One of the most significant events in the history of performance outdoor clothing was the arrival of knitted polyester Polar Fleece.

Two and a half times warmer for its weight than any natural fibre and absorbing less than 3% of its weight in moisture, it rapidly became sought after for being the most efficient   insulation layer for the outdoors. To this day nothing has topped it for thermal efficiency and fast drying ability.

Polar Fleece was the innovation of the Massachusetts company, Malden Mills. Branded Polartec®, this fabric was first released just a few years before Earth Sea Sky was founded back in 1990.

Fitting our commitment to using only the best fabrics for performance and durability an enduring relationship was formed between ourselves and the Malden Mills team.

Tragically in 1996 fire destroyed the mill. CEO and owner, Aaron Feuerstein, 70 years old at the time, could have walked away with the insurance pay out and lived comfortably. However, he chose to keep his 3,000 staff employed and paid and to rebuild the mill. Further, he continued to find a way to keep supplying his customers, even Earth Sea Sky one of his smallest, located on the other side of the world.

Sadly, Aaron Feuerstein passed away earlier this month in Boston aged 95 years.  David Ellis, Earth Sea Sky CEO noted our debt saying: ‘Earth Sea Sky essentially owes our existence to Aaron Feuerstein.’

The cost of his actions after the fire eventually resulted in the company filing for bankruptcy but Aaron Feurerstein maintained that though worthless on paper   the company was worth so much more.

Malden Mills did not patent the word ‘Polar’. Many inferior look alike products appeared under the generic Polar Fleece name. Malden Mills registered the term Polartec® and marketed their entire range under it. It was a clever rear-guard action – as Polartec® was seen as the only reliable quality brand amongst a multitude of copiers.

Polartec® continues to be the leading innovator, offering the best quality, performance, and durability for an impressive catalogue of outdoor fabric from base layers to outer waterproof protection and all the thermal layers in-between.

We frequently have customers visit wearing their Earth Sea Sky Polartec® garments that are 20+ years old and still going strong.

As well as fleece we use the Polartec® base layer range of bicomponent (wicking and moisture dispersing) fabrics.

All Earth Sea Sky garments using Polartec® fabrics have the distinctive three triangle Polartec® logo sewn into the side seam.

From the other side of the world Earth Sea Sky salutes you Mr Feuerstein for your vision, sincerity and kindness.

Thank-you for your face mask order.

The announcement by the Ministry of Health on 6^th August changing its guidance around face mask use in the community created an unprecedented number of orders on our website.

We moved quickly to increase production and by the weekend of 8^th August, were confident we had this under control. The news of community transmission of Covid-19 in the Auckland region and the change in levels throughout New Zealand changed this. To our performance outdoor clothing company “avalanche” took on a new meaning.

We have increased production with new machinists added to the team. New staff have also been employed to prepare componentry, compile DIY kits, assemble information sheets, enter orders, answer emails and phone calls. We have been working 7 days a week since the 7^th of August and production has been increased by 50 times since then.

Delivery Dates
Orders are currently being supplied within 2-3 days of ordering

Priority Orders
We are holding a small number of masks to accommodate those in a high-risk category or are travelling overseas.

If you have an urgent requirement please contact us directly by phone 03 3390126 or email info@earthseasky.co.nz

DIY Mask Kits
We are almost up to date with these. Orders are being despatched as soon as components are available.

Filters
We are grateful to Lanaco who have increased production and have been working hard to supply us.

Mask and filters
A mask with filter inserted will give you a high level of protection, close to N95 specification when resting. This is far superior to a cloth or disposable surgical mask. The filter should not be washed as this will decrease its level of protection. The mask is designed to be reusable. It is washable, fast-drying, durable and easy to breathe through.

Contaminated filters should be disposed of. The question is ‘how do you know?’
We suggest that in high-risk situations, where people are forced to congregate in confined spaces or you are in constant contact with new people, you dispose of the filter at the end of each day, wash your mask and insert the new filter. Where there is no community transmission, short intermittent periods of use and the environment is low risk, filters could be used for longer periods of time.

For multi-day filter use always follow correct mask-wearing procedures by cleaning hands before fitting your mask and not touching the mask once it is on. If you do, always wash your hands afterwards. On removing the mask and when not washing it, store it in a sealed container and wash your hands. Best practise is, always treat unwashed masks as if they are contaminated.

Communications
We have not been able to respond to all the emails and phone calls we have received or answer queries on social media with the speed we usually do.

We intend to catch up on this. Please accept our apologies for the delay you may have experienced.   We have hundreds of messages requiring a reply.

New Zealand Made
Our masks are the very best of kiwi ingenuity. The filter manufacturers, Lanaco, use a grown-to-purpose wool from Central Otago and we have drawn on our technical fabric knowledge to select a durable, fast drying, porous fabric that matches the porosity of their filter. Our masks offer good protection levels and unhindered breathability and our product is the combination of four New Zealand manufacturers involving filter fibre blending and the construction of filters, elastic and masks.

Updates
We will continue to provide updates via our blog, facebook page and e-newsletters.

Take care,
Earth Sea Sky Team

Earth Sea Sky is no stranger to making gear that your life might depend on. For decades, our Christchurch-based company has produced outdoor clothing for the world’s toughest environments and has been a go to brand for Antarctica New Zealand and Land SAR. Now we have entered a new market of protective face masks using New Zealand grown merino filters. 

Behind the Mask Production

Our multi-tasker Jane Ellis started researching protective face masks just a few days into New Zealand’s Level 4 coronavirus lockdown, when the country’s shortage of PPE gear hit the headlines. Brenda, a skilled machinist and our long-time outworker, was keen to help too. From the safety of their own “bubbles”, the pair debated the merits of various designs and fabrics for everything from scrubs to masks and came up with ad-hoc samples.

Jane says they were well placed to respond when Auckland-based company Lanaco put a call out for manufacturers capable of producing face masks using its merino Helix.iso™ filters. Lanaco has been developing air filter media from purpose bred Astino sheep in Central Otago for about seven years; its filters are used for workplace health and safety purposes and for people to wear in countries with poor air quality.

CEO Nick Davenport says it seemed like a no-brainer to ramp up production to help address the need for PPE gear. “One of our staff members is from Hong Kong and was aware of a community mask programme there which had open sourced a design, but of course the main problem with making your own product is if a mask is just a piece of cloth it does not actually give you any protection,” he says.

“Our filter technology provides a really, really low breathing resistance plus the ability to capture dangerous particles. We saw an opportunity to help people in New Zealand by releasing as much filter media as we could and a design for a mask that actually works.” The idea was that a community manufacturing programme could provide an option for consumers who could not access products such as the N95. “We put feelers out and Earth Sea Sky was one of the first manufacturers to pick it up. They’ve been fantastic to deal with – they totally get it.”

Jane reflects that a good thing about being a small business is the ability to be nimble and adapt quickly; the downside is how keenly it feels the effects of disruptive events like Covid-19. “We feel a responsibility towards our workers and their livelihoods, so we were actively seeking ways to utilise members of our team who were keen to work. “We were contacted by Ryan Jennings from Buy New Zealand Made who said, ‘Hey, here’s an opportunity’, and it sounded like a good fit. We design and make performance clothing, which protects people from the elements. A mask is just another protection layer.”

Two weeks after the call with Lanaco, Earth Sea Sky’s first Helix.iso™ filters Masks started rolling off the production line. Jane says having the right fabric was key to maximize the masks’ performance. “The downside of home-made masks is that many use cotton or merino which retain moisture. We needed a fabric that provided minimal resistance to breathing, dried quickly and was also durable.” Earth Sea Sky sourced a breathable, fast-drying polypropylene fabric using the expertise of its head honcho David Ellis.

We are now selling packs of two masks (one to wash and one to wear) for $59.90 and single mask packs for $44.90. Each pack contains seven filters, which is intended for a weeks’ supply in an environment where there is close contact with other people throughout the day, particularly those who may be vulnerable or sick.

 Earth Sea Sky recognised Lanaco’s intention to make its system available to as many in the community as possible, so to make its own masks more affordable, it decided to offer DIY kits containing cut mask pieces, nose wire and elastic with sewing instructions online for $9.90. A pack of seven filters is $25.

Helix.isoTM Helix.iso™ filters Masks would be ideal for work environments where close contact with people is required such as physiotherapists, rest home workers and taxi/bus drivers. The masks could also be worn by immunocompromised people during the ordinary flu season or in environments where dust is an issue.

Lanaco believes its filters provide an adequate level of protection, provided the wearer is not physically exerting themselves. It recommends carefully replacing the filter as frequently as practical and as often as one can afford to. Brenda, who produced Earth Sea Sky’s first 600 masks from her workshop before its factory had permission to start up again, says she was pleased to be involved in “something that counts” during lockdown.

 

Jane says it was greatt to have a project to get Earth Sea Sky’s team of machinists back on deck. “Just keeping our factory workroom ticking over is huge for us,” she says. “I don’t think you can look after your community better than by giving someone a job.” Brenda, who produced Earth Sea Sky’s first 600 masks from her workshop before its factory had permission to start up again, says she was pleased to be involved in “something that counts” during lockdown.

About the Helix.iso™ filter Mask 

The Helix.iso™ filter  Mask combines a reusable mask body and a disposable, eco-friendly filter element designed to provide an effective filter for Covid-19. At a walking pace, protection is provided from more than 80% of dangerous particles. Helix.iso™ filter is a scientifically developed and proven respiratory filter system developed in New Zealand to protect respiratory health. Helix.iso™ filter was developed by Lanaco during the global Covid-19 outbreak to allow a system of replaceable elements to be used in a washable mask that is accessible for the public. A key feature of Helix.iso™ filter technology is its extremely low breathing resistance, which makes it easy to wear. Common FAQs are here.

About Lanaco 

Lanaco is a deep science technology company based in Auckland, which has spent a decade developing its organic/hybrid Helix.iso™ Filter media based on the science of DNA genetics from specially selected sheep flocks. The sheep it sources fibre from are bred in New Zealand to produce a unique and high performing wool fibre optimised for filtration. Helix.iso™ Filters are manufactured at the company’s Auckland facility. 

https://www.lanaco.co.nz/

For more information

Earth Sea Sky Equipment Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand

P: 033390126 M: 0210344082 E: jane@earthseasky.co.nz

‘Our Far South’ is the land and ocean south of Stewart Island that either belongs to or has a strong connection to New Zealand. Gareth Morgan instigated the project to help make more Kiwis aware of the treasures on their back doorstep—our subantarctic islands and the Ross Dependency in Antarctica itself. His vision was to take 50 New Zealanders to see it all, prepare them with a series of lectures from experts on board, then let them loose to tell their friends and communities about everything.I was welcomed onto the team as a science communicator and joined by others including business people, engineers, environmentalists, a fisher, a diplomat, a regional council enforcement officer, a pilot and scientists. We travelled by sea on a Heritage Expeditions trip from Bluff to McMurdo Sound and back, stopping off at five subantarctic island groups. It took 30 days.

I made contact with Jane from Earth Sea Sky after purchasing some essential gear from Bivouac, who supported the trip with a generous discount to the crew. At Earth Sea Sky, from family members Jane, David and Michael Ellis,  I learned told me about the family connection with Antarctica.

“David’s father Murray was part of the team that built the original Scott Base and helped keep the tractors going on the way to the South Pole in the 1957-58 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition.”

The expedition was a commonwealth effort and New Zealand was supporting the British team (led by Dr Vivian Fuchs, head of the British Antarctic Survey) who left from Shackleton Base on the Weddell Sea. Fuchs planned to travel across the continent via the South Pole and end up at Scott Base on the Ross Sea side of the continent. The kiwis put in supply depots for them from Scott Base to the polar plateau and were never meant to go to the pole, but Sir Edmund Hillary, the leader of the New Zealand party, decided to make a ‘dash for the pole’, despite being warned off by Fuchs and beat them to it.

Personal highlights were visits to three of the historic huts erected by Scott and Shackleton more than 100 years ago, experiencing McMurdo Sound and Mt Erebus in silent icy beauty at 4 am and sitting on a beach surrounded by curious king penguins. Such moments have increased my sense of wonder for the natural world south of Stewart Island and why it deserves all our efforts to protect it.

My Earth Sea Sky gear was great. Of course, the Hydrophobia performed brilliantly when I got a good dousing on a zodiac boat, and the trousers allowed comfortably for an expanded waistline from the delicious cooked breakfasts and three-course dinners on board. Their garments made for Antarctica New Zealand kept many others of the crew warm and comfortable and was doing a great job keeping the staff at Scott Base toasty warm and looking good in the distinctive orange and black colours.

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Sarah’s trip blog can be found at www.descipher.co.nz/ourfarsouth