Catch the sun to glow during the night

Mountain sports outfitter VAUDE from Germany shows at the ispo winter 2008 an interesting concept they developed for high end Outdoor Jackets, the Hybrid Performance System of its new Argon Line.

The Argon line is the most performance enhancing clothing concept for alpinists: all layers are perfectly fine-tuned to each other to reach the highest level of breathability, comfort and efficiency possible.

But there is a special feature that makes this performance system into our blog coverage: the use of Energlo fabrics, a glow-in-the-dark waterproof, breathable fabric.

VAUDE’s Energlo Jacket doesn’t just reflect light thanks to Energlo, it provides active protection in the darkness. A large fluorescent zone on the front and back of the jacket absorbs light from the sun or artificial lighting during the day, and shines in the dark for up to 180 minutes.

This fluorescence is created by minerals that are processed into the fabric so they aren’t affected by washing. Additional reflective elements complement these zones, providing all-round safety and guaranteeing wearing fun.

“The individual components are fully integrated with each other to create a complete system,“ explains Johan Raiha, Product Manager of the Argon Line.

The use of Energlo is smart and practical; catch the light during the day to have it ready for the late afternoon/early evening and stay visible. Especially useful in winter where the daylight is short.

I wonder why this concept hasn’t made it to the innovation award list. On my scale of innovative clothing the Energlo Jacket is very high up.

You can see the Jacket and more from Energlo in Hall A5, Booth 440 on the ispo winter 2008 in Munich until January 30.

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