In many places, the first breaths of autumn are in the air, and there’s no denying that temperatures are finally starting to plummet. Fortunately, it’s not difficult to stay warm with the right clothing, and polyester can undoubtedly help. In its natural form, polyester is not very breathable. Moreover, it is mildly water repellant, so it dries quickly when you sweat or otherwise get damp. As part of a smart winter wardrobe, this affordable and easy to print synthetic fabric makes a great staple in any winter wardrobe. Instead of avoiding all synthetic materials, I recommend choosing your cool-weather layers based on what works for you. Adding poly or poly blend base layers or even polyester coats can help you retain body heat, which is essential when those chilly winds start blowing. I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about this unique fabric so you can use it wisely this winter.
Does polyester keep you warm? Polyester can keep you very warm. Despite the rumors that other fabrics like Merino Wool make better winter clothing, the truth is that fabric density more than it’s content is what keeps you from getting chilly. Likewise, a synthetic fabric like polyester blends well with natural materials like cotton to give the advantages of both.
Why Is Polyester Warm
Polyester keeps you warm because it doesn’t let heat out as well as a super-breathable fabric like linen. As a synthetic, plastic-like fabric, polyester doesn’t wick moisture away from your body, but it dries very quickly. That can be a substantial advantage in damp conditions.
Alternatively, it can be a problem if you don’t have the right layers. When you overdo your winter clothing, and you’re very active, you will sweat even in the coldest climates. I don’t recommend going with only polyester. Instead, layer it with other fabrics for the best effect.
Although there are more open breathable, and blended weaves of polyester, a dense poly fabric doesn’t let moisture or air out. It is this insulation that holds warm air near your body, and thus you stay warmer. Clothing is not what keeps you toasty. Your body heat is the source of your winter warmth, and losing it makes you cold.
You will see polyester in a lot of winter clothing, from socks to coats. Moreover, poly-filled jackets and sleeping bags are popular. Although these items aren’t quite as warm as, for example, a similar down filled option, polyester keeps heat in well.
Since down has more ‘fluff’ to it, the spaces between feathers are more extensive, creating more of an air pocket. However, for cost-effectiveness, or those who are allergic to down or wool products, you’ll find polyester is an ideal choice.
A warm and easy to care for Amazon Essentials Men’s Lightweight Packable Puffer Jacket will help you stay warm all winter. The sleek black puffer-style coat is water-resistant and packs down smaller for easy portability. With handwarmer pockets and a nylon blend shell with polyester filling, this coat will help you stay toasty on the move, and it makes an excellent three-season coat. See the superb reviews right here.
Breathable Polyester
If the weave of your polyester is open, in other words, when it has minute gaps, then air will flow more freely. Similarly, a blended fabric, partly made of polyester and part cotton, or rayon breathes through the natural fabrics. However, polyester is the same material used to make tents and the outsides of baby diapers.
Because it is similar to plastic, the polyester fibers themselves are solid, nonporous material. They don’t have room to absorb anything, nor will they allow things like air to move through them. The texture and spaces between the fibers are what lets water, oil, or sweat to cling to your poly fabrics at all. That moisture is not actually in the material at all.
Caring for Polyester
Stains and odors can get trapped in polyester. The smell results from bacteria flourishing on a surface regardless of what that material is made from. Meanwhile, discoloration is precisely what it sounds like, a layer of color changing the look of your fabric. Fortunately, polyester is easy to wash.
If you want to avoid stinky and discolored fabric, use polyester as an outer layer when you’re more likely to sweat. Choose darker colors or busy patterns if sweat stains are a common problem. Luckily, since it’s nonporous, your poly clothing isn’t as simple to stain as natural fabrics like rayon and wools.
Additionally, by removing your polyester and immediately washing it, you can help prevent these problems from building up. Poly and poly-blend fabrics are easy to clean and require little by way of special care. However, it would be best to be careful when applying heat, such as an iron to polyester, since it can melt.
What Is Polyester
We know polyester can be incredibly warm, but what is it exactly? Invented in nineteen forty-one by John Rex Whinfield and James Tennant Dickson, who were chemists from Britan, polyester fabric is essentially a type of flexible plastic. Despite the stigma of non-natural materials, it is a superb heat retainer that doesn’t wrinkle or fade quickly.
You’re probably aware that polyester became popular in the nineteen seventies. Since it is easy to mass-produce the cost-effectiveness is part of what brought this fabric to the forefront of fashion. Easy to care for and even easier to color, the simplicity of creating beautiful patterns that don’t fade makes polyester a super-fabric.
Once known as uncomfortable and cheap, polyester, like most things, has changed a great deal over the years. Modern techniques and processes make polyester both practical and comfortable. Moreover, there’s a big difference between cost-effective and ‘cheap.’
Where survival supplies are concerned, every penny counts. Knowing where to splurge and when to save a few dollars can mean the difference between having everything you need and coming up far short of your goals. Hence, polyester is a fantastic substitute for more expensive options that are ultimately not much better for cold weather.
It may surprise you to learn that polyester is made from oil, among other ingredients. The same stuff that makes up gasoline and vaseline can make a fantastic piece of clothing. Additionally, the term polyester is a blanket name for any fabric made with polyester yarns or fibers, also known as polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Using an innovative mixture of ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid, this fabric is created in a lab or factory. Unlike natural fibers, polyester resists shrinking in the wash, stretching out of shape permanently, and, of course, wrinkles. Both lightweight and incredibly durable, polyester makes a great alternative to its more bulky and difficult to cared for natural alternatives.
How to Wear Polyester for Warmth
If you want to stay warm in winter, then choosing the right layers of polyester is essential. For example, people who are prone to sweating may wish to seek out a poly blend to wear as a base layer. Alternately, those who are less physically inclined can wear a purely polyester base layer comfortably.
Synthetic base layers like polyester are also more forgiving to those who may experience some weight fluctuation. If you tend to put on a few pounds around the holidays from all the rich foods, then polyester is the way to go. Your cotton and wool longjohns won’t have as much give. Plus, when natural fibers stretch, they tend not to reform the same.
A long-sleeved Carhartt Men’s Force Heavyweight Polyester-Wool Base Layer gives you the advantages of both ultra-warm Merino wool and quick-drying, heat-retaining polyester. The fast-drying design of this shirt wicks away moisture so your sweat won’t cool you off when temps drop. Find out more on Amazon by clicking here.
Opt for a close-fitting under layer for going outside in winter. On top of that, your jeans or winter pants can be natural fibers or have an outer polyester layer to keep the heat inside. Furthermore, choosing polyester socks either over or under a thicker pair of heat retaining winter socks will help to keep your feet warm.
Keeping your torso warm is vital in winter. Since this is where all your vital organs live, it is also where the blood retreats when you get cold. Keeping the heat inside can save your life in a survival situation.
Put a natural fiber like cotton over your polyester or poly-blend undershirt. Then add more layers like a flannel, a sweater, or a sweatshirt on top of that. When the weather is cool, but not freezing, a lighter outer coat is sufficient. However, when temps drop, consider a heavy-duty poly-fill jacket to help create a layer of comforting heat between you and the outside world.
The breathable and waterproof Free Soldier Men’s Hooded Military Tactical Jacket is a superb example of what a polyester thermal 8000mm fleece liner can do for you during a cold winter. Not only is this coat warm, but it’s six percent spandex to move with your body and extremely comfortable against the skin. Plus, it resists water, dirt, oil, and abrasion. Have Amazon deliver the Free Soldier to your door when you click here to order.
By combining layers that are breathable between layers that retain heat, you can get a wonderful and warming buffer of body heat to keep you safe in winter. Even in deep snow, the advantages of a water-resistant polyester outer and innermost layer can keep you from ending up in a dangerous situation.
Final Thoughts
Choosing polyester or cotton-poly blends as your base layer for wintertime survival is a good way to keep heat near your skin. It would be best if you had a well-fitted undershirt and leggings. Loose base layers don’t help you stay warm. Because it’s also stretchy, polyester makes an excellent option for close fits.
Keep in mind that the thickness of your fabrics matters a great deal on the outer layers. Since it is relatively lightweight, a polyester or poly-filled coat can make a superb outside layer as well. Moreover, because this fabric is so easy to print and it retains color well, you can find everything from camo and hunters prints to brightly colored kids jackets, so you don’t lose your little’s in deep snow.
Polyester makes an outstanding addition to any winter wardrobe. Depending on your local weather and what layers you are wearing, this synthetic fabric is ideal for retaining heat.
