Merino
Wool We have used Merino wool garments from Smartwool and
Ortovox and are convinced they offer a fantastic perfomance advantage over traditional
synthetic base layers in cooler conditions. Merino
Base Layers
Merino
Hats
Merino Balaclavas
Technical
background:
Both Ortovox and Smartwool only use
high quality wool from Merino Sheep. This is used as the fibres are of a high
quality and a thin enough to avoid the "itch" sometimes found with wool
garments. These fibres are then machined to produce a fabric which is 100% merino
wool. Suprisingly it feels much softer and more comfortable than you can imagine. The
advantages.
Put simply they are:
It's very
warm and cosy, it stays warm when damp or wet, it doesn't smell and it is easy
to care for. The
following is taken from the Ortovox sales catalogue:
Feeling
good is feeling wool
Too warm or too cold – too wet or too dry:
A critical factor in feeling really well is 'body climate'. Your skin plays an
important role in this. The skin is one of the most complex organs of the body
and unparalleled in its function. Skin participates in all movements; at the same
time it not only protects the organs but shields the body from heat and cold,
water and sunlight and provides temperature and moisture regulation. Therefore,
the clothing layer that you wear in contact with the skin is the most important
layer. With this layer you can impair or support the skin's functions and contribute
to greater comfort even during physical activity. That's why you need the best
material. And that is provided by nature: Wool. A second, natural skin with even
more functionality than human skin. And it's unrivaled by any man-made textile
fiber. Protect your skin from synthetic functions. Give it only the best. Merino
wool. Warm around the heart
You've
seen it all before: You're cold; you put something on but it takes a while before
you really feel warm to the core. It's different with wool. You feel the warming
factor of the wool and a quick, pleasant warmth. That is because of the structure
of wool fiber. Many tiny air pockets between the crimped fibers of the wool provide
a high degree of insulation and warmth. The insulation principle using air also
functions with heat. Think of the sheep that have to sustain the New Zealand summer
temperatures of up to 35 ºC. Not a problem. Because the air pockets of the
wool deflect heat too, and make temperature regulation possible. Temperature
regulation
If wool has such a high heat factor,
won't I get too warm during physical activity? Not at all. Because with wool's
breathability the body's temperature is regulated even during physical activities
of different intensities. This is represented in the illustrated curve: body temperature
remains consistently at a comfortable level under different stresses: uphill,
break at the top and downhill. Especially when taking a break after strenuous
exertion those not wearing wool are freezing or have to change clothes. This is
because of the moisture regulating quality of wool. Moisture
regulation
When engaged in physical activity
the human being starts to perspire. There's a reason for this. Perspiration has
a specific function. It protects the organism from overheating, because the skin
provides for cooling. When perspiration is transferred from the skin, the body
continues to produce sweat, in order to maintain the desired natural cooling effect,
whereby the body is stressed, because it works harder than it would otherwise.
Researchers
at the University of Graz have found that athletes wearing clothing that transports
the sweat outward have a more rapid increase in lactic acid than athletes wearing
clothing made of wool. In other words: The natural function of wool contributes
to higher performance. Because wool can store up to 30 % of its own weight in
moisture in its fibers. Accordingly, the cooling effect is maintained and one
does not have an unpleasant feeling on the skin. This storage function of wool
has its advantages, especially in breathable wind and water-repellent outer clothing.
Wool acts as a moisture buffer and continuously discharges moisture outward. During
physical activity, moisture is stored and transported to the outside. During rest
breaks, the stored moisture is released, whereby accumulation of moisture on the
inside of the outer clothing is prevented. A further
advantage is that wool, even with stored moisture – that is, when it feels
moist – still warms. That makes wool the ideal clothing for various activities
or even changing temperatures. (e.g. skiing – riding the lift) COMFORT
Are
you fed up with foul-smelling functional underwear? And had enough of laundry?
Then you should allow yourself more comfort: Merino wool, naturally with comfort. Scratchy.
Is that what wool is supposed to be? You'll be surprised how soft ORTOVOX Merino
feels. The scratchy feeling on the skin is passé. With ORTOVOX Merino only
the finest 17 micron Merino wool is used. The micron (thousandth of a millimeter)
is the unit used for expressing the fineness of wool. Merino wool has a fiber
thickness of 15 to 25 microns, whereby the finest fibers cannot be cost-effectively
worked. The 17 micron ORTOVOX Merino wool is far below the physiological scratch
threshold of 17 microns. From this size upwards the human being perceives the
fiber as scratchy. Because the fine and also elastic Merino fibers crimp on contact
with the skin, they don't stimulate the nerve endings in contrast with conventional,
less elastic virgin wool. Odor
Who
has not experienced it? In alpine huts or at après-ski there's unpleasant
odor everywhere. One of the major advantages of wool is its odor neutrality –
even after heavy perspiration and being worn several times. Neutralization of
sweat bacteria is done by the protein molecules of the wool fiber. Even silver
ions, which are worked into synthetic fibers for combatting unpleasant odors,
don't come close to this biological function of wool. All you have to do is hang
ORTOVOX Merino products for a couple of hours in the fresh air. You can be sure
that the product is ready for more action with you. Without washing, without a
loss of function. Care
If
you still want to wash ORTOVOX Merino, it's easy to machine wash up to 40 ºC.
This is possible thanks to the special treatment of the ORTOVOX Merino wool with
the TOTAL EASY CARE process. In this process, the plate-like structure of the
wool fiber is washed down, which prevents significant shrinkage of the wool. NATURE
We
human beings are part of the natural environment. Therefore we feel the need to
experience nature. Especially because constant contact with nature has been lost
in our society. We need intensive outdoor experiences in unique nature, in order
to feel good. With ORTOVOX Merino you are in harmony with nature. Natural feeling
directly on the skin. And don't overlook the ecology
factor. Wool, as a natural product, is part of the natural cycle and is completely
degradable and a renewable raw material. In contrast, synthetic fiber products
are practically indestructable. Wool is anti-static and
protects your body from additional electrostatic charge. Because
of its biochemical composition it is slow to ignite and protects against UV radiation Merino
Base Layers
Merino
Hats
Merino Balaclavas
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