New generation primaloft down blend silver insulation. One of the best insulation - PrimaLoft®

Filler for clothes and Primaloft equipment meets the high requirements of the consumer, because it is guaranteed to protect from the cold and does not allow you to experience discomfort due to the peculiarities of the structure. The material is used for warming jackets, suits, overalls for autumn and winter, and is also used in the production of blankets.

Description

When developing fibers for Primaloft insulation, we used Hi-tech, which made it possible to bring the characteristics of the filler closer to the properties of natural fluff. The fibers of the material undergo a waterproof treatment, so the Primaloft insulation is optimally suited for autumn clothes that do not swell in light rain and sleet.

During processing, the fibers are intertwined, and a light, but reliably protecting material from dampness and cold is formed. Compared to its peers, Primaloft is 14-15% warmer when dry and 24-25% more insulating when wet, while the water absorption of the filler is 300% less compared to competitors in the insulation market.

If you trust the mean testing numbers, then the Primaloft filler has a CTC of 2.15, and the standard among heaters, goose down, is 2.18. This is the minimum possible difference and no other numbers show such numbers. synthetic materials for warming clothes.

Advantages

The advantages of this brand of insulation over competitors are obvious, here are the main ones:

  1. Quickly restores volume due to the long-fiber structure,
  2. Does not deform when worn outerwear,
  3. Possesses the increased water-repellent qualities,
  4. Differs in high heat-shielding properties,
  5. Meets environmental standards
  6. Lets air through.

Clothing with Primaloft insulation perfectly “sits down” on the figure and does not change shape during wear, and blankets with filler do not stray and fit the human body well. A winter jacket with Primaloft insulation will reliably protect against the vagaries of winter and will not turn into a shapeless bag after several months of wear, and the blanket will retain body heat and will not create discomfort that can cause insomnia.

Compliance with environmental standards allows the use of filler for warming children's clothing, as well as outerwear and blankets for people with allergies. Primaloft blankets, jackets and suits literally breathe, while maintaining high thermal insulation properties.

The softness of the insulation corresponds to the softness of goose down and is 20-50% superior to other synthetic analogues. If the material is compressed, it will 100% restore its shape in a few minutes. This is achieved due to the elasticity of the fibers and the peculiarities of the structure of their weave. The silicone treatment of the fiber does not allow the material to retain moisture, which means that a beneficial environment for the growth of bacteria is not created in the filler. Compared to filler manufactured under the Thinsulate LiteLoft brand, Primaloft brand PL1 retains 1200-1300% less moisture.

Classification

Primaloft insulation is available in the following types:

  1. sport,
  2. infinity,
  3. Yarn.

The most common brand is One, in which the fibers have a waterproof treatment. This type of filler is used for all types of outerwear, filling blankets, sleeping bags, gloves and even shoe insulation. The Sport brand is used for tracksuits (professional sports, outdoor activities). The fibers have a variable diameter, so the insulation has a long service life and an increased level of thermal protection.

The Eco brand stands for compliance with strict environmental standards, and Yarn is the softest synthetic filling for clothing, the softness of which is achieved through minimum thickness fibers.

Care

The care requirements for sleeping bags, suits and other clothing filled with Primaloft are standard for synthetic insulation. For machine washing, choose a delicate mode at temperatures up to 40 degrees. Spinning is possible only at the minimum speed of the drum, steaming and dry cleaning are prohibited.

It is possible to iron products with insulation, but with minimal heating of the iron and without its direct contact with the filler (through the top fabric).

Originally developed for the US Army, PrimaLoft insulation is now used by many brands. The company offers several variations of thermal insulation, from maximum, designed for harsh conditions, to lightweight - for the city. The North Face was one of the first to draw attention to Primaloft technology Black. It is a waterproof synthetic alternative to down filling. It is quite light and suitable for casual wear, jackets and boots. Insulation also often uses the Helly Hansen brand.


Primaloft Black Features

Primaloft manufactures synthetic insulation microfiber since the 1980s. Insulation is engineered to mimic all the properties of down, but with less weight, bulk and no loss of properties when wet. The fibers do not retain water, so the wearer of such equipment remains dry and warm, regardless of the weather. The essence of the technology is to create many air pockets that actually trap and retain body heat.


Primaloft has three main types of insulation: Gold, Silver and Black. And if the first and second are more related to serious equipment for harsh conditions, then the latter is applicable in everyday life.

Primaloft Black most suitable for everyday wear. It has a CLO rating of 0.65. This is a unit of measure for the thermal insulation properties of a product. For example, a down filler with an indicator of 550 will have a rating of 0.7. That is, a jacket with Primaloft Black is equivalent to a warm down jacket.


There are three types of Black insulation in total. All of them are breathable, moisture resistant and provide warmth without extra bulk.

PrimaLoft Black Insulation Eco- Lining made from 60% recycled material. It is obtained from recycling plastic bottles, packages and other raw materials.


PrimaLoft Black Down Blend Made from 50% synthetic fibers and 50% down. Due to this, the loss of thermal insulation properties when wet is minimized, but the jacket is more voluminous due to down.

PrimaLoft Black Insulation Hi-Loft with fibers that provide high insulation, similar in feel to down fill, but it is not. The insulation is more compact and softer, while all key properties, such as warmth when wet, are fully preserved.


For the new winter season, the company announced PrimaLoft® Black Insulation ThermoPlume. It is made using small, silky bundles of fibers that are joined together. Such a filler is suitable as an intermediate layer for climbing equipment, as well as for warm urban jackets.

Clothing Primaloft Black

The North Face brand, known for its collections of warm and durable clothing, quite often resorts to the use of synthetic filling. Their jackets are lightweight yet keep you warm in cold and wet weather. When choosing outerwear, you should pay attention to these characteristics. The North Face Primaloft Black uses mainly 60, 80 and 100 grams. Of course, the more popular “silver” insulation is more common, as it is equally good for outdoor activities and the city. It is placed in the iconic Back To Berkeley boots and an array of jackets. However, Primaloft Black is even lighter and is used in demi-season clothing during the period when winter gives way to spring or warm autumn turns into frost.

Advanced Primaloft insulation®

PrimaLoft- it is a synthetic material that has high thermal insulation properties. When it was created Albany International very meticulously studied the structure of goose down and put it into the base PrimaLoft material. fibers this insulation very fine and goose-down-like more than the fibers of any other synthetic material. It is this similarity that gives it the thermal properties of down. The thermal resistance coefficient for goose down is 2.18 and for PrimaLoft it is 2.15. This is a very high figure, because other synthetic fibers do not even come close to this value.

PrimaLoft fill has a long-fibre structure, thanks to which it restores its volume better and faster than similar materials. Even after huge number Washing and drying the material is not deformed. The fibers are endowed with water-repellent properties that help any liquid drain or evaporate. This ensures that PrimaLoft insulation products are always dry.

Laboratory tests have shown that PrimaLoft has exactly the same softness as goose down, and is much softer than similar thermal insulation materials. Thanks to this characteristic of the material, all products made from it take the necessary shape: clothes sit on the figure, and the blanket exclusively fits the body of a sleeping person.

Another great advantage of this material is that it breathes and allows moisture to evaporate. Its air gaps are very small for moisture to penetrate, but large in order to allow the moisture formed inside to evaporate. To keep a person warm, a small volume of PrimaLoft is enough.

It can be highly compressed, and this will not affect the quality and structure of the material. In a short period of time, the material completely returns to its original volume. According to the above parameters, PrimaLoft surpasses all its synthetic and natural counterparts. Of all the world-famous heaters, only PrimaLoft has the ability to retain moisture due to the silicone treatment of the fibers. Such insulation, in comparison with similar materials, absorbs 3 times less moisture, it is 14% warmer when dry and 24% warmer when wet.

Due to its long-fibre, down-like structure, the filling regains its volume better than other materials even after many washes and dries. The water-repellent properties of the microfibers help any liquid run off or evaporate, allowing the Primaloft® wearer to stay dry and warm at all times.

Scientific tests have shown that "Primaloft®" has the same softness as down and is significantly softer than other synthetic fibers. Due to the softness of this fiber, clothes made from it fit perfectly, and a blanket or sleeping bag hugs the body of the sleeper. Try the sample to the touch, and you yourself will feel how magnificent it is! This wonderful material not only repels water and retains volume when wet, it is breathable, allowing moisture to escape. Its microscopic air layers are too small for moisture to penetrate, but large enough to release moisture from the inside. A small amount of "Primaloft®" is quite enough to accumulate human heat. It can be strongly compressed, after which this material completely returns to its original volume. In these parameters, it surpasses both synthetic and natural materials.

Of the world brands - heaters, only PrimaLoft® has the property of not retaining moisture due to the silicone treatment of the fibers. As the table shows, more number fibers, the more the insulation absorbs moisture:

PrimaLoft PL1 - 75%
PrimaLoft Sport - 400%
Polarguard 3D - 500%
Thinsulate LiteLoft - 995%
MicroLoft (DuPont)-1730

Other well-known synthetic materials do not even come close to such indicators. Due to its long-fibre, down-like structure, the filling regains its volume better than other materials, even after many washes and dries. The water-repellent properties of the microfibers help any liquid run off or evaporate, allowing the Primaloft® wearer to stay dry and warm at all times.

Try the sample to the touch, and you yourself will feel how magnificent it is! This wonderful material not only repels water and retains volume when wet, it is breathable, allowing moisture to escape. Its microscopic air layers are too small for moisture to penetrate, but large enough to release moisture from the inside. A small volume of Primaloft® is enough to store human heat. It can be strongly compressed, after which this material completely returns to its original volume. In these parameters, it surpasses both synthetic and natural materials.

The human body has a normal temperature of 36.6 degrees Celsius but is often found in places that make it noticeably colder! PrimaLoft® retains your body heat to keep you warm and comfortable even in extreme cold.

As such, this lightweight, highly insulating, and quick-drying insulation is one of the leading insulators in the field of equipment and outerwear insulation.

There are several types of PrimaLoft insulation: Primaloft® One- this is one of the best insulating (insulating) materials. It is created using microfiber technology, the closest in characteristics to natural down in terms of structural, thermal and tactile characteristics. It is the only fill in which each fiber has a permanent, water resistant treatment.

Very thin fibers are specially processed using patented technologies and then woven to form an incredibly soft, lightweight and moisture-proof insulation.
PrimaLoft®One absorbs 3 times less water, 14% warmer dry and 24% warmer wet than other materials.

PrimaLoft® Sport- high-quality insulation made with technologies that combine ultra-fine fibers and fibers with a variable diameter for maximum high efficiency thermal insulation. PrimaLoft® Sport - The technology behind PrimaLoft® Sport combines ultra-fine and variable diameter fibers to achieve these characteristics. Specially processed ultra-fine fibers provide a water-repellent structure, while variable diameter fibers help shape the material.

If your desire for a great weekend is to spend it in nature, PrimaLoft ® Sport allows you to feel comfortable, like you are at home, even when it gets wet.

PrimaLoft Eco - the heater created for fans of ecological materials. It is made from 50% recycled ultra-fine fibers and standard PrimaLoft fibers. In combination, the fibers create an effective heat-insulating and moisture-resistant structure. Clothing made with PrimaLoft Eco will keep its wearers dry, warm and comfortable.

PrimaLoft Infinity are heat-insulating blocks that can compress 20% more than similar insulating materials. This type insulation has a fairly light and soft structure due to the use of ultra-thin fibers in the production. PrimaLoft Infinity has high thermal insulation and moisture resistance. The fibers, united by a single thread, prevent the appearance of cold spots in the insulating material and ensure the uniformity of the insulation structure over its entire surface. PrimaLoft Infinity provides excellent protection from the cold even when completely wet. This material retains its shape and quality even after numerous washes and dryers.

PrimaLoft Yarn - these are threads that are a mixture of PrimaLoft fibers and sheep wool. This combination is most suitable for the manufacture of outerwear. PrimaLoft fibers Yarn is twice as fine as cashmere fibers, which allows you to add softness to products. This material has the property of quickly absorbing moisture from the surface of the skin and bringing it to the surface of the fabric, and this provides additional dryness and comfort.

PrimaLoft SYNERGY - it's cutting edge thermal insulation material, which is created on the basis of weaving thin and ultra-thin fibers and combining them into a single thread. The heater has excellent thermal insulation characteristics. PrimaLoft SYNERGY is a moisture resistant material used in the manufacture of sleeping bags and outerwear.

Synthetic insulation was developed by Albany International by order of the US Army as a quality replacement for down for workwear and. To date, PrimaLoft insulation has reliably conquered the market not only for army clothing, but also for the outdoor market.

First of all, PrimaLoft© insulation is lightweight and durable, and also has excellent thermal insulation properties. In addition, PrimaLoft is highly breathable, and its hygienic properties far exceed those of ordinary goose down. Such excellent results have been achieved due to the thermal properties of the new PrimaLoft microfibers, whose structure has been copied from goose down microfibers. Thus, the thermal resistance of goose down is 2.18, and for PrimaLoft insulation it is 2.15, which indicates better thermal insulation synthetic insulation compared to down. So far, not a single widely used synthetic insulation has come close to such indicators.

PrimaLoft insulation is great as a filler for outerwear or a sleeping bag, as it is lightweight and has a volume comparable to that of down. Compared to goose down, PrimaLoft insulation is water-repellent and hypoallergenic.
Albany International researchers have also achieved excellent "breathability" properties of insulation due to microscopic air gaps. On the surface of PrimaLoft microfibers, due to their very small size, air molecules accumulate, which provide high thermal insulation properties of the insulation with a relatively thin insulating layer. Thanks to these hollow fibers of large diameter, the so-called "Loft" is maintained during prolonged use, washing, compressing and drying.

Two types of PrimaLoft insulation are used in the outdoor industry:

  1. PrimaLoft© One;
  2. PrimaLoft® Sport.

PrimaLoft© One


PrimaLoft© One insulation is most often used as insulation, both for urban clothing and for outdoor activities. In the production of PrimaLoft© One insulation, ultra-thin microfibers are used, which allow maintaining the thermal insulation properties of the insulation with low weight and volume. Thermal insulation properties PrimaLoft© One is 0.92 clo/oz/yd2 dry and 0.9 clo/oz/yd2 wet (thermal insulation value is higher the higher the material's thermal insulation performance). It is PrimaLoft© One that retains the greatest thermal insulation and practically does not lose it when wet. It protects against wind and dries faster than goose down.

Application PrimaLoft© One:

  • Outerwear
  • Gloves
  • Accessories
  • Sleeping bags
  • Overalls
  • Shoes

PrimaLoft® Sport


PrimaLoft® Sport insulation is used for the production of clothing and products for extreme conditions, since this type of insulation is thinner and lighter. The thermal insulation properties of PrimaLoft© Sport are 0.79 clo/oz/yd2 dry and 0.72 clo/oz/yd2 wet.

Application of PrimaLoft® Sport:

  • Outerwear
  • Hats
  • Sleeping bags
  • Military clothing

Care instructions for products with PrimaLoft© insulation:

Follow these care instructions for garments made with PrimaLoft insulation. Machine wash and rinsing in cold water in delicate mode. Dry in washing machine at average temperature in the delicate spin mode. Dry cleaning, bleaching, ironing or steaming is prohibited.

The most detailed information

We have collected for you comprehensive information on a popular topic for discussion:
"Which synthetic insulation is better - Primaloft or Climashield?"

ADVANTAGES OF CLIMASHIELD COMPARED WITH PRIMALOFT:

1. Better resistance to compression and less expansion time;

2. Gain in real thermal insulation per unit weight of insulation in warm models;

3. Good preservation of the volume of insulation when heavily wet;

4. No need for frequent stitching;

5. No need to use Fiber Proof fabric (usually calendered), which is important for a running insulating layer.


GENERAL PROVISIONS AND DISADVANTAGES
:

1. Climashield Apex is harder to compress than Primaloft Sport;

2. The advantage in thermal insulation begins to appear approximately from the density of the insulation 170 g/m2. Lower densities are practically on par (judging by experiments with sleeping bags and EN 13537);

3. There is no doubt that Primaloft One will greatly outperform Сlimashield Apex in a number of moisture resistance tests, just like vice versa;

4. A stitch is not needed, but it is necessary to additionally fasten the insulation along the edges of the fabric - from the point of view of operation there are more pluses, from the point of view of manufacturing - on the contrary;

5. Calendered fabric is not needed, but due to the stabilized and uneven top layer, the insulation is not as soft to the touch.


FROM A MARKETING POINT OF VIEW:

1. Climashield Apex is now the favorite synthetic insulation for small American companies, specialized in light equipment, as well as the local "homemade" ones.
As you understand, they also have Primaloft Sport and they choose quite consciously;

2. One or another insulation from Climashield for a number of products was chosen by such companies as: The North Face, Arc "teryx, Marmot, etc.
Of the active Europeans, it seems quite recently - Direct Alpine in their Belay Jacket's.
In general, judging by the activity of Primaloft in the direction of developing continuous fiber insulation, including for clothing (first Infinity, then Synergy) - this is a new trend;

3. Devaluation of the "brand".
There will always be those who want to use both the formed reputation of the insulation and the reputation of companies that have actually promoted it on the market, the quality and functionality of their products.
This is done extremely simply - looking for inexpensive Chinese production and ordering the simplest product with the coveted label: Gore-Tex, Primaloft, Polartec, eVent, Windstopper, etc.
Climashield Apex is still, as far as we know, purely American in production, which limits the possibility of using this insulation in frankly cheap Southeast Asian products.

IN TERMS OF REAL PRODUCTS, CLIMASHIELD HAS THE FOLLOWING ADVANTAGES:

The properties of insulated products last longer - this is very important, because it is unrealistic to demolish many high-quality things during normal operation, but the insulation still loses its properties, albeit slowly. May he live as long as possible;

It became possible to make jackets from fabrics with high breathability - that is, to produce an insulating layer for sufficiently active movement, without resorting to the technology of combining with Polartec Powerstretch and the like (that is, without gaining weight and losing thermal insulation).
By the way, Polartec also thinks in the same direction, with its new technology Polartec Alpha, only there so far both insulation and fabrics are much simpler;

Winter things and warm sleeping bags have become somewhat warmer, without gaining weight. It is obvious how useful this is in models such as Inta.

At the same time, it is foolish to idealize this or that technology - something else will appear with a set of real properties better than that of Climashield Apex, then we will consider the issue of transition, even if it is called TEPLIN 2-ZK.

CHANGE OF INSULATION IN OUR TOP SYNTHETIC JACKET:

Inta was manufactured with three versions of insulation in the following chronological order: Primaloft One, Primaloft Sport and Climashiled Apex.

The main reason for the transition was the desire to make the product significantly better, in terms of the totality of properties throughout the entire period of operation.

CLO describes the thermal insulation of the insulation in the test, but does not describe the thermal insulation of the membrane fabric sandwich, insulation and lining in real world.
We periodically had to predict the properties of such a sandwich, primarily in sleeping bags. Based on our experience, we can fairly confidently state that the thickness of the insulation is very important.
According to the CLO passport, Primaloft One is the leader, followed by Climashiled Apex and slightly inferior to Primaloft Sport.
According to the nameplate thickness indicated by the manufacturer, the thinnest of the three is Primaloft One. Sport and Apex have parity in nameplate thickness.
In the real world, the Apex is noticeably thicker, especially at high total bag density.

For clothing, there are no popular independent methods for assessing the temperature range.
We give data on the totality of available feedback from athletes, testers and ordinary users, averaging and sometimes reinsuring.
For example, the Inta + Inta P kit was used at temperatures down to -68 degrees as a snowmobile kit and the impressions were extremely positive, but it would not occur to me to write a rating of -68C.
The main risk in specifying the temperature range was just when switching from Primaloft One to Primaloft Sport, because I had to rely on first impressions from the prototypes and guesses about the relationship between the thermal insulation of the product and the thickness and clo. Over time, we can confidently say that it has not become colder.

With Climashield Apex and the Inta model, the logic is similar, but there is also objective evidence - En 13537 testing of sleeping bags with a similar amount of insulation.
Aer -9 and Inoch -13 have 300 grams per square meter of insulation. One with Primaloft Sport insulation, the other with Climashiled Apex. The available 4 grams of difference in sleeping bags were transferred to jackets and rounded up to 5.