Whether on a ski slope, a polar expedition or a windy winter street corner, cold weather comfort rests on two principles: staying dry and staying insulated. Two new product lines from North Face attack those problems with specially designed materials that push the boundaries of high warmth and low weight. One material replicates goose down more closely than any other artificial insulator, and the other uses microparticles that wick moisture with best-in-class efficiency.
The call for these materials came from a team of mountain climbers who received North Face commissions to test their products to the limit. After a failed attempt to climb Mount Meru in the Indian Himalayas, the team began working with North Face scientists to develop materials that wouldn't let them down. Clad in the new materials, the climbers took a second shot at Mount Meru earlier this year and conquered the peak.
The insulator, called "ThermoBall," actually originated as a packing material in Japanese futons, and only recently did North Face scientists realize its winter-insulation potential. ThermoBall uses tiny spheres of artificial fiber to trap small pockets of warm air in the jacket, rather than the Styrofoam-like blocks of insulation used in most puffy winter jackets. ThermoBall replicates the warmth, low weight and even the physics of goose down. But unlike goose down, ThermoBall keeps insulating even when wet, costs 20-30 percent less and is more environmentally friendly.
"Where we're coming in with [the heat insulation of] ThermoBall is right between the best fibers and down," said Philip Hamilton, the vice president of products for North Face. "We wanted something that looks like down, feels like down, but isn't down."
The moisture wicking material, called "FlashDry," features microparticles of highly porous mineral baked into jacket's threads. As the wearer sweats, the porous microparticles absorb the moisture, breaking it up and preventing it from forming liquid water. The wearer's own body heat pushes the water vapor out, away from the body, keeping the inside sweat-free.
"We knew that staying dry is staying warm. With FlashDry, the material wicks so well you'll literally see the vapors coming off your body," Hamilton told InnovationNewsDaily.
These innovative materials are only the first step in North Face's larger plan to change how people dress for the cold. Using what they learned in the development of ThermoBall and FlashDry, North Face scientists are developing two new systems that provide even more warmth and even less bulk. The "Unique to Me" line of products will include clothing that strategically protects the different areas of heat loss on men and women. "Adapt to Me" will go even further, with jackets featuring dynamic fabrics that change their properties based on the environment.
North Face doesn't plan on releasing either of those lines soon, but if they're anything like ThermoBall or FlashDry technology, they'll have to conquer some of the world's harshest environments first.
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