WOOLPOWER: HIGH PERFORMANCE GARMENTS FROM SWEDEN.

7Feb/10

WOOLPOWER: HIGH PERFORMANCE GARMENTS FROM SWEDEN.

From time to time I feel compelled to recommend a product to my readers. Today is such a day. I'm here to tell you that WOOLPOWER is heaven sent.

After being blasted by over 2 feet of snow this weekend, I finally found myself with the opportunity to break out a mid-layer garmet I have been dying to put too the test. Recently, I scored a Woolpower Full Zip Jacket 400 for an incredible deal of only $50 at MidwayUSA. (sorry, price is already back up to $117). Not cheap, but even at $117, I think it's worth it.

I'm not going to go into great detail about why I loved it. Fact is, the garmet did everything it claimed it could. It was warm and comfortable, it wicked away moisture like nobody's business (layers above and below were soaked, but this layer was dry), it was even self cleaning like it claimed. In short is was arguably the best purchase I've ever made when it comes to clothing. I couldn't possible love it more. I wish I had bought 2. In fact, I am going to get a 2nd, and probably several other garmets from Woolpower in the upcoming weeks. It's that good.

My new favorite article of clothing.

I'm usually against labels, but I love this product so much that I'm even excited about the label stitched into the back collar

Woolpower are HIGH PERFORMANCE THERMAL UNDERGARMENTS. FROM SWEDEN. Material comes in various weights, each of which has a different function and advantage. Woolpower garments are available in 200, 400, 600 och 800 g/m².

Woolpower garmets, as you may have gathered, are primarily (2/3 wool, 1/3 synthetic fibers). They refer to it as Ullfrotté Origina. It was developed by Woolpower AB in Östersund in the early 1970’s in collaboration with the Swedish military, scientists, doctors and survival experts. The textile is highly wear resistant and consists of fine Merino wool, polyamide/polyester and air.

ULLFROTTÉ ORIGINAL IS 80% AIR
The material is knit so that one side is smooth, and the other has terry loops. The lofty terry loops, in combination with the crimp in the wool fibers, creates a knitwear capable of trapping a lot of air. Up to 80% of the material actually consists of air, which means that the material has an excellent capacity to trap body heat. The more air you can keep still around the body, the more heat you can retain.

Oh, almost forgot. One of the coolest features of this garmet, and undoubtebly a source of pride for those manufacturing it, is that each garmet is created by one seamstress. No assembly line here. One seamstress, one garmet. And to prove it, Woolpower has each seamstress affix their own label onto it. Bye the way, thank you Lise-Lotte Rundstrom...I absolutely love my jacket.