Performance fabric specialist PrimaLoft is introducing a new insulation for outerwear products that features a material more commonly used in space exploration.
The new PrimaLoft Gold Insulation Aerogel incorporates the ultra-light and extremely porous Aerogel, which is renowned in space exploration, giving a highly effective insulation that protects against extreme cold or heat even when compressed. It is also said to be very flexible, waterproof and extremely lightweight.
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Aerogels consist of 95% air, making them among the lightest known solids and one of the most effective insulation materials. A highly porous structure with millions of small air chambers forms a barrier, blocking out the discomfort of punishing hot or cold temperatures.
Currently this innovation is mainly used in footwear and gloves, the company says, in the form of flexible, encapsulated footbeds, insoles, toe caps and glove inserts, which can be customised for each brand partner.
While lofted insulations can lose their high performance under sustained compression, the PrimaLoft Gold Insulation Aerogel is said to retain 98% of its original thermal performance – a key benefit in footwear, where every extra millimetre determines optimal fit and comfort.
Laboratory tests are said to have shown that insoles with the new Aerogel insulation keep the foot warmer by 14°C in extreme cold (-78°C) and 10°C cooler in high heat (60°C) than previous PrimaLoft footwear insulation.
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By GlobalDataFor winter 2018/19, PrimaLoft Gold Insulation Aerogel is being used in a range of 42 jackets by Helly Hansen, where it is used as a Life pocket to protect technical equipment from the cold; and in the award winning Merrell Thermo Rogue hiking shoe.
