![]() ![]() The payoff with the Superlayer is that you keep it on and stay both warm and comfortable longer.” While Volken set up shop in a humid winter environment, Nordstrom tested the Superlayer while ski mountaineering in the Valais region of Switzerland in early March, where the weather ranged from freezing days to days that started cold and ended sunny.Ī self-proclaimed “overheater”, Nordstrom says, “in the past whenever I would leave a rest stop I had to either strip down and start out cold or start warm with my puffy on and then stop again in five minutes to de-layer. “I was truly impressed with the breathability and comfort.” “I was breaking trail in about 12 inches of fresh snow in light snowfall at near-freezing temperatures,” says Volken. To truly put the jacket through the proverbial wringer, Volken tested the Superlayer in a high exertion, high humidity winter environment. His various positions within the outdoor industry give him insight into the unique needs across many mountain activities and environments. Martin Volken, an IFMGA Mountain guide, backcountry ski guidebook author, specialty retail store owner and product development consultant, also tested the Superlayer. Suddenly, your insulating layer and your breathable layer become one unified piece. “If you can reduce the moisture humidity aspect, it’s possible to feel comfortable across a wider range of internal temperatures,” says Nordstrom. Nordstrom points out that people begin to notice “heat stress” when the air near the skin rises above 65 percent humidity. It’s a result of a combination of heat and moisture.” “This is what you feel when you are becoming uncomfortable wearing an insulating layer. “The best way to think about how it works is to consider the idea of ‘heat stress’,” says Nordstrom. “With an Active Insulation piece you can wear the jacket while skinning without overheating, yet still have the warmth and insulation when you stop,” says Sirirot. “Typically, on a ski tour, for example, people skin up in one or two layers,” Sirirot explains, “then put on a lofted piece as soon as they stop to avoid getting chilled.”īut the technology in the Superlayer closes the gap between warmth and breathability and brings them both into one garment. “Active Insulation refers to garments that provide warmth in cold conditions, but that have enough breathability to allow you to be active while wearing them,” says Melanie Sirirot, Outdoor Research Apparel Product Manager, who’s goal was to create a warm layering piece that could work over a range of conditions and didn’t need to be taken on and off during activity. Sure, at first glance, there does seem to be a contradiction here - the fact that this jacket is incredibly breathable AND warm doesn’t seem to make sense - but the Superlayer is part of a new movement of Active Insulation. “There seemed to be an inherent contradiction that for an insulating layer to trap heat it needed to trap air to some degree.” “I remember initially being skeptical when we looked at the first prototype before taking it outside,” says Dan Nordstrom, CEO of Outdoor Research. So breathable in fact, you can hike, climb or skin in the backcountry in cold weather while wearing it and still remain comfortable. In the simplest terms, the Superlayer is a hyper-breathable synthetic puffy. What makes the Superlayer a super layer? It’s the combination of fabrics and technology that makes this jacket a piece of brilliant engineering. It’s a game-changer when it comes to masterminding both warmth and breathability, something that has always seemed elusive for a single piece of insulating apparel. Whether maintaining a comfortable temperature on the ascent, or trapping warm air while at rest, the Superlayer is the chameleon of cold-weather outdoor activities. That’s the mission of the Superlayer Jacket. We, too, are Designed By Adventure.Īctive Insulation. And like our products, our lives and the lives of our customers are sculpted by the experiences we have in the natural, unpredictable environments we love. At Outdoor Research, our products have been designed by adventure for more than 30 years, with features and fabrics imagined, tested and perfected in the wild. ![]() “Designed By Adventure.” It’s more than just an advertising slogan. ![]()
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