How to look stylish at low temperatures: new thermal underwear technologies

Since ancient times underwear made of cotton or wool has been used as an insulating element in cold weather. But this kind of underwear had one significant disadvantage: in case of heavy physical exertion a person started to sweat profusely and the sweat soaked into the material, which worsened the thermal insulation.

Today, thanks to new technologies in the production of fabrics has become possible to simultaneously keep warm and remove moisture. This is how thermal underwear came into being.

traveler, extreme-sportsman

To begin with, it is worth remembering the great phrase that there is no such thing as bad weather, there is wrongly chosen clothes.
And thus expensive and fashionable clothes in the mountains does not always mean effective.

Working principle of thermal underwear

As you know, thermal underwear is a lower garment that has the properties to maintain a constant body temperature regardless of the ambient temperature. It performs this function under one condition: the underwear must fit tightly around the body. If this does not happen, the free areas of the skin collect droplets of sweat, which, evaporating, begin to cool it.

Modern technology has allowed to develop a certain method of production of yarn from synthetic material with a complex structure: between the fibers of the threads there is air. The human body heats this air to the optimal temperature, which remains unchanged for a long time. The same structure allows excess moisture to escape. Due to the pressure difference, the warm air pushes the moisture out of the thermal underwear.

When exercising and sweating a lot, you should choose a thicker material consisting of several layers, as excess moisture will be collected in the outer protective layer, which protects the body from the external environment.

Merino wool thermal underwear

Merino wool thermal underwear belongs to the category of warming thermal clothing. Its main purpose is to create an optimal microclimate for the skin of the body and its maintenance regardless of the duration of stay in the cold.

It is not a universal type of thermal underwear, but a heat-saving variety with certain properties. It is softer and has a small thickness, but it keeps you warm when you are out in the cold for long periods of time. Wool contains lanolin, a wool wax that softens and moisturizes the skin. Along with the advantages, merino wool thermal underwear has a few disadvantages. For example, it can not be washed in hot or very warm water, as this changes the structure of the material. Surprisingly, but natural underwear is inferior to a product made of artificial materials.

This thermal clothing can not remove moisture from the inner layer to the outside. Therefore, in warm woolen thermal underwear you can sweat even in winter.

traveler, extreme sportsman

Thermal underwear is like a second skin for any mountain hiker, mountaineer, runner or any other person from similar fields. It protects us from overheating, from hypothermia, and also easily copes with our sweat and makes sure that sweat does not emit odor.
In fact, the most important task of thermal underwear is to draw moisture away from the outside. The moisture evaporates outside and our body stays warm and dry.
Plus thermal underwear can also keep us warm, which is also very important in the mountains.

Synthetic materials

Synthetics are great because they wick away and accumulate almost no moisture, and the minimum remaining moisture evaporates quickly. Synthetic thermal underwear is more wear-resistant and less prone to deformation. Such fabrics also prevent the reproduction of bacteria that cause the odor of sweat.

Some manufacturers sometimes use special impregnations to enhance the antibacterial and antimicrobial properties of synthetic thermal underwear. What are the advantages of basic synthetic fibers?

• Polypropylene is better than other materials at drawing moisture away from the skin without getting wet. But thermal underwear made of 100% polypropylene is not recommended to wear for a very long time, and even more so to sleep in it, because the material will excessively dry the skin.
• Polyester is considered the best material for thermal underwear. By fiber structure, polyester is similar to cotton. Things made of it last a long time, always remain soft, well drain moisture. Products made of polyester can be dried on a radiator and even ironed.
• Polyamide is characterized by its smooth feel and lightness. Almost all variations of seamless underwear are made from polyamide.
• Elastane is a material of fine fibers that are added to increase elasticity and durability. The greater the proportion of elastane in the composition, the better the underwear stretches without leaving stretch marks.

Thermal underwear made of cotton and silk

The properties of natural fibers are very important and indispensable in the manufacture of heat-saving things, so they are often used in combination with synthetic materials. Cotton removes moisture from the skin faster than other materials, even without contact with it, but it accumulates it and retains it very firmly.

The retained moisture in the skin constantly cools it until it evaporates completely. As it evaporates, it consumes body heat. For this reason, manufacturers combine cotton with synthetics: in this way, the moisture is removed quickly, and the skin remains quite dry.

So underwear made of 100% cotton is better left for daily wear and for sleeping, but not for sports and going outside in sub-zero temperatures. Silk gives thermal underwear high strength and wear resistance. In addition, underwear with silk is extremely pleasant to the skin.

In the production of thermal underwear silk is used only in combination with synthetic materials and quite rarely, because the material itself is expensive for manufacturers.

traveler, extreme sportsman

It is possible to exercise without thermal underwear, of course, but it is fraught with high heat losses, and this will more quickly lead to fatigue and dehydration due to the fact that the body, in addition to sweating, will have to spend additional energy to warm up. Since wet clothing is very cooling.

When choosing thermal underwear it is important to remember – it should not be loose, but should fit tightly to the body, then it will work.