Fabrics & Technologies - Four you're going to come across this Winter

The Autumn/Winter season is well and truly upon us, there's that familiar nip in the air (although I havn't had to deice the car as of yet) and we're all reaching for those big jackets that have been hiding away in the cupboard for the last 6 months. Or for some realizing that ancient bomber jacket just isn't keeping you warm enough any more. Searching for a new jacket these days can be time consuming, weighing up the different styles, brands and colours. One area that can be rather confuzzling at times is the world of fabrics and technologies. We thought we'd take a closer look at four fabrics & technologies that your bound to see this Winter.

Goose Down

When the cold hits, Goose Down is the go to insulator year after year. Despite pretty in depth research, there is yet to be a synthetic fabric found that offers the same warmth offered by Down. It's incredibly lightweight and extremely compressible, allowing you to pack it away and store easily when not in use. One of the negatives of down is it's performance in wet conditions. A durable water repellent coating will ensure snow drift and lighter showers will be repelled without a problem, but it's advised not to wear it out in the pouring rain, otherwise the down will wet out and you won't be particularly warm. Figures to look out for are the 'Fill Power' which is essentially the quality of performance & the amount of down actually put in the jacket, for instance a Goose Down jacket might have 250g of Down with a 700 fill power.

Primaloft

Primaloft are the market leaders when it comes to synthetic insulation. Primaloft is incredibly soft, lightweight and breathable, as well as being rather toasty of course! The Primaloft fabric itself is almost like a very soft to the touch cotton wool. We've done a test a couple of times in the office where you place a square of Primaloft on the palm of your hand and within seconds that square begins to heat up, it's stupendously effective. Insulation wise, it's very popular in the U.K. climate for the Autumn/Winter months, partly down to the fact that it continues to work even when wet. So if your likely to head out when the rain clouds are hovering, Primaloft might be the insulation for you.

Pertex

Moving away from insulation and on to outer and lining fabrics, we have Pertex. Again, pretty much the market leader in this area. It's found typically in Down jackets and Sleeping Bags. Pertex fabrics are amazingly light, durable and have high levels of wind resistance. You'll see some of the variations of Pertex listed as Downproof, ensuring you don't get feathers and down popping out all over the place. Again, because Pertex fabrics are used a lot in Down products, you'll get a water repellent coating, but not waterproofing.

Polartec

Polartec fleece fabrics make for the ideal mid layer. It's breathable, lightweight and of course plush and cosy to keep the chill out. Polartec fabrics provide warmth without the weight and bulk of traditional fleece insulating fabrics. It works by trapping heat in its highloft fibres and maintains its insulating properties and non piling appearance even after countless washes.