Alpha-Daydry Doubletee

Alpha-D 90 is a midweight (90gsm) insulation with exceptional breathability, allowing for world class warmth without overheating. Alpha was originally designed by Polartec for US Special Forces to use in cold wet conditions, but we find that when used on it’s own it makes some of the most versatile active use insulation possible.

When worn as a top layer it provides almost completely unrestricted airflow. When in motion or in breezy conditions it barely insulates at all, but when worn under a shell or in calm, still, environments it packs a huge amount of exceptionally soft and cozy warmth. Combined with its light weight and easy packability it makes for an amazing layer for outdoor activities in above freezing conditions. It’s super nice and cozy indoors too, and below freezing it makes an excellent layering piece.

Nature and technology intertwined in pursuit of lightweight perfection. A 150gsm jersey made with 75% super soft 16.5 micron top-capped merino and 25% Ciclo branded polyester intimately blended together to a luxuriously soft, dry and breathable performance fabric.

The magic starts with the merino of course, because nothing in nature performs as well. We use a 16.5 micron, top-capped Australian RWS certified merino for that extra softness, plus all the hygroscopic thermobuffering and odor resistance wool is so good at. At 150gsm though the fabric is quite light so it needs to be blended with something to strengthen it up, and if you are blending you might as well add some extra performance.

Merino excels at handling water vapor but doesn’t handle liquid water quite as well, something polyester is exceptional at. Poly both absorbs almost zero water (just 0.4% of its weight) and also wicks it across its surface quickly to speed up drying times. When blended with merino it can also create a slightly less bouncy yarn, which in turn allows for the fabric to be knit into a more open structure for better breathability. In particular we use a Ciclo branded polyester that meets Oeko-Tex Ecoports certification. This polyester includes a biodegradable ingredient that stimulates microbe metabolization in environments where materials like wool naturally break down. Or at least that’s what they claim, we take these claims with a big grain of suspicion, but there does seem to be enough there to at least merit testing it out.