When a company makes a claim that its thermal wear product is five times warmer than the traditional base layer, that is a big claim.
When Zerofit arrived on the courier, the very first thing that came to mind was the weight. Thermal wear that claims to be five times warmer than anything else you would expect to be heavy – it wasn’t. I went through and read in detail how Zerofit was supposed to work.
How it works: The Heat Rub uses “double-loop” barrel fabric to provide both heat insulation and “friction heating”. The extra-long bristles ensure a layer of warm air, and even a little movement of these bristles causes friction, which creates heat which in turn warms you up.
It is stated, “The Heat Rub is twice as warm as a jumper and is comparable to a coat but with the ability of ease of movement for active sports and working”.
The concept sounds like it would work, but it didn’t sound very comfortable. Personally, I struggle with any sort of base layer that has even a merino component. My partner refers to it as ‘girly skin’, not very PC. I like to feel its simply sensitive. So, the concept of ‘heat rub’ sounded like it was not going to be for me, but I was wrong.
During the winter months, we move to the Central Plateau to ski, trout fish, and tramp. I started using the Zerofit when fishing, it’s light and very maneuverable. From the moment you put it on, it is comfortable, which for me personally is a game changer. I found it super warm and didn’t need any additional layers; plus not bulky at all. This year the skiing has been limited this year but those days we have had on the mountain have been chilly 2 and 3 degrees, plus often with a severe wind chill. Once again, the Zerofit kept me warm and comfortable without the additional weight, wore just my Zerofit and a ski shell jacket. Lastly, we have done several tramps around the Ruapehu region which are as you would expect in winter is cold. 50% of the time I needed to remove my Zerofit because I was simply getting too warm (better to be too warm than too cold) pulling off the Zerofit and stashing it in a backpack was easy it crushes up small and lightweight.
If I had one suggestion for Zerofit it would be to add in thumb loops.
It’s not often a new product comes on the market and lives up to the hype Zerofit has delivered all is promised and more.
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