
Last year, Polartec introduced its Alpha insulation for jackets. The synthetic insulation, which has military roots, is unique because it offers breathability as well as warmth, including in “puffy”-style jackets. (We preview Alpha in our article “Military-Spec Jacket Material soon available to Masses.”)
A number of brands introduced outerwear using Polartec Alpha this past season. But one company, Marmot, embraced the material more than others, and it has gone to great lengths in testing and proving Alpha’s mettle.
I got an inside look at the testing process with Marmot and one of its partners, Exum Mountain Guides. After a 4,000-foot-vertical hike, a short rappel, and a two-hour ski out, I was beginning to see the Alpha light.


Marmot, which just turned 40 years old as a brand, has been working with Jackson, Wyo.-based Exum for two decades. Over my three-day trip, the guides and I wore identical Marmot-Polartec outerwear pieces (a breakdown of each is on Page 2).


