UKC

Millions of years of evolution went into wool - that's some serious product development. So does it make a viable alternative to synthetic insulation? Dan Bailey makes like a sheep to test the new Andola jacket in the hills.

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What sort of warmth level does this offer?
 

is it possible to compare the warmth it offers with other ME jackets such as as, say, the superflux?

that’s an interesting garment – it reminds me a little of varusteleka’s woolshell jacket: similar ballpark in terms of price, the body of the jacket is a higher weight wool frieze, and instead of a lightweight shell fabric, it has polycotton reinforcements on shoulders and elbows.

as both dan’s review and varusteleka’s ad copy say, it’s not as weight effective as synthetic or down insulation, but the pragmatism of the wool jumper being a very proven bit of kit, so why not make it a little more technical, is hard to argue.

Smartwool made a similar jacket a decade or so ago and I still wear mine. Insulation is Merino Wool. Not sure if they still make 'em

Not sure if I missed it, but what is the construction of the insulation fill? Is it some structured wadding (knitted, batted, woven, etc), or loose fill?

What purpose does the 'biofibre' serve in the insulation? What is its expected lifetime compared with the practically infinite lifetime of wool fibres?

Any thoughts on how this jacket compares to the Salewa one reviewed earlier this year by John McKenna?  https://www.ukhillwalking.com/gear/clothing/synthetic_insulation/salewa_ort...

Isobaa make something similar, wool is the main business but can be had on SportsPursuit for around £80

https://www.isobaa.com/products/mens-merino-wool-insulated-jacket-navy-oran...

https://www.sportpursuit.com/catalog/product/view/id/1465525?st=PMax&ad...

The Salewa has 60g/m2 filling, the ME apparently has 100g/m2. I have the Salewa as a vest and it got me pretty darn warm with a regular t-shirt underneath on a cold autumn hike in the alps, I think this one will be warmer tho. 

This seemingly shares the outer fabric with the Switch Pro, would be interesting to find out how it performs compared to this. 

Thanks Dan, any comments on the benefits vs traditional synthetic insulation? 

Better warmth/weight ratio?

Better price to warmth/weight ratio?

More durable/resistance to repeated compression?

Stability allows more breathable shell fabrics?