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Smartwool Socks Efficient Moisture Management |
 Efficient: Moisture Management
You stay drier for longer because SmartWool wicks, absorbs and evaporates more efficiently than any other fiber, including synthetics. This is due to the exceptional moisture management properties of SmartWool. SmartWool’s ingenious moisture management system ensures all day comfort.
Sweat is removed from the skin’s surface as vapor, through evaporation. The vapor then condenses and can compromise your personal microclimate (the air trapped between the fabric and skin) causing a clammy sensation. Sweat needs to be removed from the skin’s surface or from the microclimate to ensure that comfortably cool and dry conditions are maintained for the garment wearer. SmartWool manages moisture different than other fibers, it absorbs the moisture vapor before it has a chance to condense into a liquid. |
SmartWool’s moisture management system works between the fabric and your skin, and between the fabric layers. Water vapor moves naturally from a high to low humidity environment, even through the SmartWool fabric. If you are wearing SmartWool layers and a waterproof/breathable outer layer (such as a jacket) then the water vapor can be transported and released keeping your personal microclimate comfortable cool and dry. The moisture management system works equally as well with our SmartWool Socks.
Not only is it light rain resistant, SmartWool fiber is able to absord water vapor and then release it into the atmosphere. It achieves this by absorbing a moisture vapor from the high humidity environment next to your skin and releasing it into a typically less humid environment outside the garment. This process of absorbing and releasing moisture occurs through “hydrogen bonding” where the negatively charged oxygen atom in the water vapor molecule is attracted to the positively charged hydrogen atom in the wool’s protein (keratin) backbone. This attraction is similar to that of two magnets with oppositely charged poles. Negatively charged oxygen atoms in the water vapor molecule are attracted to the positively charged hydrogen atom in wool’s protein backbone.
Synthetic fiber is typically not effective at managing moisture as a vapor. It must wait for the vapor to condense into water droplets so it can employ a capillary action to wick moisture away from the skin. As a result, they absorb (chemically bind) little or no water and produce very little heart of sorption (see Temperature Control). SmartWool fiber moves moisture faster and more efficiently than synthetics as it doesn’t require as many steps to maintain moisture control. SmartWool reduces the effect of this condensation on wearer comfort and can absorb moisture of up to 27% of its dry weight, therefore assiting in the process of thermoregulation.
The result: more comfort over a longer period of time. |
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