ZEROFIT COLD WEATHER GARMENTS
You probably haven’t heard of this Japanese brand. It had its UK launch in 2018 and its products include baselayers for cold weather and baselayers for warm weather. I was sent a range of cold weather garments for review. Here, I focus mainly on two Heatrub Ultimate products – a long-sleeved, ‘mock neck’ top, and the leggings, both with a £60 RRP.
Heatrub Ultimate products are, apparently, the world’s warmest baselayers and “five times warmer than leading competitors”. That’s quite a claim but is backed up by independent testing. They have an optimum operating range of -10°C to +10°C with fishing and hiking listed as activities where they might be used, so they should work for us as well.
The fabric is 93% synthetic (68% acrylic, 21% nylon, and 2% each of polyester and polyurethane) and 7% wool, turned into a material that as well as providing insulation, actually creates warmth when you move via “friction heat” – and even tiny movements will do it.
Wearing the Heatrub Ultimate
These Heatrub Ultimate garments are soft to the touch and stretchy. My samples are a snug fit, but they don’t need to be to keep you warm. The blurb says they stretch in four directions (I’m struggling to work out the fourth direction), so whatever shape you’re in they should fit, and movement isn’t restricted. I was ankle to neck in Heatrub Ultimate, with a loose-fitting, long-sleeved T-shirt, normal trousers (neither of which were performance outdoor kit), and a Hilltrek double ventile smock on top. Both Zerofit garments provided good warmth in a temperature of around 3°C that felt like 1°C (according to the weather app). The top was almost too warm at times – Zerofit say you don’t need to layer up with these – that they do “the work of multiple layers”. Maybe I should have skipped the T-shirt. There were times when I could feel the top generating warmth – friction heat I presume, and I didn’t feel the need for a scarf or buff to keep my neck warm. I did experience a bit of itchiness or tingling with the top, but not the leggings. You might not, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it disappeared with use. The top is unisex and available in various colours, XS-3XL. The men’s leggings have a fly opening, the women’s don’t. You can have the leggings in black or black, sizes S-3XL.
If you are heading out into verycold conditions these are worth serious consideration. Like the Arctic Outpost Boots, Heatrub Ultimate could make your cold weather birding more enjoyable, and keep you out there for longer. Seawatchers may well be interested. For most of us, however, wearing these won’t make our torso look like the ones on the Zerofit website.
I didn’t find any info about the environmental ethics of these products but do know they are looking to improve the green credentials of the packaging. See the full range visit: zerofit.co.uk.