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Wool, synthetic materials and garment characteristics
Anyone who has been a little bit out know that products that keep you dry and warm are an important factor in making the experience a success.
Thanks to countless hours out and about, we have been able to develop and innovate wool and polypropylene products.
Below we will share some of our knowledge about weight, insulation ability, moisture transport and more, so you can make the right choice for you when buying sports underwear.
First a little about body and heat
Our body has a core temperature of 37ºC which should not vary more than 3ºC up or down. This variation is very small in the context of sporting activity.
The body produces more than 1000 watts per second. hour at high activity such as skiing with pulk.
Of the energy we produce during activity, one third goes to motion, while the rest goes to heat production.
This is the body's defense mechanism against overheating. Almost all the energy that goes to heat production comes out through the skin as sweat.
One liter of sweat gives us a 700 Watt cooling, but also makes the need for moisture transport great. If your underwear does not do this, you become cold when you are standing still. Being chilled in the wrong place at the wrong time, as on an expedition, can have fatal consequences.
The dry weight of the textiles
Different garments contain different fibers, which in turn have different density and weight.
If you are going to use a garment for a long time, such as on an expedition, this can be an important factor to consider.
Also in steeper outdoor recreation, there is talk of gramming. In other words, trying to reduce the weight of food, packaging and equipment to the absolute minimum.
When we talk about weight on underwear for use in physical activity, we must then consider both the dry weight of the garment and the moisture absorption.
Of course, if a garment is made of a substance that absorbs a lot of moisture, this affects the weight when in activity and sweat.
Here you can see a review of the dry weight of some selected fibers.
- Polypropylene: 0.91 g / cm3
- Nylon: 1.14 g / cm 3
- Polyester: 1.38 g / cm3
- Cotton: 1.50 g / cm3
- Wool: 1.32 g / cm 3
The reason why Polypropylene is lighter than the other substances is due to the fibers. The fibers have the lowest density of all the commercial fibers.
The low density makes it very light, in fact so light that Polypropylene floats on water.
The moisture transport of the fibers
Much of the secret to good super underwear lies in good moisture transport.
The garment's material, composition and structure have everything to say about how it performs.
Brynje produces products of both wool and synthetic fabrics, and in a combination with each other.
Below you see the moisture absorption in some fibers, measured in% of the dry weight.
- Polypropylene: 5%
- Polyester: 40%
- Nylon: 450%
- Cotton: 800%
- Wool: 1600%
As you can see from the figures, there is a big difference between how good the moisture transport is in the different fibers. Wool, which is very popular in Norway, increases 1600% from its dry weight due to all the moisture it absorbs.
The wool fiber absorbs a lot of moisture, but does not need to feel wet against the body.
The knit structure of our wool products helps ensure that the garments contain a lot of air and insulate well, even when they are moist.
Polypropylene or polyester have low density and transport a lot of moisture, which makes these fibers not feel wet or heavy.
When you are on the go, it is important to keep your clothes dry to keep your body warm, both when you are active and when you are standing still. Using tight-knit garments with low moisture transport and little air can have catastrophic consequences if you are in the wrong situation.
Damp knitted underwear cools the body 200 times faster than air. Our mesh contains 80-90% air and therefore keeps you much warmer.
It is therefore useful to know a little about the properties of the different fibers when shopping, so that you buy products that fit your body functions.
Air and insulation ability
The heat-insulating ability of clothing is measured from its thermal capabilities.
This is often stated in the unit of measurement clo. (Clo = 0.155 K m2 / W. K is degrees Kelvin, m is meter and W is watts.)
The clo unit was introduced as a measure of the thermal insulation a sedentary person needs to remain in thermal equilibrium in a normally ventilated room at 21 ° C.
- Air: 1.0
- Polypropylene: 6.0
- Polyester: 7.0
- Wool: 7.3
- Cotton: 17.3
As we can see from the figures above, the stagnant air is best insulating. When we know this, we can also say that the more air a garment contains, the higher the insulation capacity.
All clothes contains air, and it is often separated between woven and knitted fabrics. The most woven fabrics never contain more than 50% fiber, the rest consists of air.
Knitted fibers are often more open and therefore contain more air, which forms a better basis for insulation.
The combination of enough air and fiber with high insulation capacity is naturally the best combination to make garments that keep you warm.
This is why Brynje of Norway has always sworn to the most functional way to produce sports underwear, namely the mesh principle.
The Mesh principle
The Mesh principle is based on the fewest possible contact points against the skin, the knitting method, ventilation and insulation.
This applies both when one moves and when one is at rest. The unique advantage of Mesh versus knitted (regular) underwear is that it works well in both conditions.
When in activity, the air pockets, in conjunction with the moisture transport of the fibers, mean that we maintain a proper body climate. This is done by releasing excess body heat, as well as transporting moisture.
When standing still, the air, both in the air pockets and in the Mesh, is stationary and insulates in the best way, that only air can. Mesh is not blocked by waste materials from the body, like tight knit underwear can and does not lose the ability to insulate or transport moisture.
The garment's durability
The structure of the various fibers gives them different lifetimes. There is no doubt that synthetic fabrics, such as polypropylene, are more durable and have a longer life than non-synthetic.
Our experience is that a synthetic sportswear will last about four times as long as one made of, for example, wool, but this is also much up to the user. If you take good care of the products, wash properly etc. the lifetime will of course be extended.
Our wool products contain 20-30% polyamide to improve the wear resistance of the garments so that they do not have to be replaced as often, while at the same time the synthetic fibers increase the technical properties of wool like moisture transport.
Comfort
The inner layer of the skin must have a high wearing comfort.
To achieve this, the fabrics must at all times be as warm and dry as possible.
Therefore, choose products with high moisture transport and high insulation capacity.
Our wool products are made of the finest merino wool, which most people do not scratch. The thinner the fiber, the less the chance of itching.
The thickness of wool fibers is measured in microns and is an indication of how fine the wool is. In the industry, " none itchy" wool has long been defined as wool with 21 microns or lower.
Our wool has a quality of 17.5 microns and among the finest and best wool you can get without compromising on animal welfare. Brynje products are therefore always experienced as soft and comfortable while at the same time having superior function.