Active insulation isn't like its old-fashioned cousins. It's designed to breathe and wick—to keep you comfy both when you're charging uphill and heading downhill. And since active insulation items—like the award-winning Deviator Hoody and the Uberlayer Hooded Jacket—make use of cutting-edge fabric technologies, you might be curious about how to best take care of them. The good news is, they're super easy to care for. We chatted with product manager Alex Lauver to make sure we knew exactly how to treat our beloved active insulation items. Here's what he said. Get to know the delicate cycle. Because Polartec Alpha and Alpha Direct fabrics move moisture very efficiently, these items will dry super quickly. So you can throw them in the wash with other performance layers and then just line dry or drape them over a chair overnight. Or, toss them in for a 10-minute tumble on low heat. The one thing to remember, Alex says, is to set the washer on the "gentle" or "delicates" cycle. "If people wash them like they would denim or a heavy sweatshirt, the excess wear and tear can certainly make a difference." You might not have to wash as often as you think. Alex says he wears his Deviator Hoody almost daily, but only washes it a few times a season, to keep it from getting beat up. Anti-odor properties help keep the jackets fresher longer, so you don't have to worry about washing them every time you work up a sweat in them. Avoid campfires and Velcro. The true beauty of pieces like the Deviator or the Uberlayer is that they're really pretty simiple to care for, Alex says. But two things don't play well wtih their fabrics: campfires and Velcro. So, take note, you've been warned.
