The fall/winter season is just around the corner and we would like to give you a small preview of some of the new products that will arrive in the next few days.

As you will see, brands are focusing on finding new clothing systems that optimize the excellent performance of the materials used for mountain equipment and they are succeeding. New down baffles, hollow fibers in synthetic fabrics, ultralight fabrics... Everything optimizes the quality of the materials to levels unheard of until now.

The coming season also brings greater environmental awareness with a higher proportion of recycled products, increased sustainability in the manufacturing processes and a trend towards materials that require less consumption of natural resources.

The North Face

This American brand is responsible for many of the latest designs and technologies in this season’s textile products. Announced before the pandemic, their most important innovations will finally see the light of day this winter.

AMK - Advanced Mountain Kit

This is a small and exclusive series of products, 21 in total, with the most advanced technologies by The North Face. Warm, lightweight and breathable models, ideal for the most demanding conditions on expeditions or in the extreme cold.

The aim of this new range is to make ultra-technical garments available to mountaineers to achieve the highest level of efficiency during alpine activities where protection against harsh weather is a basic condition.

From underwear to backpacks, sleeping bags and tents to jackets, down garments and pants, AMK provides the user with the brand’s latest technological developments. While some of the features have already been incorporated into other The North Face ranges, the reality of the AMK family is that it tends to use all the technologies possible as far as the product allows.

Each product will feature some of the following technologies:

• 50/50 down: we already talked about this technology in this article here. It consists of a baffle system for down garments that achieves a level of breathability previously unseen.
• FutureLight: we have also written about this technology and you can read the articles here and here. It is the combination of a waterproof system with sufficient air permeability to allow breathability without letting in any water, something which was unheard of until now.
• FutureFleece: garments made using a continuous octagonal yarn with hollow cross-sections. This allows an extremely thin, lightweight layer with excellent thermal performance, as well as high and long-lasting comfort.
• CloudDown: high-tech asymmetry. Inside and out, the baffle construction is not traditional, but discontinuous and offset to provide greater compression without losing any thermal capacity.
• DotKnit: the use of hydrophobic yarns on the inside of the garment wicks body moisture to the outer layer, made of hydrophilic yarns, where sweat is pushed out, through holes specially designed for this function.

New models of the Dryzzle jacket

The Dryzzle jacket is one of the most popular among hikers and mountaineers for performance and comfort. With the addition of the new Dryzzle Pro (high mountain model), Dryzzle All Mountain (urban style) and Dryzzle Insulated (with good thermal capacity for use in cold conditions) the range of this jacket is complete for a multitude of activities.

Arc’Teryx

The brand’s main focus is on its iconic models, which we will give news on later. In this article, which tries to give a general overview on the innovative technologies of each brand, we must first mention the Kyanite AR jacket, made in Polartec Powerstretch Pro to provide good elasticity and breathability without compromising durability. The Kyanite AR is made with a combination of fabrics for performance on all types of activities: highly durable nylon outer fabric with soft, moisture-wicking polyester lining.

For skiing, one of the latest innovations is the Rush Jacket, the lightest jacket in the Arc''Teryx ski range but with a super-resistant construction thanks to the choice of materials, which include the Gore-Tex Pro 2.0 Most Rugged membrane.

Also within the ski range is the Procline jacket, made with four-way stretch Gore-Tex Infinium, designed for ski touring but with interesting accessories for piste such as the built-in Recco.

Although Gore-Tex Infinium is not totally waterproof, given the breathability and mobility it allows, it is an excellent choice of fabric for skiing activities. It also features Gore-Tex® PFCec Free DWR treatment. PFCec stands for Per and Poly-Fluorinated Chemical of Environmental Concern, which means that Gore guarantees that environmentally damaging fluoropolymers have been eliminated in its DWR (Durable Water Repellent) treatment.

Patagonia

After previous campaigns where Patagonia gave a big boost to synthetic fibers with the exclusive use of the new and ecological Primaloft PURE, this winter we will see the use of feather as insulation among its main innovations.

The Alpine DownLab range optimizes all the elements of the garment to obtain minimum weight and maximum performance. Two of the materials used that most stand out are recycled nylon with just 7 deniers and RDS (Responsible Down Standard) 800 cuin down (cubic inches volume per ounce of down).

Another of the most representative and useful projects for the environment, one of the hallmarks of this Californian brand, is the use of nylon obtained from recycling fishing nets. Patagonia has given the name NetPlus to this process of collecting, recycling and reusing nets and transforming them into new textile materials, something that has already been used in cap visors and is increasingly being incorporated into more garments such as parkas for urban use.

The advantages of this process for the environment are obvious: not only does it drastically reduce the need for oil as a raw material, but it also avoids the accumulation of net waste on the seabed and the tremendous impact on the fauna and flora that this entails.

Rab

Rab is in a golden season. It has just achieved the climate neutral company certificate and will meet the goal of zero emissions by 2030. Rab’s commitment to sustainability is also evident in some of its new products to be launched this winter.

Among Rab''s highlights, it is worth mentioning two down-filled models. On the one hand, the Infinity Alpine Jacket, a down jacket with great thermal capacity made of Gore-Tex Infinium 30, 13 deniers and 800 cuin down. This model stands out for its low weight, compressibility, its breathability and, of course, its excellent thermal capacity.

Its construction system is different from traditional down garment baffles. This new and subtle design features new Interstitch internal stitching to make each baffle overhang the baffle below leaving no visible external stitching and keeping moisture out of the seams.

The Cubit Stretch Down Hoody is a 700 cuin down-filled jacket with a hood made with Pertex 3D fabric technology that allows for the creation of baffles with a single piece of fabric, thus eliminating the need for seams. This jacket maximizes insulation performance, reduces weight, maintains even down distribution and is ideal for a variety of outdoor activities.

For those who prefer synthetic insulation or who require the performance of insulation in wet conditions, due to weather or body moisture, this winter Rab presents two very interesting models: the Generator Alpine Jacket with 20 denier outer fabric (Pertex Quantum Pro) and 15 denier inner (Atmos) and the Xenair Alpine Jacket, designed with specific mapping that allows different levels of protection and breathability depending on the body zone, for intense activities where stopping to add or remove a layer is not an option.

In a few days, you will find these latest products, and many more, in our Barrabes textile collection. We invite you to visit our store to discover them with us.