Looking towards a more sustainable future, Swedish company Klättermusen gets set to launch a range of down products created with bean-based fabrics. The new products feature an outer layer made from 60% castor bean oil and a 100% traceable Bluesign approved down filling.
When looking for more sustainable fabric alternatives, Klättermusen turned to Japanese supplier Toray as they were experimenting with a bean-based polyamide, or nylon (Klättermusen had before worked with Pertex for outer shell fabrics). The company was trying to replace the crude oil in the polyamide with oil from castor beans. The result is a nylon made from 60% castor bean oil, along with a promising outlook for using 100% castor bean oil in the future as the technology develops further.
The new bean-based Klättermusen collection includes the Bore 2.0 Jacket, Atle 2.0 Jacket, Atle Vest, Liv 2.0 Down Sweater, and Heidrun 2.0 Down Shorts. They are all created with non-penetrating seams and high-loft down for maximum warmth and comfort in cold weather conditions.
The Bore 2.0 Jacket (500€ or ~$530) is warm, water-repellent, and light, made from a 20 denier outer shell and 800+ fill-power down that can easily be compressed down in your pack.
The aim of the Atle 2.0 Jacket (400€ or ~$430) and Vest (300€ or ~$330) was to create a low weight insulation piece to bring along for any adventure: skiing, hiking, climbing, or simply walking the dog. It has a tighter fit, which is perfect underneath a shell or as a versatile outer layer.
The Heidrun (300€ or ~$330) are light down shorts, cut just below the knee, with snaps down the sides for easy on and off. The rear and knees are reinforced with stretch nylon for enhanced durability. Theses down shorts would be excellent underneath shell pants for extra warmth, when sitting around camp, or as an extra layer in a sleeping bag. Would you rock the down shorts?
Finally, the Liv 2.0 Sweater (300€ or ~$330) provides an added layer of warmth underneath a shell jacket, whatever the season. The down sweater compresses down into the inside pocket of your jacket, making it easy to bring along an extra layer without the need to carry a pack.
The Klättermusen bean-based down collection is available now from the company website. Sierra Trading Post should carry the pieces eventually as well.