Outdoor technical apparel has come a long way from that point, but the longstanding misconception that thickness = warmth still exists.  REI just added to their expert advice columns a guide, "How to Choose Insulated Outerwear" to clear things up.

Layering for Efficient Warmth

It all breaks down to this. You're going to need three layers in the winter - a breathable base layer, an insulation layer, and a weather-resistant outer layer. The insulation layer is where PrimaLoft comes in. Some key takeaways from the REI guide about insulation are that:

-Bulk does NOT equate to warmth in outdoor apparel anymore

-PrimaLoft is your best bet when there will be wet conditions, including melting snow

-The warmth of PrimaLoft one when dry is equivalent to 500-550 fill-power down

-PrimaLoft One has the highest CLO value (warmth value) of any synthetic insulation available

The PrimaLoft Advantage

There are really three ways to insulate yourself when the mercury drops: down, synthetic, and fleece. Fleece works for a cool fall day, but that's about as far as it goes - it is unable to handle extensive cold and is not very compressible. For the really cold stuff or to pack light, you're going to need to go down or synthetic. PrimaLoft is the leading synthetic insulation on the market, and is truly the only type of synthetic insulation available that mimics the properties of down. It is as lightweight and compressible, and goes one better than down by retaining its thermal properties when wet.

The Science Behind PrimaLoft

What allows PrimaLoft to mimic down better than other synthetic insulations? REI streered the conversation towards some technical talk with PrimaLoft's own Vanessa Mason to find out why. Vanessa is an expert - not only is she director of global business development for PrimaLoft, she recieved her master's degree in chemical engineering with a focus on polymer sciences and materials. If you want to know the science behind PrimaLoft, she's the person to talk to. Highlights from the interview include:

Q: PrimaLoft has a good reputation among retailers and in the outdoor media. Yet some shoppers have second thoughts about PrimaLoft because of its relatively thin appearance compared to puffy down jackets. Should they be concerned?

A: That's something people in this industry are educated about—thickness does not necessarily equate to warmth. But it's difficult for some consumers to see that picture. Why does PrimaLoft work? Because it has an extreme microfiber structure. Think of a funnel. With PrimaLoft, you can fit greater number of smaller fibers in that funnel than you can with larger fibers (typical of older synthetic insulations). We just trap more air spaces, so we don't need as much volume to trap as much air.

Q: Is PrimaLoft close to being the equivalent of down?

A: You can get anywhere from 450-fill-power down to 900-fill-power down. Look at pinnacle (superior) down products—900 at the top of the pyramid, 450 and 500 along the bottom. Then look at the pinnacle synthetics, and PrimaLoft One is the best synthetic insulation you can buy. The pinnacle synthetic only crosses over to the down chart near the bottom end of the down pyramid. We usually equate PrimaLoft One as the equivalent of down in the 500 to 550 range. You could not replace a 900-fill-power down garment with PrimaLoft One and expect to get the same performance in dry conditions. However, wet down doesn't even come close to the bottom end of the synthetic pyramid in regard to thermal performance. As soon as you get down wet, you lose a lot of its thermal properties.

(Source: REI)

The Curious CLO-Value 

Chances are, as a consumer, you've never heard of a CLO-value.  Believed not to be an acronym but simply a truncated version of the word "clothing," CLO values were hatched in the 1940s and still used to gauge the effectiveness of insulated garments today.

The CLO benchmark is 1.0, considered to be the amount of clothing necessary for an inactive human to feel comfortable at room temperature, which is considered to be 21C, or roughly 71F.

How much clothing is that? A fully dressed men's business suit, of all things: shirt, tee, pants, jacket, socks, shoes. (Interestingly, the fabric of the suit was never mandated—just "a business suit.") Consumers rarely see CLO numbers referenced on promotional materials.

(Source: REI)

Well guess what? PrimaLoft One has a CLO value of 0.92, meaning that you'll feel just about as warm as a businessman in a 71-degree room - the highest CLO value of any synthetic insulation. When wet, it drops to just 0.90, keeping its thermal properties

There's good reason that outdoor enthusiasts will prefer PrimaLoft synthetic insulation over down - whether you ski, board, hike, climb, hunt, or just want to be prepared - you'll always be equipped for the weather, no matter what.

Good news: those of your who've been fans of L.L. Bean's Guide to the Outdoors are in luck - the 2010 series is available in both DVD format and for the first year on the Outdoor Channel!  Be sure to check your local listings for air times on the Outdoor Channel.

Tonight is the debut of PrimaLoft's is commercial for the L.L. Bean Guide to the Outdoors. Most people don't realize that while PrimaLoft is the premiere performance insulation in the outdoor industry and provides the silence and warmth hunters need, it was originally developed for use by the U.S. Military and still is used by them today.  Be sure to look for the video on the series.  We'll see you outside!

Warmer. Drier. Softer. While it’s true that these fine words characterize PrimaLoft's brand promise to deliver the warmest, softest, driest, and most compressible synthetic insulation available, we think our mascots deserve names that better capture their spirited personalities. From Seek the Peak in New Hampshire to Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City, these characters have had quite the adventurous summer, and as you can see, are enjoying every minute of it! 

It’s not too late! Simply click 'write a comment' below and tell us your creative name ideas for each of the PrimaLoft characters. Check out our previous blog post to jumpstart your creativity.  Don't forget to include your email address and help us spread the word through Facebook and Twitter.  On Sept. 18th, we'll pick the 3 names we like the best and the winners will have their choice between two items insulated with PrimaLoft, Eddie Bauer First Ascent Serrano Jacket or an L.L. Bean Katahdin 35 degree sleeping bag!

Contest Rules:

-While we encourage your interaction on PrimaLoft's Facebook and Twitter pages, only comments on the blog are valid

-You can enter as many times as you like, with as many names as you can think of (we encourage that) 

-Winners will be selected by purely subjective methods 

-The sweepstakes runs through September 18th and winners will be contacted the following day

Keep on the lookout for status updates on this and future contests on PrimaLoft’s Facebook and Twitter pages!

So we’re handing the reigns over to you to decide our characters’ expressive new names.  We’re looking for names that are descriptive enough to showcase what makes PrimaLoft the world’s best synthetic insulation, but match each character’s personality.  Need some inspiration?  Check out the video below of our characters being themselves at Summer Market (must have Quicktime) or a photo montage here.

Until September 18th, click 'write a comment' on the PrimaLoft Blog and leave your creative new name ideas for each of the PrimaLoft characters.  Don't forget to LEAVE YOUR E-MAIL and be sure to share the contest through Twitter or Facebook to get your friends involved.  We'll pick the names we like the most for each character.  To reward those who show great creativity, we have some great prizes lined up.  The three winners have their choice between two items insulated with PrimaLoft:

-An Eddie Bauer First Ascent Serrano Jacket (Men's or Women's sizes) - a versatile jacket designed for a remarkably tailored fit

-An L.L. Bean Katahdin 35 degree sleeping bag (Men's) - voted as the synthetic bag choice in Outside's Buyers Guide

So get cracking: ask that person at work who seems not to do much, ask your friend who does stand-up on Friday nights, and ask the person next to you in line at the coffee house – you never know where you’ll hear a good suggestion.  You have one month - your name suggestions could be chosen to win the great PrimaLoft insulated prizes!  Good luck!

SOME RULES TO KEEP IN MIND:

-You must comment ON THE BLOG to have your name submission be valid (Twitter or Facebook comments will not be counted)

-You can enter as many times as you like, with as many names as you can think of, in fact we encourage that

-We are choosing the names we like, so the choice will be based on purely subjective methods

-The contest is open until September 18th and we will announce and contact the winners the following day

Keep on the lookout for status updates on this and future contests on PrimaLoft’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Dramatic references aside, the show is great fun with a seemingly infinite amount of activities to participate in. Yesterday evening continued a tradition of happy hour excellence as PrimaLoft invited retailers from across the country to come by booth #39043, enjoy multiple cold ones, and enter to win an Apple iPad in addition to ExOfficio and Westcomb gear. Acting like true socialites, the PrimaLoft characters were at the booth mingling with the crowd after being sighted in multiple locations around the Salt Lake Palace.  Missed our happy hour yesterday?  Then you have one more chance tonight (August 4th) at 5pm MDT to grab a beer and win the iPad and gear from our brand partners!

Those of you at the show can find all the information that’s Summer Market-related by trending #ORShow on Twitter. We will do our part to keep you posted on PrimaLoft activities, and remember to stop by booth #39043 at 5pm MDT on August 4th for happy hour round two. On with the show!

PrimaLoft partnered with the festival’s presenting sponsor, L.L. Bean, to donate ten 35°F  Katahdin sleeping bags insulated with PrimaLoft to be raffled off at the event. Hikers that raised the minimum of $100 for the observatory were automatically entered in the prize pool. Another Katahdin bag was raffled off at the PrimaLoft booth and the lucky winner was Chris Currie. Chris mentioned that his friend also won a bag through the raffle, so we expect many future camping trips with matching L.L. Bean Katahdin sleeping bags. Congratulations, Chris!

Proudly claiming to have the “World’s worst weather,” the observatory sits at the summit of the tallest mountain in the northeastern United States and is famous for its breakthrough meteorological research.  It was at the observatory where they measured a world-record 231 mph wind gust! Having gone from the base where it was 85° and sunny to the summit where it was 54° and cloudy with 55 mph winds, I’m not going to argue their claim.

Funny story - Being a terrible packer, I wore shorts and a T-shirt to the summit and quickly found out what an oversight this was. I’ve included a picture of this failure of good judgment for your enjoyment, and as a reminder that if you do go to the summit (and I highly recommend you do), then dress appropriately (bring your PrimaLoft!). My PrimaLoft insulated vest did a great job keeping me warm given the rest of my appalling mountaineering outfit.

In all, Seek the Peak was a great event: the Mt. Washington Observatory raised a recorded $200,000, the PrimaLoft brand ambassadors made many new friends, and dozens of people went home with incredible new PrimaLoft gear!

Here’s to the next adventure…

Stories happen when you’re plans don’t work out. I learned that yesterday coming off the Grand Teton.

In early June valley temps in Jackson Hole are in the 70s, while the high Teton peaks are still very much covered in snow. Crampons, ice tools, and puffy jackets are all a part of the puzzle for summiting a still rime-covered Grand Teton. Packing essential gear makes the trip easier: light harness, light rope, light boots—all these things make that first Spring ascent easier, at least in my head. Because the wind was ever present on the upper mountain, we climbed the entire upper Exum Ridge route in Patagonia Nano Puff pullovers, superlight, synthetic sweaters made of Primaloft that layer well, fit nicely under harnesses, and keep the wind at bay.

After summiting mid-morning to blue skies and minor gales, we began the long descent to the valley floor. Halfway to the Lower Saddle, I was downclimbing steep snow when a smattering of breakable ice chunks from higher in the mountain came bounding down. Before I could duck—WHAM! I caught a dinner plate square in the mouth. I thought I broke my nose, jaw, teeth—there was blood everywhere. Adrenaline scorching through my entire body, I took a couple minutes to get my scene together. A quick self-diagnosis, and I wound up with only a bad laceration on my upper outside and inner lip. Nonetheless, I couldn’t stop the bleeding. I tore a shirt up and wrapped it around my head, right across my upper lip.

My partner and I then made our way down to the Jenny Lake Ranger cache at 11,600 feet, where rangers cleaned me up for the time being and sent us on our way with real bandages. I couldn’t help but notice, all the rangers were clad in their government-issued Nano Puffs.

We hiked the remaining seven miles, got in my car, stopped for a road soda at Dornan’s restaurant, swung by my home where I took a quick shower, finally arriving at the ER with a big, black bloody grill. I spent two hours getting stitched up before the doctor released me.

My face newly sewn shut, I strolled out the front door, my mouth swollen, distended and numb from a one-two combo of trauma and local anesthetic.

I was lucky it wasn’t worse. In an effort to be safe, we were moving quickly on the descent. Speed is oftentimes safety in the mountains. Even so, gravity moves faster. Part of mountaineering is exposing yourself to Mother Nature on her terms. And to accept it’s always on her terms.

You'll need it to stay warm if you're heading to Mount Washington for the Seek the Peak hike-a-thon fundraiser to benefit the Mt. Washington Observatory this weekend, July 24–25, so don't forget to bring your PrimaLoft insulated gear!

You can check out this video to learn more about the Mt. Washington Observatory:

Stop by our booth at the base of the Auto Road at Mount Washington for your chance to win a Katahdin sleeping bag and to learn more about PrimaLoft and our great brand partners like L.L. Bean, The North Face, Patagonia, Swiss Army, Mountain Hardwear, Merrell, Arc’Teryx, and the list goes on!

Please stay tuned to our company blog for your chance to win great prizes from PrimaLoft and our amazing brand partners!

Enter NOW to win an L.L. Bean sleeping bag made with PrimaLoft insulation

This weekend, PrimaLoft will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Mount Washington Observatory's Seek the Peak Hike-a-Thon fundraiser with our friends at LL Bean (among other terrific presenting sponsors).

In honor of this great event, PrimaLoft and L.L. Bean will represent with the usual event fare, including swag prizes and gear (geah) giveaways at our booth(s). For those of you who can’t attend, you can still enter to win one of L.L. Bean’s famed Katahdin sleeping bag made with PrimaLoft insulation. Check out what Outside magazine had to say about it here.

Seek the Peak is New England's premier hiking event with people hailing from all over (ovah) the U.S. to attend. For helpful tips about the event, visit the Seek the Peak website here. For helpful tips on how to properly imitate the Boston accent when traveling to New England, check this out.

How to enter: It’s simple, really.

Just be the 10th person to correctly post the answers to the following (3) questions about PrimaLoft insulation in the comment section AND become our fan on FaceBook. We'll keep the entries hidden until we've got a winner, so post away–it just might be you!

1. Primaloft was first invented for use in the early 1980’s for whom?

2. What are three outdoor industry brands using Primaloft in their gear (list any three)?

3. What is Primaloft’s most important performance advantage over down insulation?

With brand partners like L.L. Bean, The North Face, Arc’Teryx, Patagonia and many others, we have big plans to connect with our friends on the social web with plenty more gear (geah) giveaways to come. Stay tuned!

The event will feature an engaging, 60-minute seminar full of trail-tested tips designed to inspire hikers, campers, and outdoor enthusiasts to get out and enjoy the great outdoors.

The 10th annual Get Out More Tour stops at over 70 specialty outdoor retail shops and outdoor festivals over 7 months, visiting 48 states from coast to coast. The Stuyvesant Plaza event is the only New York State tour stop north of Manhattan.

Event attendees will gain practical outdoor tips from seasoned tour hosts, Sheri and Randy Propster. The Propsters have gained extensive experience in wilderness exploration. In 2006, the couple embarked on a thru-hike of the American Discovery Trail, taking them along a coast-to-coast adventure through thirteen states over 253 days, enduring everything four seasons of living in the outdoors has to offer. Then in 1999, Randy and Sheri took on the challenge of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, spending 222 days hiking from Georgia to Maine.

Now the Propsters will share their knowledge with Capital Region outdoor enthusiasts, as they cover topics like trip planning, choosing the right outdoor gear and apparel, and safety in the outdoors.

Backpacker’s 2010 Get Out More Tour Event Details
EMS, Stuyvesant Plaza - 1475 Western Avenue - Albany - (518) 482-0088
Thursday, July 15th, 7pm–8pm
Check-out the latest in outdoor gear and apparel
Learn new skills and brush-up on old ones
Win great outdoor prizes from EMS, PrimaLoft and others
The event is FREE and open to the public!

PrimaLoft Insulation, a division of Albany International Corp. based in Menands, is the exclusive insulation sponsor of the 10th annual Get Out More Tour. This is the second consecutive year of tour sponsorship for PrimaLoft, which aligns with the brand’s active engagement campaign designed to educate consumers and retailers about the properties and benefits of using PrimaLoft Insulation.

Here's what the review had to say about PrimaLoft® Infinity:

"This is a great price for any zero-degree-bag, never mind one stuffed with PrimaLoft® Infinity , a top-shelf but affordable synthetic insulation with a great loft-to-compressibility ratio..."

All activities were held in recognition of International Pillow Fight Day, a series of fun and lighthearted events held around the world on Saturday, April 3. The largest pillow fight was held in Union Square, New York City, with thousands of participants and onlookers.

On Friday, April 2, the PrimaLoft marketing team appeared in their pajamas on NBC TODAY to raise awareness of International Pillow Fight Day, while donating hundreds of luxury pillows to audience members, anchors and staff. NBC TODAY hosts Matt Lauer and Ann Curry got into the spirit of the event by participating in an impromptu pillow fight on air. PrimaLoft costume characters roamed the plaza, while posing for photos with curious onlookers.

On Saturday, April 3, PrimaLoft pillows were donated to participants of International Pillow Fight Day in Union Square. The PrimaLoft marketing team also distributed postcards to participants and onlookers offering a 15% discount offer on PrimaLoft branded bedding sold on ShopDownlite.com.

“The organizers of International Pillow Fight Day 2010 banned the use of feather pillows, and since PrimaLoft is known as the Luxury Down Alternative –we recognized an opportunity to raise awareness of the PrimaLoft bedding brand by providing pillows to consumers in New York City prior to the event,” stated Diane O’Connor, PrimaLoft’s manager of marketing communications.

We had a great turnout from a broad range of trade and consumer media representing: O, The Oprah Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Country Living, Modern Bride, National Geographic Adventure, Family Travel Forum, Field & Stream, Home Textiles Today, Shape, Footwear News, Hospitality Design, Footwear Plus, Outdoor Life, and many more.

On June 3rd, we also hosted an appreciation evening for PrimaLoft retailers in the New York and Metro area to thank them for supporting the brand. Retailers were invited to meet the PrimaLoft team, learn more about PrimaLoft products and preview the fall/winter 2009/2010 PrimaLoft products from our partners. Thank you to all PrimaLoft retailers for making the past year such a success!

The PrimaLoft team was on site to cheer up athletes and meet with spectators to demonstrate the features and benefits of PrimaLoft insulations: warmer, drier, softer and more compressible.

Congratulations to Aaron Robinson and Shannan Yates who won this year’s overall title of The North Face Masters.

Mark Woolley, a certified ski instructor at Sugarbush Resort in Vermont, conducted the test for the New York Times to inform readers on what to look for when selecting ski sock.

Woolley tested the Fox River Rocky made with PrimaLoft Merino Wool Blend Yarn and Lorpen Tri-Layer Light socks made with PrimaLoft Eco Blend Yarn. He also tested ski socks from Thorlo, Smartwool and Wigwam. Woolley wore each pair of socks for two days, washing them between wearings.