Icebreaker Clothing: Learn About Layering Systems
Many things are layered. Sundaes, sandwiches, onions, and underpants. Layered underthings are excellent for keeping you toasty warm in nasty situations, but you can't just slap on lacy undies willy-nilly and hope for the best or you'll just look like you're wearing a diaper. You need special underthings. Magical, moisture-wicking, insulating underthings, like the ones the fine people at Icebreaker clothing make.
Icebreaker clothing uses wool from Merino sheep that live high in the southern New Zealand Alps. Aleisha Leonard from Icebreaker told us that "the New Zealand Merino live in extreme temperatures—bitterly cold in winter and boiling, scorching hot summers. Their fibre is designed to keep them alive in those extreme temperatures, so we've taken that idea and adapted it for humans to form a layering system."
Because Merino wool is a natural fibre, it has heaps of built-in benefits. It works hard to maintain equilibrium between you and the environment you're in, making sure you stay comfortable. Merino fibres can absorb up to 35% of their weight in water without you feeling it (you won't be damp, promise!), so Icebreaker clothing is great at wicking sweat away from your skin, keeping you dry, and evaporating it on the outside of the garment, keeping you cool. This absorbed water also helps keep you warm when need be, as water is excellent at retaining the heat your body emits.
When you layer Icebreaker clothing together, it works beautifully. Everything breathes, ensuring you don't overheat and turn into a sweaty shrink-wrapped burrito, while the different layers of gear create air pockets between them, keeping you warm. Aleisha Leonard from Icebreaker says "we're known for our base layers… our core styles revolve around the 200 and 260 weights. What we're trying to do is replicate the sheep's natural layering system. We've taken this idea from nature, we haven't created the idea, we're just learning from nature… So, for example, all of our gear is numbered, so the number refers to a metre squared of merino, and the higher the number, the warmer you'll be. So you might start with one of our base layers, a 200 weight, and then over the top add some warmth, add a 260 piece." Icebreaker clothing is available down to 150 weight, which is great for summer wear, and up to 380 for cold winter days.
And, if you loathe doing laundry, you'll love Icebreaker even more, because it is deodorant in clothing form. Bacteria, the sneaky little devils that give old socks their legendary stench, need warmth and moisture to thrive and do their dirty work. Because Icebreaker clothing keeps you dry, the bacteria can't do their thing, keeping you smelling fresh longer. "Less time washing, more time in the outdoors wearing the gear that's from nature, in nature."
As an added bonus, if you happen to enjoy playing with fire, you'll be happy to learn that Merino wool is naturally flame-resistant and self-extinguishing, dramatically reducing your chances of accidentally tuning into a human fireball.
