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TECHY TEXTILES Part 4 Anti-Odor- Heat Beaters


X-Static®, XT2® SILVADUR INTELLIFRESH™, COOLCORE™, ColdPruf®,  Terramar®


We do enough sweat inducing long distance triathlons-to have pure sympathy for those volunteers at water stations-and at the finish line-who get tasked with the possibly odorous job of unstrapping those timing chips.

Mercifully-even if our sunscreen/deodorant wilts before before we do-at least our outfits are more or less aroma free and slightly cooler...courtesy of what is now standard for athletic wear-some kind of anti-odor/microbial woven in-or bathed in treatment-and increasingly-more rapidly evaporating fabrics with cooling sensations.

Some Highlights:

 When we see pricey outerwear pieces not made from naturally smell depressing materials such as merino wool...we are shocked that readily available offerings from companies such as Noble Biomaterial or Silvadur... aren't in the mix. And that includes fashion apparel too.


We wrote up NOBLE BIOMATERIALS' Circuitex™ last season-cutting edge and imo-the future standard of personable wearables-and outdoor apparel.This company also makes technology-woven in/bonded with fabrics-from 99.9% pure silver-for permanent anti-microbial/anti-odor properties= X-Static®- and XT2®-the latter -completely dyable and thereby used by a host of athletic leaning companies-like GIRO (helmets), NAKED underwear and RHONE- men's workout wear with a lot of style.

SILVADUR™ ( a DOW owned company) antimicrobial/sustainable odor protection releases silver ions-via a polymer containing silver technology that secures silver molecule to fabric surfaces...lasting at least through 50 washings


Base layers are critical in cold weather-and ColdPruf-uses the Silvadur IntelliFresh™(re-branded name) in its decidedly lifestyle friendly Quest performance line-up-up to more serious performance worthy- Expedition pieces. 



Coldpruf women's Premium Performance black w/ cranberry two tone pattern-is constructed with ColdPruf Technical Fiber Polyester with Silvadur IntelliFresh and spandex for a close stretchy fit. Bonus points here-extra length in the torso and sleeves prevents riding-and athletic cut, flat non-chafe seams, and tables design ensure all day comfort and warmth...$27. We'd wear this with jeans...on a cold day...as well as a layer on option!

Honeycomb Fleece-melon women's Moc Zip...Coldpruf technical  fiber polyester with Silvadur™INTELLIFRESH anti-odor/bacterial.Brushed fleece inside-moisture wicking, raglan sleeve with quarter zip moc turtleneck-extended body+sleeves for athletic fit...thumbholes too-so really covers up for active warmth yet is versatile enough wear-with a scarf, skirt...and dress shoes for work. $40

Quest performance Men's Moc Zip-Coldpruf tech fiber polyester with Silvadur™INTELLIFRESH-anti-odor/bacterial. Silky soft to the touch, highly moisture wicking, brushed inside for warmth and comfort, hemmed cuffs, drop tails, extended torso and sleeves for great fit. Tables and flat seams for chafe-free wear-great as a mid or top layer. $40


 Beat the heat---for hot days that occur well into Fall in the northern hemisphere-more companies are offering textiles that claim to lower the skin feel temperature as the Mercury rises...and we expect more apparel companies to incorporate these textiles -given global warmer.

From COOLCORE-a refreshed company - is a material innovator-with a patented chemical free smart textile-dubbed CoolCore...that has proprietary construction that permanently manages heat and moisture-moving sweat-away-speeding up evaporation for a non-clinging, non-saturating fabric-with UPF45+.

We tried out a small towel made of CoolCore (hypo-allergenic too)-dumped it in cold water-wrung it out-tossed around our neck- after a ridiculously hot July triathlon. Let's just say-it is now a staple in our transition bag.







From Terramar-makers of base layers and basics-a MicroCool® fabric made of 60% polyester /40% nylon cooling...is available in LS Hoodies (pictured $40.00), SS V-Necks $30, and LS Crews $35....with UPF 50...making these good workout options-as well as travel pieces to sunny locales.

How it works-the yarn is flat increasing the surface area to draw heat away from the skin. Additionally the fabric is embedded with nano-mineral particles to enhance the heart absorption---and the yarn is designed with aqua-channels to transport moisture away from the outer layer...a dimensional design -feels cool to the touch-lowering skin temps.