The Ecco Offroad Sandal has a versatile design features make this sturdy nubuck upper sandal great for all outdoor wear. It gives superior grip and traction in outdoor terrain, its sole has been created with advanced footwear technology to ensure increased support and wearability, being lightweight with a specially designed tread pattern to provide optimum comfort so your feet will stay fresh with the stretch-fit material lining.
The North Face Paramount Peak Convertible Pant is a best-selling convertible pant updated with larger pocket space and improved durability for prolonged use. Pant legs unzip at knees, morphing into shorts, creating the ultimate transitional hiking pant/short combination. Elastic waistband at back with webbed belt included. Made with midweight nylon fabric.
The Rainbird Stowaway is a super light rain shell (approx 420 grams), compact, waterproof and functional. With air-vents front and rear for extra ventilation, a fold-away hood that is concealed into the collar and a stowaway pouch this jacket is ideal for those who need an emergency shell for unexpected downpours while travelling or hiking.
The Stowaway is lined with a useful combination of mesh for ease of airflow and taffeta for a silky touch.
The lightweight fabric is waterproof and windproof as well as breathable and totally seamsealed.Waterproof rating to 2000mm which is as good as most tents.
The Stowaway jacket comes to you in a handy storage pack and will also fold into it’s own pocket! This pack-away feature and high performance capability makes it the ideal choice for travellers, hikers, campers, adventurers and walkers alike.
Without a doubt this is quite simply the best value buy around for waterproof and breathable Hooded Jackets that looks great and just so handy to have.
A classic, coveted down jacket redesigned for 2011 with a more modern, flattering slim fit. Constructed with ample 700-fill goose down, this high-loft down jacket delivers plush warmth in brutal conditions. Double-layer taffeta paneling at shoulders provides added durability from abrasion caused by pack carry.
Named for the rugged peak just over a mile southwest of Mount Everest, The North Face Nuptse is the go-to down jacket among cold weather activity enthusiasts. The Nuptse jacket is chocked full of 700 goose down fill, providing superior thermal insulation. Not only is the North Face Nuptse Jacket supremely warm, the high loft down filling makes it super lightweight and ultra compressible, so it packs easy and won’t weigh you down.
The styling of the Nuptse Jacket is as classic as classic can be. This puffy, down jacket features a straight yoke across the chest for a better, more flattering fit, double layer taffeta on the shoulders to reduce wear from your pack, and adjustable wrist cuffs and a hem cinch-cord to keep the cold out. With the Nuptse jacket, you don’t have to worry about the snow soaking your down, either. The North Face Nuptse Jacket features the North face Durable Water Repellent finish on both the nylon body of the jacket and the zipper. The North Face Nuptse Jacket also has pockets galore with two zippered hand pockets and an internal zip pocket to keep valuables safe. The Nuptse is also zip-in compatible with other North Face jackets.
The North Face Nuptse Vest provides all of the warmth and comfort of the Nuptse jacket, and none of the sleeves. The Nuptse vest is great for layering over a fleece or softshell jacket, and features the same high loft 700 goose down fill to keep your core toasty warm. The Nuptse vest is also zip-in compatible and features the Durable Water Repellent finish.
Typically meant for use in running, hiking, skiing, mountain climbing, cycling, and in other types of outdoor aerobic exercise, these SmartWool merino wool baselayers command a premium over synthetic fabrics.
Made out of Merino Wool, which is common in high-end, performance athletic wear. Several properties contribute to merino’s popularity for exercise clothing, compared to wool in general and to other types of fabric:
When you head out for an epic powder day, three-pitch ice climb, or a backcountry snowshoe tour, the Smartwool Microweight Crew or the Smartwool Microweight Zip Top is the perfect way to start your layering. If you need a warmer yet still breathable baselayer for stop and go activities you might want to look at the Smartwool Midweight Crew or the Smartwool Midweight Zip Top
Made from soft, stretchy, odor-resistant merino wool, this baselayer wicks moisture and dries just as quickly as any synthetic baselayers in a comfy, all-natural package. Flatlock seams eliminate chafing on aerobic outings.
http://adventuremegastore.com.au/catalogsearch/result/index/?cat=62&q=smartwool
Polartec LLC, the exclusive company that manufactures Polartec fleece, produces an entire family of Polartec fabrics that is designed as the ultimate climate control. There are three layers that each one of the fabrics fits into; the inner or thermal layer (the closest to your body), the middle layer, and the outer layer.
The first thing to remember about Polartec is that it breathes. This is important, because as you perspire, your sweat is wicked away from your body. So you have dry warmth surrounding you rather than cold perspiration that will chill you. Next, the fibers of this polyester fabric trap the heat you produce, therefore keeping your temperature regulated.
The North Face Polartec Salathe Jacket
Polartec Classic fabrics are the reference standard for lightweight warmth and breathability. This is the original fleece offering unparalleled quality and durability. Polartec Classic fabrics have been the primary insulation layer of choice among experienced outdoor enthusiasts for nearly three decades.
These fabrics are available in a range of weights to provide the right level of insulation for most outdoor activities. Polartec Classic 100 weight fabrics are the lightest and are excellent for a warm first layer or lightweight sweater, ideal for biking, trail running, and backpacking (like The North Face Salathe Jacket and The North Face TKA 100 Microvelour). Polartec Classic 300 weight fabrics are the heaviest and provide a warm thermal layer for very cold outdoor activities, such as wintertime adventures. Halfway in between are Polartec Classic 200 weight fabrics, providing outstanding warmth and versatility.
The rechargeable Petzl NAO headlamp adapts its two high power LEDs instantly and automatically to the lighting needs for greater comfort, fewer manual interventions and longer battery life. NAO is the first Petzl headlamp with REACTIVE LIGHTING technology which is a revolution in hands-free lighting. A built-in light sensor adapts the headlamp’s beam pattern and light output instantly and automatically to suit the user’s needs, getting an ideal amount of light with minimal manual adjustment. This self-adjusting lighting mode also results in longer burn times, due to more efficient use of the rechargeable battery.
The nylonTarp Poncho from Sea to Summit is a handy item to include in your kit on occasions when you need a tarp to sleep under or as an emergency shelter. The Tarp Poncho is not only a tarp or poncho, but a pack cover, tent awning or ground sheet! The Poncho is constructed of a lightweight waterproof fabric which is double stitched and tape sealed and is great in temperate conditions where you may sweat too much in a traditional rain jacket. It includes a peaked hood and the poncho is plenty big enough to cover a large backpack while wearing it. The poncho easily converts into a 2 person tarp shelter and has reinforced attachment points for guy ropes etc. Weighing in at only 367grams it is a great addition to your kit for emergencies and it wont break your back carrying it.
Waterproof technology has remained about the same since the very first hard shell. Breathability is achieved through diffusion: moisture and heat create enough pressure that moisture vapor finally passes through the fabric. Soft shells trade waterproofness for greater breathability by making use of convection: a constant exchange of air allows more moisture vapor to escape. Now, Polartec® NeoShell® delivers the best of both worlds. Its exclusive membrane allows air to pull moisture vapor out – even at extremely low levels of pressure. So it helps keep you drier during high-exertion activities. Polartec® NeoShell® is the first-ever fabric to enable peak performance in any condition. It’s time to be liberated.
No sooner has Gore launched its impressive new Active Shell fabric for autumn 2011 than Polartec announces NeoShell, a new waterproof material claimed unequivocably to the the most breathable waterproof fabric out there. Not only that, Polartec has also had a dig at outdated testing methods, which it says - in a not very subtle dig at its rivals – ‘yield some bizarre results’.
A golden ticket to Willie Wonka Land is nothing compared to a glimpse behind the scenes at Polartec’s factory of dream fabrics. North of Boston, Mass. is an unassuming building that houses research and production that helps to keep us warm and comfortable. Polartec has raised the bar again, extending garment performance with the launch this week of its new NeoShell hydrophobic, microporous polyurethane membrane technology.
There was no mistaking the message – ‘NeoShell® is the most breathable waterproof fabric on the market today.’ For Autumn next year expect to see Rab, Vaude, Mountain Equipment, The North Face, Eider, Mammut and Marmot using the fabric, with more to follow.
Unlike the majority of hardshell waterproofs on the market today which have zero airflow, NeoShell allows actual air permeability (0.5 CFM or 2 l/m2/sec). Even a tiny amount of air permeability, irrelevant from a wind chill perspective, iresults in much better moisture vapour transport. Trad shell fabrics need heat and pressure to build inside the garment before the membrane begins to work.
This new technology breathes actively thanks to an exclusive sub-micron fibre membrane with unprecedented air permeability and yields competitive scores on traditional waterproof breathability measures like RET and MVTR. Never mind the moans about marketing and hype, engage the brain and reap the benefit on the hill.
However, Polartec believes ‘These outdated static tests also yield some bizarre results that are completely counter to real world observations, like hardshells are supposedly more breathable than 200 weight fleece. Polartec is encouraging the industry to use a test that more closely emulates real world experience in the Dynamic Moisture Permeation Cell (ASTM 2298).’ That is s a test preferred by the United States military to evaluate fabrics as it more closely predicts actual user experience.
Stay tuned for our next article on the various waterproof breathable fabrics coming out this year.