Outdoor Research’s Active Insulation is a Skiier’s Best Friend
As warm as a puffer when you need it and breathable when you’re on the move, Outdoor Research’s active insulation is your best companion on the slopes.
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The Deviator, one of the more unique active insulation pieces on the market, features hybrid body mapping. In other words, it makes use of a number of different materials to give you warmth and breathability specifically where you need them most. “I did an innovation project that’s ongoing where we took some photos,” says Lauver. “What are the sweat zones of the human body? What does an athlete look like under an infrared camera when they’re running? There’s a lot of conversation around how your body naturally heats or cools itself, and how do we amplify or control that, or maximize it so that we’re taking advantage of it.”
We recently put both the Uberlayer and the Deviator to the test in the field and found that, in practice, OR’s prototyping and research reaped full rewards for the modern adventurer who wants to do everything from ski touring to rock climbing to traveling in style but only wants one midlayer.
Skiing
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Unless you’ve done it, ski touring could seem like a practice in misery. And like most endurance activities, it is, to a certain extent — but in touring, the pain only increases the feeling of reward when your bindings are locked and the only direction left to go is down. You still have to get to the top before that reward can be reaped. There are no shortcuts. Elevation gained is elevation earned.
The Deviator and Uberlayer lessen the price you pay on the way up. Even in the cold, ascents are fated to be sweaty endeavors, especially when you’re wearing a loaded pack. The Deviator’s hybrid mapping insulates your body only where it needs it — so, less sweaty back — while also shedding wind. On colder days, the Uberlayer functions much the same way the Deviator does: breathing on the uphill, but keeping you warm on the down. It’s incredibly packable and fits well underneath a shell while you take those deep blower turns you hiked up for in the first place.
