If you have been shopping for cold weather gear lately, PrimaLoft is hard to miss. This ubiquitous synthetic insulation marked by a triangular red shield is now featured in more than 1,000 cold weather brands that cater to the winter wear market. Very likely it is an important part of your winter wardrobe now.

What is PrimaLoft? And where did it come from?

As the popularity of skiing grew in the 1960s and 70s, so did the need for clothing to stay warm on the slopes. Goose down insulation was the answer.  A down parka was the epitome of popular fashion and practical comfort. But it turned out there was a problem. Once that down insulation got wet, its ability to hold heat went away. So long outdoor comfort!

In 1983, the US Army research lab in Natick Ma. asked  the Albany International Corp., a pioneer in advanced textile and material processing, to develop a water resistant alternative to goose down for military issue clothing. The goal was 97 percent of the warmth, weight and compressibility of down, whether wet, or dry.

The result:  PrimaLoft, a synthetic down, that was patented in 1984 and established for commercialization as a subsidiary of Albany International in 1989. . A year later, the first commercially available PrimaLoft insulated garment was manufactured and marketed by L.L.Bean. PrimaLoft Inc became a privately owned independent company in 2012 with headquarters in Latham NY, outside Albany. Today, one form or another of the insulation is used in jackets,, pants, gloves, shoes, sleeping bags and just about anything insulated offered by companies that sell outdoor products.

PrimaLoft products are mainly a polyester microfiber, often made from reclaimed plastics like water bottles that have been through a clean, shred, and melt process and designed to be biodegradable. There are also versions that are blended with merino wool.

Currently,  in addition to the headquarters in upstate New York where product research and development activities are based, the company has representatives in Europe and an office in Asia. The emphasis is creating insulation featuring recycled content using advanced manufacturing technology and renewable energy that significantly reduces carbon emissions in production. The trademark you see for this is PrimaLoft P.U.R.E. A serial innovator, this fall (fall of 2025) the company introduced six new products that enhance and  fine tune commercial applications of the insulation fibers.

Originally conceived for all-weather use by the military, PrimaLoft has emerged over the past 40 years as a mainstay in the recreational clothing industry and regular feature in the wardrobe of skiers everywhere.

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Phil Johnson

Phil Johnson began his career as a sports writer for the Leominster (Ma) Enterprise then the Rochester (NY) Times Union. He wrote his first ski column in1972. Leading up to the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, he wrote regularly for UPI and Adirondack Life magazine. As a freelance writer in the 1980’s, his articles appeared in Sports Illustrated, Travel & Leisure, Skiing, Snow Country, Women’s Sports, The Conservationist and Field & Stream. Since 1994, he has written a weekly ski and winter sports column, first for the Amsterdam (NY) Recorder then, from 2011 through 2023 for the Daily (Schenectady NY) Gazette.

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