Cooling Fabrics

Feeling the burn is great, we all love that but what we don’t love is getting burnt up by tech clothing that doesn’t breathe properly. Luckily, designers of tech clothing are developing new fabric technology that offers some pretty clever solutions to the problem of overheating. We have all been out on a warm day and just gotten too hot, right? This problem happens all too often especially when the humidity gets high. Companies like Louis Garneau, Zoot, 2xU, and DeSoto all have unique solutions to the problem of heat.

Louis Garneau uses “Coldblack” which is a coating that goes over the black fabric. The coating then reflects heat better than many light colored fabrics. “Icefil” is another technology used for cooling that integrates xylitol into the fabric. Zoot and Louis Garneau both use the iceful. Zoot uses it in their tops and shorts while Louis Garneau uses it in their tri cycling shoes and helmets. The effect that xylitol has on the garment is similar to that of mint gum has when you begin chewing it. 2xU has a similar technology in their Ice X line of clothing that includes compression as well as their tri-line but they use Jade in their fabric weave. This, combined with their very effective compression is a great way to recover from a hard workout. DeSoto doesn’t weave any other material into their garments but it is how they weave their garments that make them work. They use a weave appropriately called “Skincooler.” What makes it special is that they weave channels into the garment that absorb your sweat and then expand. What this does, in effect, is turn the garment into a heatsink by spreading the moisture over a greater part of your body and this actually makes the clothing feel cold against the skin. So next time you are planning a hot-weather workout, give one of these brands a try and you might find that you are more comfortable in the climate than you were in the past. Just remember to stay hydrated, replenish electrolytes, and definitely use sunscreen!