Norwegian brand Brinje specialises in mesh-based outdoor clothing, here's why.
Posted:
17 May 2012by
Jon
Just back from a very pleasant and unexpectedly dry stomp around the popular side of Kinder with Rhodri Lewis, a man whose mission is to dress you all in what is, to all intents and purposes, an extremely technical string vest, sorry, erm, 'mesh tee-shirt'.
More details tomorrow, but in brief, Rhodri is the UK importer for Norwegian brand Brinje, an outdoor clothing company specialising in clothing and accessories which use mesh to give an interesting combination of insulation and breathability.
Mesh Is Less...
The mesh is made from hydrophobic - 'water hating' - polypropylene and works by trapping air between the strands of fabric, which is then held in place by the next clothing layer making it warm for its weight and bulk plus leaving around 60% of the skin's surface exposed to the air for maximum breathability.
So on one level, it's a sort of insulating base layer on steroids. But there's more to it as well. Because it's mostly made of holes, when you do unzip your top or even take it off, you lose heat far more quickly than with a conventional base layer top, so it's extremely good for cooling.
Mesh Is More...
Well, that's our iniital take after three or four hours wandering across the Peak's premier plateau. We also noticed that it seems to wick pretty damn well under a Rab Vapour-Rise Lite top and that even under our pack, where dampness normally lurks, the top never got that horrible soggy rag feeling that some base layers do when things get sweaty.
So there you go. Aesthetically it's an acquired taste. There's a bit of an, erm, club vibe when worn alone, but mostly it sits under another layer and just gets on with its job. More about Brinje tomorrow, but first impressions are good.
More info at www.nordiclife.co.uk.
