Warm enough in the Falklands?

Here at Earth Sea Sky we do a lot of in-house product testing. We also encourage people to give us honest feedback on their experiences with our products, which is exactly what Peter Carey did after using our Hydrophobia, Powerwool Zip-Polo Powerwool Short-Sleeve after his field work during Falklands winter!

“This latest field trip saw me eradicating invasive species from an island in the Falklands’ during the worst of the winter. As is typical in the subantarctic, weather conditions varied a lot over the month I was in the field. Temperatures were between – 3 and +4 C, while the wind ranged from moderate to gale force. Snow and sleet were not uncommon, and they came in horizontally on all but one occasion. Spreading rat bait by hand is physically demanding work as you are carrying a heavy bucket of bait while meticulously following a GPS transect. Regardless of how difficult the terrain or vegetation is, you have to stay on the correct line.

 

My Hydrophobia parka was my main armour against the weather and I never left camp without it on. It performed exceptionally well, shedding sleet and strong winds comfortably. In the worst conditions, I cinched up the cuffs and zipped up the hood for complete protection without loss of movement and vision. The Hydrophobia performance was no surprise as it has been flawless for me on so many expeditions, but what was new for me on this trip was the Power Wool Zip Polo and Power Wool Short Sleeve.

 

I wore the short sleeve next to my skin with the Zip Polo on top and didn’t take them off for 2 weeks. That’s two weeks of battling through tussock grass over 2-metres high, two weeks of hiking along the windswept cliff tops, 2 weeks of impromptu stops, resting with my back to the wind while fitting in a snack and some water, and 2 weeks of sleeping in a cozy sleeping bag. The shirts never came off for 2 weeks and they performed magnificently. The wicking properties were excellent and I noticed it was only the second layer that ever felt damp after serious exertion. Never the layer next to my skin. When I finally had a chance wash them, I rinsed them in a tub of cold water, wrung them out by hand and hung them on the line in a gale to dry. They dried quickly, despite the near-freezing temperatures, and were good for another uninterrupted fortnight of wear. These 3 Earth Sea Sky garments were the basic upper body clothes that kept me comfortable for a month of hard field work. Thanks very much for making such effective clothing.”

 

That is some pretty impressive product testing by any standard, and we’re chuffed here at ESS that our products were able to keep Peter in a good stead to complete his very value work.

Feel free to share your reviews with us on the website or email through your review with any images!