, 2019 by Sam Shaheen
Sam Shaheen talks with Allied Feather & Down's Matthew Betcher about down, its performance characteristics, misconceptions about fill power, proper care, and animal welfare, and the Allied's Track My Down initiative on Blister's GEAR:30 podcast.


TOPICS & TIMES:

  • Klaus Obermeyer ‘inventing’ the down jacket (2:40)
  • What does a “fill-power” rating actually mean? (8:03)
  • Duck down vs. Goose down (24:15)
  • H
…
Categories GEAR:30, Outerwear 101, Podcasts

What You’re Wearing Part 2: Wool (Ep.62)

May 13, 2020August 23, 2019 by Sam Shaheen
Sam Shaheen talks to Icebreaker's Josh Vaughan about wool, its performance attributes, its environmental impact, and more on Blister's GEAR:30 podcast.


TOPICS & TIMES:

  • How climate affects wool quality (2:55)
  • The process: from herding sheep to the final fabric (9:03)
  • How & Why is wool blended with othe
…
Categories GEAR:30, Outerwear 101, Podcasts

What You’re Wearing, Part 1: Synthetic Fibers (Ep.57)

May 13, 2020July 19, 2019 by Sam Shaheen
Sam Shaheen talks with Gore's Sara Ellis about synthetic fibers, their pros and cons, how they compare to natural fibers, Gore's new fabric with Under Armour, and more on Blister's GEAR:30 Podcast


TOPICS & TIMES:

  • Synthetic vs. Natural fibers (2:15)
  • Where do synthetic fibers come from? (8:08)
  • Which synthetics are the most durable? (9:17)
  • Polyester vs.
…
Categories GEAR:30, Outerwear 101, Podcasts

How to Layer for Different Activities & Climates

November 22, 2017 by Sam Shaheen
Sam Shaheen discusses how to dress for different outdoor activities and conditions on Blister Review

What’s the best way to dress for ski touring when it’s sunny and hot? Ski touring in wet environments? Alpine climbing in mixed conditions? Lift-accessed s…

Categories Featured, GEAR 101, Outerwear 101

Down vs. Synthetic: Ethical & Environmental Issues

September 19, 2017September 19, 2017 by Sam Shaheen
Sam Shaheen discusses the ethical and environmental issues with down and synthetic insulation on Blister

[Editor’s Note: We received this question from Blister reader, Frame, about whether it’s fair to characterize down / the use of down (insulation) as a non-…

Categories Featured, Outerwear 101, Topic of the Week

Outerwear 201: Marketing Wars, New Technologies, Paradigm Shifts

July 24, 2015October 2, 2014 by Sam Shaheen
Outerwear 201, Blister Gear Review

[Editor’s Note: This is a follow up to our Outerwear 101 piece. If you haven’t read the 101 article yet, you might want to start there. It’s an …

Categories GEAR 101, Outerwear 101, Recommended

Outerwear 101: Which Socks & Why?

February 13, 2013January 9, 2013 by Jonathan Ellsworth

It’s time to talk socks. But rather than offer a primer on what you ought to be wearing when you go ski or snowboard, we decided to ask a number of o…

Categories Base Layers, Boot Fitting 101, GEAR 101, Outerwear 101, Recommended, Skiing 101, Snowboarding 101

Outerwear 101

August 21, 2015May 31, 2012 by Sam Shaheen
Outerwear 101, Blister Gear Review

Outerwear 101, Blister Gear Review[Editor’s Note: We posted this article by Sam Shaheen last fall, and if you missed it back then, you don’t want to miss it now.]

 

There is a ridiculous…

Categories Featured, Features, GEAR 101, Outerwear 101, Recommended

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