Technology Overview

Polartec™

The primary insulation layer among experienced outdoor enthusiasts for nearly two decades, Polartec® fabrics are available in a variety of unique textures and weights designed specifically to enhance performance in a variety of environs.

Polartec® Classic 100, 200 and 300: Available in a lightweight, midweight, and heavyweight fleece, each of these Polartec® Classic series fabrics provide warmth, comfort and breathability. Polartec® 100 weight fabrics are the lightest fleece in the series, and are an excellent choice for a warm first layer. Polartec® 200 provides optimal warmth and versatility in a midweight, soft fleece. Polartec® 300 fabrics are the heaviest option, providing a thermal layer to wear on very cold excursions.

Polartec® Power Stretch®: Ideal for aerobic activities, the durable nylon layer of this fabric is both wind and abrasion resistant, keeping you dry, warm, and comfortable in difficult outdoor conditions. Extremely breathable and quick drying, this body-hugging, four-way stretch fabric keeps your skin dry through three complementary mechanisms: (1) The fabric is highly breathable and does not restrict moisture vapor from escaping, (2) “Touch Points” on the fabric’s inner surface wick the moisture off your skin, moving it to the outside where it can evaporate, and (3) When the sweat reaches the outside of the fabric, it spreads out to many times its original surface area, enabling it to dry at least two times faster than cotton.

Polartec® Wind Pro®: Four times more wind resistant than traditional fleece, this durable fabric also maintains crucial breathability necessary for high performance activities in a wide range of conditions. Performing exceptionally well as both an outerwear fabric and as insulation, propriety yarns and a very tight construction reduce the effects of wind chill and a durable water-repellant outer surface effectively sheds rain and show. In addition to its weather-inhibiting qualities, Polartec® Wind Pro® fabric maintains 85 percent of the breathability of traditional fleece, keeping outdoor athletes warm without overheating.

Polartec® Thermal Pro®
Polartec® Thermal Pro® fabrics are the most visually dynamic and technically advanced of the Polartec® insulation fabrics. Available in a variety of unique surface textures and patterns, many of which are designed to enhance performance, Polartec® Thermal Pro® fabrics are great styling options for virtually every end use. New high-loft versions have achieved the highest weight-to-warmth ratios ever offered by a Polartec® fabric.

Polartec® Power Dry®
Polartec® Power Dry® fabrics are designed to keep the skin dry as body perspiration increases. All fabrics in this series feature a patented, bi-component knit construction that uses different yarns on either side of the fabric. This creates two difference surfaces: one that is optimized to move moisture away from the skin, the other to dry quickly. Polartec® Power Dry® fabric moves 30 percent more moisture away from the skin than single component fabrics.