Types of Primaloft

imported
#1

Can anyone enlighten me as to the differences between the various types of Primaloft?

Specifically, between Primaloft (the original) and Primaloft Sport (the johnny come lately).

Thanks, Conan

Conan

#2

Conan,
Primaloft One is more compressible than sport. You will find Primaloft One in your fancier outerwear jackets like the Mtn Hardwear compressor for example. If you were to compare it to down, think of primaloft one insulation as your 800 fill and primaloft sport as 600. Follow this link and they will give you a good run down of the different kinds of primaloft: http://www.primaloft.com/outdoor/products.html#One

slick b

#3

Just to add a couple of points to what slick b said. The two types of Primaloft are different in their fiber composition and thus have different performance characteristics.

PrimaloftOne is all short-staple fibers and is thus harder to work with in large pieces. It needs to be quilted in some way over any area larger than a jacket panel or you’ll get shifting and uneven distribution. BUT, those short fibers have a better insulating profile, so the clo/oz rating of PrimaloftOne is higher, at 0.84/oz (thus 1.8oz basis weight PrimaloftOne, the thinnest version, has a clo value of 1.5, or about 45*.) This is the highest rating of any synthetic insulation. If you’re using this for a large area you’ll need to either quilt it yourself (a thankless task, I assure you) or buy it pre-quilted. Thru-Hiker has it available in that configuration at the 1.8oz weight plain and with Momentum shells in the 3.0oz weight (essentially pre-made quilt body needing only shaping, edge binding and fittings to complete.)

Primaloft Sport uses a mixture of short and long fibers to give extra rigidity and stability to the insulation, making it much easier to use in large panels and greater thicknesses, such as sleeping bag or quilt applications. There is a trade-off for this, of course, being that it’s clo value is reduced by the inclusion of the longer fibers that don’t insulate as well, down to 0.74/oz.

I’ve never been a big fan of Primaloft Sport, since ClimashieldXP is just as stable and has a better clo value for the same basis weight (0.82/oz for XP.) Nor does the Sport compress any better in my experience than the XP does, though PrimaloftOne compresses better than both.

Hope this helps.

Strategic

#4

Excellent, excellent, excellent!

Thank you both for giving me exactly what I was looking for.

Conan

Conan