by Seth Levy
Yet another company aims to improve upon the natural state of down insulation, this time in a very visible way. This time it's Hi-Tec as the first company to offer dyed down in its insulated clothing, which it will show off inside a new transparent shell for 2012.
Women's Timaru Down Hoodie
The proprietary technology, called Color-Tec, dyes the individual down clusters vivid colors (see also water-resistant down offerings from Brooks-Range and Sierra Designs).
Why mess with the appearance of down, you might ask?
In addition to the unique look, Hi-Tec claims that Color-Tec technology increases the loft of the down clusters slightly—about five percent—and doesn’t affect the oils needed for healthy down insulation.
Hi-Tec will showcase its colored down in the 700-fill women's Timaru Down Hoodie. The Timaru features a thin, translucent shell with narrow baffles that allow the vivid colors of the dyed down to show through.
The shell fabric is a 15D nylon mini rip, silicon coated. The jacket includes two zippered handwarmer pockets and a single‐hand drawcord adjustable hem.
Timaru Down Hoodie
- Insulation: 700 fill power down
- Sizes: Women's S‐XL
- Available: Fall 2012
- MSRP: $189
What do you think? Is there a market for colored down insulation or are outdoor brands messing around with an already good thing?
Color-Tec down clusters from Hi-Tec
Disclosure: The author serves on a volunteer board of directors with a Hi-Tec employee.
