lamilite socks testimonial and much more

LAMILITE SOCKS TESTIMONIAL

Hi there Wiggys,

I became aware of your products through Grant Peterson/Rivendell Bikes a year or so ago but only just purchased a set of your Lamilite socks and Sunwalkers. Today was my first bike commute wearing the socks, not a terribly cold morning but at 40degF on my normally 40min ride my toes would have been ice cubes in my wool socks (I have naturally cold feet). Not so this morning, I was very comfortable and can't wait to try the socks in a couple different shoes/boots that I already own.

I'm now even more intrigued by your Chukka boots and I had two questions I'm hoping you can answer;

1. Do you advocate pairing the boots w/ Lamilite socks in all conditions, or just when the temps drop? How do wool socks perform in those boots when the temps are moderate or even warm? I really like darn tough wool blend socks and have had

ANSWER: They work in all conditions. The wool will absorb the moisture and retain it, not good.

2. In any boot, how does the Lamilite socks work for hiking or other fairly active, full day type wear? They felt comfortable enough, though definitely different in my shoes this morning but I was wondering if they would be more prone to getting blisters than a traditional sock.

ANSWER: Better than any other sock. No blistering that I have experienced or have been told to me.

I'll definitely be saving up to upgrade my sleeping bag to one of yours at some point and may give those odd looking fishnets a try too.

My response; GREAT!

Thanks again,

Tony

I do not know how many pedal bikers wear my socks but now those of you who do pedal bike have a confirmation of their performance.

FAKE INFORMATION

One of my customers and recipient of my commentary sent to me a copy of an e mail advertisement he received from Patagonia the clothing company. I had also received the email from them direct. I am on their e mail list. He pointed out that they say continuous fiber for one of their flat quilted garments for extreme winter climbing.

I told him that Patagonia does not use any continuous filament and they were using language to suggest that they are. They at Patagonia actually know that Climashield is far superior to chopped staple but refuse to use it because they would have to ship it to Asia where there garments are made. [They proudly show on the web site in I believe Vietnam the factory they use. I proudly show my factory located in Grand Junction Colorado USA where my products are made.] Can you imagine that they would do that, bring Climashield over to Asia so they could actually make a garment that is actually efficient at retaining your heat using a continuous filament fiber? I doubt it.

AEROGEL

What is “aerogel”; basically sand which is silica. As I understand it straight from a representative of one of the companies that make it, it is like puffy sand. They claim because it has the air space inside of it, it is the most efficient insulation of a solid material on the planet. When he told me that I did not dispute him, as it would have been a waste of breath. I found the fellow quite nice and straight forward with information. I told him that I called to find out how primaloft was applying this aerogel powder to polyester and he was not knowledgeable of their use. However he knew of the interest in aerogel for use in jackets.

We surmised that the aerogel material being like sand was probably added to the polyester fiber like shaking a salt shaker on the fiber. The fiber primaloft polyester fiber may have been coated with a sheath as it was originally made which would liquefy when heated and flow to the points where the fibers meet and then when cooled solidify also attaching the aerogel particles. Or, they could have mixed low melt fiber in the mix and accomplish the same end. Mixing in the low melt fiber is probably less costly, just a guess on my part. This is what they call "cross core technology" when the liquefied material attaches the fibers together.

The incorrect thinking if it is possible on the part of the primaloft people to think in the first place is the addition of the aerogel would help their product perform better. The fact is nothing will help primaloft perform better or at all.

Now for the real problem with a silica made product; it LOVES oil. Several companies have attempted to make insulated garments with aerogel all have failed. Since the aerogel product loves oil it has to be encapsulated to keep it from touching the human skin because it will suck up the oil emitted by humans and you will not like the feel and that was one of the draw backs told to me by the representative. When encapsulated in solid film you have created a vapor barrier which will now keep your perspiration in your garment or sleeping bag, terrific just what you want or need.

Ever observe the material spread over a large oil slick on a road, it is sand, silica because of its ability to absorb oil. Do you really want this product against your skin? I think not!

The primaloft company in my opinion is open to trying anything to keep their product on the market, regardless of the potential consequences that may occur to people who buy jackets or sleeping bags that utilize it. Many years ago when primaloft was a product of Albany International I told the president of the company that I could very easily not duplicate their product but make a superior product using polyester fiber and sell it for 20 percent of the price they were charging. The reason I knew that was because the product had been made since about 1960, the product I am referring too was what we called unbranded fiberfill. It is still made today and you can find it in all of the cheapest quilted bedspreads regardless of where in the world they are made as well as all of the quilted jackets sold by companies like Patagonia, Columbia or you name the rest.

They at primaloft like to say they have a “synthetic alternative to down” ; if the truth be known when polyester fiber was developed in the late 1950’s and was used by the millions of pounds in the 1960’s and forward a synthetic alternative was being used; so they were a day late and a dollar short. But, they have recognized that continuous filament fiber makes their product obsolete as it did ever polyester product when it came on the market in 1968 when it was trade named Polar Guard, now a superior version is called Climashield.

NANOCAPSULES FOR COOLING AND HEATING

One of my customers sent me an article in the British newspaper on line Daily Mail about nanocapsules! They are wax placed inside a “ball or some shaped object” made of starch that is smaller than the thickness of a human hair. The British researchers are working with Devan Chemical Company of Belgium.

Believe it or not the concept is that the wax absorbs your heat causing you to cool down and then when you are to cool it gives back the heat.

I guess these researchers have been living on the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland England. They have no knowledge of the failure of Outlast and Frisbee Technologies (bought out by Outlast years ago) who have very successfully failed to enter the outerwear market place with their microencapsulated paraffin balls that were claimed to do exactly the same thing.

Note that the British have been following behind us since 1776 and nothing has changed. they seem to copy what fails.in the USA.

I am no longer surprised to read about new offerings in the field of insulation and note the lack of knowledge exhibited by those who believe they have a product that is a miracle product.

When all is said and done all of these non-thinking geniuses will just have to accept that continuous filament fiber IS the absolute best raw material ever developed by man for use as an insulating medium, and the most efficient method for using it is in a non-quilted state and the least expensive method to accomplish that is via lamination. So if any representatives of companies that make outerwear who read my articles are smart you should contact Climashield or even me as I would be willing to guide you so you too can make garments that actually function for the purpose of keeping people warm.

And yes, it is also very much superior to any material grown on an animal such as ducks and geese; down.