Popular Mechanics (South Africa)

Pierre reviews for PM:

Cape Union Mart’s gear guru gives us the gadget low-down.

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Down has revolution­ised the

South African outdoor-clothing industry. The popularity of down jackets has skyrockete­d in recent years. Down is inherently warm but lightweigh­t, making it one of the best insulators on the planet, with a higher warmth-to-weight ratio than any other material. Amazingly, a down jacket can be scrunched up into a tiny ball when stowed for travelling, taking up little space, but quickly regains its loft and warmth when taken out.

A grim truth, though, is that some apparel companies obtain their down from live plucking, a condemnabl­e practice in this day and age. K-Way however (and I’m proud to say), only uses down that’s certified as Responsibl­e Down Standard (RDS) and is ethically sourced. This means that the source animals – geese and ducks – are well looked after, and none are harmed in the acquisitio­n of their down.

K-Way has released four exciting new jackets in its range, all of which contain Re:Down, an innovative product supplied by a company of the same name. This product is the result of their praisewort­hy mission to gather up used down duvets, jackets and sleeping bags from all over Europe, and then extract the down from the old shells. It’s then sorted, with high-quality down clusters separated from lower-quality feathers. The upcycled down is then washed, dried and sterilised, making it as good as the virgin product, without the need for any additional animal input.

The K-Way Men’s Rio (R1 799) and Women’s Ember (R1 799) down jackets, as well as the Men’s Urko (R1 399) and Women’s Signa (R1 399) body warmers all feature the sustainabl­y sourced Re:Down fill. To complement this, the outer material boasts durable water repellency (DWR) properties and sew-free channellin­g, which prevents the down from migrating through the seams. So why not prep well for the winter cold with one of these eco-sensitive garments?

Interestin­g gear and gadgets, and clever technology, is what PM is all about, so teaming up with Cape Union Mart and their top product specialist is a natural fit. Here’s Pierre’s low-down on some everyday items we all should have.

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