There are few things more miserable than shivering on the peg or freezing on the foreshore, but Felix Petit has found a perfect solution.
Woolpower is a manufacturer of warm largely woollen base layers and mid-layer garments. Based in Ostersund in northern Sweden, it was founded in 1969 and initially mainly made nylon tights. However, in the early 1970s the company developed its own proprietary Ullfrotte fabric in conjunction with the Swedish army and began making garments out of this wondrous material in 1972.
Unusually for a textiles manufacturer, Woolpower’s entire production process, from knitting to packaging for all of its products, takes place entirely in Sweden at its own factory.
Even though the cost of a seamstress in Sweden is the equivalent of around 30 seamstresses in Bangladesh, brothers Daniel and Adam Branby who own the company-say that they are happy to lower their profit margins if it allows them to cherish craftsmanship and knowledge and to promote the environment and tradition.
Their goal is to focus on the people behind the garments and sustainably manufacture products that last year after year. Many of the seamstresses have worked for the company for more than 40 years, which reflects their long-term perspectives in all the decisions they make. Their ethos is to contruct clothes that are timeless, functional and very high quality so as to discourage a throwaway mentality.
IN DEPTH
Woolpower garments are sewn from Woolpower’s own unique material based around merino wool called Ullfrotte. This material is 60% merino, 5% elastane and the remainder polyamide and polyester.
I tried out the Crewneck Lite and the slightly thicker Crewneck 200, which retail for £95 and £100 respectively. The Ullfrotte used in the long-sleeved Crewneck 200 is the lightest variety of the material but it is still highly durable, as a result of the 25% polyester and 13% polyamide woven into the merino wool.
The Crewneck 200 is made from a circular knit fabric which gives it a construction almost as though it has been printed in 3D. This means it has no seams that could cause rubbing anywhere on the trunk or arms.
The seams, where the cuffs join the sleeves, provide a close fit to the wrists to stop the ingress of moisture and loss of heat. The only other seams join the sleeves to the body.
The Crewneck 200 is terry knitted, which means that while the outside of the fabric is smooth, the inside is covered in small, soft loops. These give a fleecy effect which raises the garment a few millimetres from your skin to trap a little bit of extra air and prevent you from becoming clammy. This effect is enhanced as Woolpower does not extensively comb or attempt to straighten the merino fibres, which trap more air close to your skin, creating a tricot that makes the garment even more insulating.
The Crewneck Lite uses a tighter fabric than the Ullfrotte and is formed from a 1.1-rib knitwear material. This means it insulates slightly differently and is better suited to more active pursuits, as it has superior moisturewicking abilities. The sleeves of the Lite have raglan seams to prevent rub when carrying a backpack and it works best when worn directly next to the skin. Woolpower is all about accountability and each garment has the name of the seamstress that sewed it written on the label. Mine were made by Brigita Krastina.
FIELD TEST
I have now used both of these garments extensively for general outdoor activities and deerstalking across the autumn and winter. I found the Lite worked sensationally as a base layer under a stalking smock for pursuit of hinds over enormously challenging and steep terrain. It is easy to wear too many layers that you immediately need to remove for a long physical stalk, but the Lite seems to bridge this gap very effectively. It kept me warm as we got going and seemed to stop me from growing too sweaty up steep inclines and scrambles.
On one stalk when wearing the Lite I was involved in a very physical drag for the extraction of the carcass, followed by a reasonably long wait for a vehicle. Had I been wearing a less sophisticated garment I would have perspired very heavily during the drag, then become very cold during the period ofinactivity. But the merino keeps the wearer warm even when damp. On another deer extraction I carried the deer using a method that makes it into a backpack of sorts and,
although it was rather unwieldy, the seams of the Lite did not rub.
Thanks to the high percentage of merino, the Lite carries almost
no odour if you are not in a position to wash it between stalks, despite extended and fairly mucky use. The Crewneck 200 is slightly better suited for lower exertion work. I have found it to be hugely warm when in a high seat or checking the sheep on the farm in winter on the quad. I have been sitting on the quad static for extended periods watching birdlife on the marshes and it has kept me toasty. The longer back means that, even when leaning or flexing, no portion of skin is exposed and your warm air is not expelled.
Whether as a base layer or a second layer, the lack of seams in the 200 make it incredibly comfortable and again it keeps you warm even if damp.
CONCLUSION
Woolpower only offers premium products but they are worth every penny. If used correctly there is no reason why they shouldn’t last for decades, making the price tags seem extremely reasonable. These products have been painstakingly designed for specific functions and layering structures, and they work exactly as they are supposed to. The ethos of the company is visible in the whole range and its reliance on organic fibres like merino wool demonstrates its commitment to a sustainable future and its attention to the design triumphs of the natural world.
The products from this thermal expert are wonderfully effective and can be applied in almost every outdoor activity.