Pro Adventure have been stocking Woolpower for a few years now but more importantly we’ve been using it! Our Primo Products are the products that we love the most. The Woolpower range of base layers, thermal underwear and merino midlayers are high on our list of favourites.
The Company
WoolPower began in 1969 and was hand sewn in the town of Östersund Sweden. To this day nothing has changed in the manufacturing process. All of their garments are sewn by one seamstress who then quality marks them with their name. From yarn to finished product everything is made in their Swedish factory. This allows them to not only control the quality but their impact on the environment too.
Just like they have done with their sister company, Gränsfors Bruk, Daniel and Adam Brånby have instilled a made to last ethic within Wool Power. You can expect your garment to last much longer than most other merino products. Our staff can attest to this.
Why is it so good? It all in the stitching
So what makes Wool Power so good and why do we wear it over other brands? It all comes down to how the garment is sewn. For example the 200 weight baselayers are all made using an Ullfrotté stitching (a terry loop-stitch) . This creates space between you and the garment itself thus trapping lots of air. Air is one of the best insulators there is! This actually allows the garment to contain less merino. ( I know that sounds like a bad thing but bare with me.) giving way to much more durable materials like polyamide. Most of the synthetic fabric is on the outside of your garment to protect the loose knit merino that is next to your skin. What your left with is a garment that gives you the benefits of merino and the strength of a synthetic baselayer!
Ethically Sourced Merino
” Woolpower’s process starts with the merino sheep that graze the Argentinian part of Patagonia and Uruguay. We have a continuous dialogue with the yarn supplier and have visited them personally to make sure that the merino sheep have good grazing grounds and are treated well. We always buy our raw materials directly from the producers.” – Woolpower
The difference maker with WoolPower merio is the way it is processed. Many manufactures spin their merino super tight to make it durable allowing them to claim 100% merino. However this stops the merino trapping air and nullifies its insulating properties. Finally they knit it as loosely as they can and although it does mean you get bobbles on your garment it all results in one of the best preforming baselayer we have ever used.
Staff that use Wool Power
Here’s what our staff have to say.
Pete
Way back in 2014 I was invited on a snow shoe trekking trip to the north of Sweden. On arrival we received a comprehensive set of kit from Scandinavian manufacturers. We were all kept warm and comfortable in a set of 200g Woolpower underwear whilst, snow shoeing, camping and snow holing in the Swedish winter. A trip to the Woolpower factory on the way home left me even more impressed with their clothing and production.
I still use those base layers, though the UK is generally too warm for the long johns. My first choice in cold weather has taken them running, walking, kayaking, canoeing, stand up paddle boarding and camping in cold weather. They have kept me comfortable running in freezing temperatures and even warm after falling off of a stand up paddle board in in a Welsh December (when dripping wet to the skin, I’m not one for dry suits).
After four years of trying there was enough stock available for us to have an account. We found a loyal bunch of Woolpower users in our customers and converted others to the magic of the Woolpower.
Clive
What I want from a base layer is something I can use and abuse without much thought. Thats why I love Woolpower! Machine washed, tumble dried ( technically not recommended) , rolled up in a ball and chucked in a cupboard aaaand It still preforms! Having worked two rafting seasons, over 2000km on a bike and a few 1000 ft of crag ascent in Snowdonia my WoolPower lite base layer is still going strong. I now have a short sleeve lite and a crew neck 200 the latter of which has been a god send this winter.
Tom
As some as you may be aware, from previous posts, I get very cold! so often wear warm base layers, even when indoors? I also like high energy activities such as Mountain Biking, where you can become very hot quickly and go from cold to hot to cold again. Because of this I tend to layer with lighter base layers. Which is why I love my Woolpower Crewneck Lite in black. Not only does it look great on its own, but is body hugging and slimming, not that I need to look any slimmer! I find that I can go riding in it for a couple of hours going from cold to sweating, but not back to cold again and can get away without washing it, not something that I can do with my synthetic base layers, which always need a wash after one use.
Like Clive I don’t treat it the best, often washing it with regular clothes and detergents yet it still performs fantastically every time and looks like new even after a years worth of abuse.
All in All
- Sustainable
- Natural
- Long Lasting
- High Wicking
- Outstanding Performance
- Designed, Made and Packaged in Sweden
- Absolutely No Plastic Packaging
We also gave Leo from Getafix coaching a set of woolpower to try. Here is his review. Leo is one of the leading paddlesport coaches in the UK and spends hours of his time on the banks of rivers or indeed in them.
Have a look at Woolpowers environmental statement here
