Technology LIFA® Stay Dry
Anyone who participates in variable-intensity outdoor activity has experienced being cold on the mountain. Usually people are warm while hiking, but get cold once they stop. This is because their sweat was absorbed by their cotton or polyester baselayer and remained next to their skin. Since our bodies lose 25 times more heat when wet, they get cold. So the key to staying warm is staying dry, and nothing keeps you drier than Helly Hansen baselayers, made with LIFA® Stay Dry technology. Guaranteed!.
While most baselayers are made from either polyester or wool, Helly Hansen is the only company that makes their baselayers from LIFA®. In fact, we’ve been using LIFA since we invented the first performance baselayer back in 1970. Even though our production processes and technologies have evolved over the past 35 years, we still use our proprietary LIFA Stay Dry Technology – that’s what makes our baselayers outperform all of our competitors.
Why use LIFA®?
There are many reasons why Helly Hansen uses our own proprietary LIFA® fabrication. LIFA is:
Hydrophobic. It retains 40 times less moisture than polyester. Simply put, LIFA moves moisture through the garment instead of absorbing it. And since the fabric won’t absorb water, it will always be dry against your skin.
Lightweight. LIFA is 50% lighter than polyester, and 70% lighter than wool.
Anti-bacterial. LIFA has a natural resistance to bacteria. Because of this, it has no odor retention.
Hypo-Allergenic. LIFA is non-itching – even when combined with wool, having LIFA next to your skin provides a zero itch factor.
How Does LIFA® Wick?
Most baselayers work by “wicking”. Fabric absorbs moisture and spreads (or wicks) it across a greater surface area so it can evaporate more quickly. But this leaves wet fabric against the skin, stealing body heat 25 times faster than dry fabric. Since LIFA® can’t absorb water, it can’t wick moisture. Instead, it uses body heat as a catalyst to push sweat vapor THROUGH the garment to a second layer (i.e. fleece), where it is absorbed and wicked for evaporation. LIFA fabric will always stay dry next to your skin.
More info: http://www.hellynewengland.com/lifa/