Material primaloft. Primaloft insulation for clothing, equipment and blankets

Over the past few years, the outdoor clothing market has experienced a real boom in the emergence of new insulation technologies. In autumn 2013, the first products from Polartec Alpha, in the winter of 2013-2014 - items from the company appeared in stores The North Face with insulation Primaloft Thermoball, and companies Columbia and Arcteryx released jackets that combine down and synthetic insulation. At the same time, attempts to create clothes and accessories with electric heating and the use of materials that accumulate the heat of the human body do not end.

The reason for this lies not only in the attempts of manufacturers to increase the functionality of their products. The emergence of new insulation technologies based on microfiber synthetic insulation is associated with a noticeable rise in the price of raw goose down over the past five years. According to the American magazine Outside, a pound of raw white goose down cost $10 in 2009 and about $50 in 2014.

Hence the demand for the latest insulation technologies that could compete on equal terms with down products from developers and manufacturers of clothing and equipment for outdoor activities. Moreover, this demand will only grow in the near future, which implies the expansion of collections based primarily on synthetic insulation from most manufacturers. We will get acquainted with the properties of the newest of them.

Polartec® Alpha

Unlike other manufacturers of insulation and technological fabrics, Polartec approached the price crisis for down raw materials fully armed. Latest Material Polartec Alpha was developed for military special forces in accordance with the requirements of the Main Directorate of Troops special purpose The U.S. Department of Defense (U.S. Special Operations Forces - SOF) long before its announcement on the civilian market in 2012. The first products with its use appeared in September 2013 from companies Rab, The North Face, Mountain Equipment, Montane and 66 North.

SOF's requirements were to create a lightweight, quick-drying, highly breathable garment material with high thermal insulation and acceptable wind protection. According to the results of field and laboratory tests, the leader was Polartec Alpha.

While creating Alpha, the developers started from the main, in their opinion, the lack of existing heaters. So, for example, down and a significant part of microfiber synthetic insulation that imitates its structure are able to penetrate through the seams and fibers of the fabric. And this circumstance requires the manufacturer to use materials with a very dense weave of fibers in order to avoid the migration of insulation inside the product and its penetration to the outside. Such dense fabrics, unfortunately, are heavy and do not contribute to the rapid removal of sweat and excess heat from the body. All this can lead to overheating during active loads and, as a result, the risk of wetting the insulation from sweat.

Therefore, the emphasis was placed on the development of a comprehensive solution - a kind of "sandwich" of a durable outer layer, a modified insulation based on Polartec® Power Shield® High Loft and the most moisture-wicking lining material. Like Power Shield® High Loft, insulation Alpha is a wear-resistant long-fiber fleece, with the only difference that it is not laminated on the outer surface of the product, but is the filling of a fabric "sandwich". Such measures by the developers have led to the fact that the product dries much faster, about twice as fast as the closest competitors, and has a low weight.

Added to this is a very flexible approach. Polartec in relation to manufacturers - they will be able to choose the facial fabric on their own, from ultra-light materials such as Pertex, before softshell. All this determined the main scope of the material. Polartec Alpha- jackets used as an intermediate or top layer of clothing. The compromise in this decision was the ratio of heat / weight. According to most testers and outdoor publications, this Alpha still inferior to down and the latest development from Primaloft - Thermoball.

Polartec Alpha - Marmot Isotherm Hoody jacket, Rab Strata jacket and vest.

Primaloft® Thermoball™

Newest synthetic insulation from Primaloft, which very accurately copies the structure of the fluff. Outwardly, the novelty resembles a rolled up cotton ball, which served as the name - Thermoball. Until this development, all synthetic insulations were a mixture of hollow fibers that looked little like fluff in appearance and only partly repeated its properties. In the release of the new technology, The North Face announced that the new insulation will generally repeat the properties of Primaloft One , but will be 15% warmer per unit weight, corresponding to down with a Fill Power of 600. This means the ability to restore its volume after compression is equivalent to down and to hold an equivalent amount of air between the fibers, which serves as a thermal insulator. The North Face currently owns the right of exclusive use Thermoball in its products until 2015, as the company actively contributed to its development.

As in the case with Primaloft One, the developers have placed special emphasis on maintaining heat-insulating properties Thermoball when wet, which was confirmed by numerous tests in the field. Particularly distinguished tester Sean McCoy- the editor of the resource gearjunkie.com, thoroughly wetting his jacket ThermoBall Full Zip Jacket and went for a walk in it at an air temperature just below zero. The new material passed the test with brilliance, surprising even such a sophisticated user. The editors of the Outside magazine also came to a high assessment, naming Thermoball"The most thermally insulating synthetic insulation they've ever tested."

Examples of products using Primaloft Thermoball– jackets and vests The North Face Thermoball Full Zip, bivouac and urban TNF shoes, which previously used 600 F.P. down.

Primaloft Down Blend

Despite the obvious successes in the field of improving synthetic insulation, they do not want to refuse the use of fluff even in Primaloft Inc.. However, all experts are well aware of its main disadvantages - low thermal insulation when wet and slow drying, to which the disadvantage mentioned above is added - a high price for the manufacturer, and, as a result, for the end user. Creation Primaloft Down Blend designed to overcome these shortcomings.

The essence of the technology comes down to mixing natural fluff and artificial fibers Primaloft Ultra Fine, close to it in the property of restoring its volume after compression and holding maximum amount air between fibers. In addition to this, the down is treated with a water-repellent composition. These measures made it possible to reduce the cost of the hybrid insulation without losing quality, to ensure acceptable thermal insulation properties of the wet mixture, and to increase its drying rate by 4 times compared to ordinary down!

PrimaLoft ® Performance Down is available in two versions:

– PrimaLoft Gold Insulations Down Blend- Goose down 70% (feather down 90/10) - synthetic fibers 30%. 1.23 ClO dry versus 1.18 CLO wet.
– PrimaLoft Silver Insulation Down Blend- Duck down 60% (down feather 85/15) - synthetic fibers 40%. 1.14 ClO dry versus 1.07 CLO wet.

Thus, the new combined insulation corresponds in terms of its thermal insulation properties to high-quality down with an index of FP 750 and FP 600, respectively. At the same time, thanks to the inclusion of synthetics and moisture-repellent impregnation of down, it continues to work even when wet with virtually no loss.

Examples of products using Primaloft Down Blend- jacket Black Diamond Hot Forge(available spring 2015), jacket Adidas Outdoor Terrex Climaheat Ice Jacket.

"Infrared" insulation

PrimaLoft Kodenshi

Perhaps the most exotic way of warming clothes from all presented. Attempts to pick up or create from scratch the right material that could accumulate the heat of the human body, and then slowly return it back like a stone heated in the sun, have been made by manufacturers repeatedly. So far, no company has achieved unambiguous success, although developments are being carried out as industry giants - The North Face, and not so famous brands, such as the American manufacturer of clothing and accessories for alpine skiing powderhorn.

The experts closest to realizing this idea came from Picture Organic, a French manufacturer of eco-friendly clothing for skiers and snowboarders, with technology BioCeramic– the ceramic particles contained in the membrane material accumulate heat and slowly radiate it to the user of the equipment. However, the manufacturer himself positions this development not as an element of insulation, but as a technology that improves muscle tone.

Lamination of the membrane with ceramic particles is actively used by a young manufacturer of premium ski clothing mountain force. Their exclusive development Ceramic Membrane It has high thermal insulation properties, which makes it possible to provide additional comfort on a frosty slope without the need for an additional layer of insulation, which increases not only the weight of the product, but also its volume.

Ceramics have been used, by the way, for several years and in Primaloft. Their insulation Primaloft Ceramic and PrimaLoft Kodenshi made with the addition of ceramic microfibers to help reflect heat back to the body. Such a heater is much more efficient. Its main consumer is the company Goldwin. However, now you can find products from other brands with using PrimaLoft Kodenshi. Among them Black Diamond and Reusch using insulation in ski gloves and mittens.

Elasticity. With regard to heaters, this is the ability to restore the original structure, in fact, the volume. The structure of synthetic fibers most often recovers faster than down. This is partly why in down jackets it is not uncommon to make inserts with synthetic insulation in the shoulder area and on the sides of the jacket, where there is the greatest pressure.

But despite technological advances, the best insulation there is still fluff left. Most often, goose down is used in the manufacture of down jackets - it is more durable than duck down, and also cheaper than eider down. Highly purified goose down has high Fill Power and is optimal in terms of price-quality ratio.

The review was prepared by store specialists

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 has been making synthetic microfiber insulation 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 the unit of measurement thermal insulation properties 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 it is worth paying 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.

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. The 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 the test. 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 specified 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. In one Primaloft insulation Sport, in the second Climashiled Apex. The available 4 grams of difference in sleeping bags were transferred to jackets and rounded up to 5.

PrimaLoft® Sport is a high quality insulation made with technologies that combine ultra-fine fibers and variable diameter fibers 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.

When creating Primaloft®, Albany Interional carefully studied the structure of goose down microfibers and copied it. The ultra-fine fibers of this material are similar to the structure of goose down fibers more than any other synthetic fiber. The similarity to goose down gives this fiber the thermal properties of down. Factor thermal resistance for down is 2.18, and for "Primaloft" 2.15. Other notable synthetic materials don't even come close to that.

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 repellency of the microfibers helps 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 can be seen from the table, the greater the number of fibers, the more the insulation absorbs moisture:

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

Primaloft is a new synthetic material with excellent thermal insulation properties. Light and warm, it is durable, resistant to compression, well breathable and does not absorb moisture.

Primaloft One is used as an insulator for urban and outdoor clothing.

Primaloft Sport is used in the production of clothing designed for extreme conditions.

PrimaLoft Yarn® yarns are an optimal blend of PrimaLoft® fibers and soft lambswool. This combination makes this thread ideal for outdoor garments where maximum functionality and comfort are essential. PrimaLoft Yarn® fibers are half the diameter of regular cashmere fibers. This gives the threads a special softness. PrimaLoft Yarn® absorbs moisture 2 times faster than sheep's wool (NCSU vertical wicking test method)! PrimaLoft Yarn® dries up to 30% faster than sheep's wool (drying rate measured using ASTM D1776)! The hydrophobic properties of PrimaLoft® fiber combined with the hydrophilic properties of wool form a "force field" that pulls moisture away from the surface of the skin and pushes it to the surface of the fabric. The result is a perfect moisture wicking system to keep you dry and comfortable.

Synthetic insulation "Primaloft®" was developed by order of the US Army, which was looking for a replacement for down for sleeping bags and military clothing. As a result of research work that lasted three years, Albany International registered the brand "Primaloft®". Research has shown that new material has hygienic properties superior to traditional fluff.

When creating "Primaloft®", the structure of goose down microfibers was carefully studied and copied, which determined the thermal properties of the new fiber. The thermal resistance factor for down is 2.18 and for "Primaloft®" it is 2.15. Most other synthetic fibers are twenty times thicker and retain heat less than Primaloft® fiber. Other well-known synthetic materials do not even come close to such indicators.

Primaloft filler allows moisture to evaporate. Its microscopic air layers are too small for moisture to penetrate, but large enough to release evaporation from the inside.

The filler returns its volume better than other materials, even after repeated washing and drying. It can be strongly compressed, after which this material completely returns to its original volume.

A small amount of "Primaloft®" is enough to accumulate human heat.

According to www.prestigeokna.ru/