High-Tech Long Johns Sewing Up Niche in Sportswear Profit Margins

NEW YORK —  Long johns just ain’t what they used to be. And that’s good news for the consumer.

Today there is a wide variety of high-tech replacements for the old scratchy, bulky, shrunken underwear.

Choices range from silk to polypropylene, from such trademarked synthetic fabrics as Lifa, Thermax and Capilene to cotton, wool and synthetic blends.

“Underwear is a specialized product today, versus what it used to be,” says Jim Jennings, product manager for Lands’ End, a direct-mail retailer based in Dodgeville, Wis. “You really have to determine the activity before you buy.”

Kevin Sweeney of Patagonia, a sportswear manufacturer in Ventura, agrees: “People used to say, underwear is underwear. But then we said, why don’t we make it perform? And then we said, why don’t we make it fun?”

Sweeney defines fun as thermals in such non-traditional colors as neon orange with navy trim or emerald with purple trim.

Thermal underwear used to be made of 100% cotton, with a small amount made of 100% wool, says Tom Armstrong, product research and testing manager for L.L. Bean in Freeport, Maine.

But an explosion of synthetic fabrics changed that for the better about 10 years ago, he says.

“There has been a trend toward more man-made fibers,” says Bob Blanchard, president of National Knitwear Manufacturers Assn. in Morristown, N.J., which tracks national wholesale thermal sales.

“It is now well over half the market, where 10 years ago it would have been at least 80% all-cotton.”

“Cotton alone is useless in a really cold environment,” says Armstrong, who oversees a textile lab and 400 field testers around the world. “Its high absorbency is its downfall. In essence, it freezes if you stop in winter.

“Wool is great. The old expeditions to the Arctic or the Himalayas relied on wool. But some people find them itchy, and they don’t dry out very well.”

What thermal underwear a person chooses today depends on what they do and how cold it’s going to get around them.

For cross-country skiers, lumberjacks and backpackers--or anyone who will work up a sweat in the cold--Armstrong recommends polypropylene because of its ability to wick moisture away from the body, keeping wearers warm and dry.

But ice fishers, stadium fans, vendors and some hunters--or anyone who spends several hours still in the cold--should get heavier, double-ply cotton-wool-synthetic blended thermals, Armstrong says.

Even such sports names as Nike and Patagonia have entered the previously unglamorous field.

People who want to wear the same thermals as space shuttle astronauts can choose Capilene underwear by Patagonia, in three different weights. Nike also offers three different weights of thermals in its All Conditions Gear line.

But what weight to choose?

“If you’re standing still in the cold--like a ski-race judge--buy expedition-weight,” Sweeney says. “If you’re cross-country skiing, buy mid-weight.

“If you’re wearing it under your clothes, buy lightweight.”

Those who do a variety of outdoor activities are a retailer’s dream.

“If you are both passive and active, you can’t use just one set of underwear,” Jennings says.

In the natural fibers, silk is now king, chosen for its soft, light texture.

“Silk is the top of the line,” Jennings says. “People use it to sleep in, for layering, anywhere you don’t want to be encumbered.”

If the bulk and itch of earlier thermals are gone, what about the tight fit? It seems that shrinkage problems may be a thing of the past, as well.

“Normal shrinkage is 5% to 7%,” Armstrong says. “But we build in that size buffer. If you put it on right from the box, it would be a little big. Our people fit the garment so it fits correctly after washing.”