TECHNOLOGY Smart fabrics keep wearer warm inside and out

It's a challenge to keep up with ever-changing clothing technology.
SCRIPPS HOWARD
The good news is that we no longer have to wrap ourselves in buffalo robes to keep warm. The bad news is that we need to know about microencapsulated phase-change material.
Riffling through the racks of most active apparel these days can feel like a chemistry class -- or a marketing course. Many next-to-the-skin layers share a common ability to wick, or draw, moisture away from our skin. That trait is coupled with insulating fibers that keep our natural warmth from seeping out into the snow.
Pretty cool. But these new technologies aren't just for staying warm outdoors. At a time when energy costs have caused many of us to turn down our thermostats, these smart fabrics can keep us warm at the dinner table, too.
Of course, some people have more focused needs when it comes to staying warm. Jacques Lemaire, head coach of the Minnesota Wild, spends much of his life standing next to a hockey rink, his trademark composure not even letting him warm up by way of the occasional tantrum.
He favors Reebok's compression fleece undershirts and turtlenecks by Stanfields, whose Polar-therm and Acclimate product lines employ "microfine polyester fibers" to do the wicking and breathing thing.
Mixing it up
Polar expeditioner Ann Bancroft wears what she calls "a salad of stuff" to stay warm. "I'm a mixer," she said. "I blend all the fibers. And I'm so delighted that wool has made a comeback, how it's being blended with new high-tech fibers, because wool wears so well wet.
"My brother turned me on to Mountain Hardwear, which makes transition gear that's really light, soft on the inside and totally wind-resistant," she said. In the Antarctic, "you're working so hard that you need to move that moisture away from your body, but the wind is such an issue."
Bancroft said it's a challenge to keep up with ever-changing clothing technology. "You have to stay up on it all the time, but it's really fun exploring what we need to get ready," she said. "We're constantly learning."