Most of us pay good attention to the fit, styles, and functions of the garment when purchasing thermal wear. The fabric often gets left out of consideration as long as it’s soft and comfortable. But it may be holding more important than you realize. In fact, it may be what is making your thermal as good as it feels to you. Making them last longer and stay warm throughout. It is, therefore, important to consider some fabric-related aspects when choosing thermal wear.
Weight
There are, broadly speaking, 3 kinds of fabrics when it comes to weight – each comes with its own set of advantages. A lightweight thermal should be your pick if you live in areas of moderate or cool temperatures. It may not be as warm as the thicker ones, but it will surely provide good protection from the cold. Midweight thermals are for the cold temperatures. They are not as bulky as the heavier ones but keep you warm enough through the season. Heavyweight thermals are used by people in areas experiencing extreme cold. Strong, thick and definitely adding weight to your clothes, they’ll make you feel immense warmth even in freezing temperatures.
Material
There are quite a few material options available for women’s thermal wear. You can try wool, silk and even cotton, depending on your preferences, but your best bet would be a synthetic fabric that is a good blend of polyester, spandex, nylon, and lycra that provides just the right amount of warmth with its heat retention and moisture-wicking properties. All the while wool might get itchy, silk might not be warm enough and cotton would just make you uncomfortable with its moisture retention.
Strength
The strength of the fabric is another important factor that contributes to the quality of thermal wear. A thermal should support your day-to-day activities like traveling, gymming, yoga along with the more rigorous ones like adventure sports. You surely wouldn’t want thermal wear made of weak fabric that could get torn easily.
Properties and Attributes
Thermals are more than just base layers of clothing that keep you warm. They need to serve more purposes than that. The fabric used should be stretchable, moisture-wicking, moisture-managing as well as warm. But most important of all – it should be soft and comfortable to wear as it is going to be your first layer of clothing next to the skin. The fabric is what makes the thermal soft, warm, flexible and wearable. A good thermal should provide all-around comfort and protection in the colder months and the fabric is the determining factor in it.
