Klymit Takes Outdoor Gear & Apparel to New Extremes Providing Increased Mobility, Decreased Weight, and Adjustable Temperature Control in its Revolutionary Insulation Technology
Ogden, Utah – May 16, 2008
It’s every outdoor enthusiast’s dream – the ability to control their own personal environment on the mountain, regardless of where and how hard they go, the weather around them, or the separate environment of fellow enthusiasts.
Klymit’s pioneering insulation technology is quickly making this dream a reality. The highly technical layer of insulation provides users with personal climate control as they regulate the amount of heat retention within their snow jacket based on their own needs and preferences in the face of changing weather and fluctuating physical exertion levels. This unprecedented development – “Klymit Kontrol” – offers the benefits of maximum warmth and personalized insulation without the costs of decreased mobility and extra weight in sports gear that typically comes with staying warm in the outdoors.
The noble gas based technology is more efficient than Thinsulate, Primaloft, or any other competitors’ product at a similar cost to produce. A built-in lipstick-sized gas cartridge allows users to regulate the amount of pressurized argon gas (the insulating component) in their gear to “Klymitize” their personal environment to a comfortable level. The gas is released with the turn of a dial through a valve system into connected gastight chambers throughout the jacket that evenly circulate the insulation. These odorless, tasteless, colorless, non-flammable, and non-toxic noble gases are a natural part of the air we breathe.
The idea behind the technology first struck former Brigham Young University student Nate Alder on a scuba diving expedition while he was still a student. Realizing that arctic divers use argon gas to insulate their dry suits and to stay under water for longer periods of time on cold water dives, Alder considered the unexplored possibilities if the technology were successfully adapted to above-sea level activities. Argon gas has also been utilized in double-paned windows for some time now because of its inherent insulation properties. The swift development and adaptation of the noble gases’ insulation qualities to outdoor gear promises long-searched-for solutions to the problem of “warmth on demand” when outside.
Previously, making warm jackets required the use of bulky, high-volume fabrics. However, this significantly decreased the mobility of the wearer. In addition, temperature regulation in such cumbersome gear was difficult to control and maintain, often making overheating both uncomfortable and unavoidable as wearers would sweat and exert themselves. The only practical solution to this problem used to be layering – removing layers of clothing when too hot, or adding layers when too cold – that is, until Klymit developed its insulation technology. Klymit solves the core problems of outdoor enthusiasts through its three-fold product objective: Insulate, Liberate, Regulate.
“Like Velcro, it’s a simple solution to a big problem,” Alder says.
With a talented and dynamic team comprised of recent Brigham Young University graduates with undergraduate, MBA, and PhD degrees among them, Klymit has achieved worldwide patent-pending status for using the insulation technology in outdoor gear and apparel of all types, as well as numerous other applications beyond the outdoor recreation market. The thin, light-weight, and adjustable insulation technology will initially be used for gear such as jackets, boots, gloves, sleeping bags, hunting and fishing gear, etc. Numerous, yet-to-be-explored possibilities for other products include a request to develop a military application for Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
Founded in February 2007 by Nate Alder, the company is generating exciting growth and fast progress with over a year of experience already under its belt. It started out small, as little more than a big idea and a lot of questions. Nate himself will tell you that even when the idea first came to him, he thought argon was a character in The Lord of the Rings. But the idea has taken root and the team continues to grow quickly and substantially, now consisting of members from many different fields of experience and expertise – and partners among the top brands in the industry located around the world.
Klymit has performed extremely well in several business plan competitions around the country, having achieved first or second place in each competition they have entered, earning more than $200,000 in cash and services. However, this early success is just a drop in the bucket compared with the potential Klymit has to land some big-time contracts in the coming months.
Klymit recently moved its business to the outdoor recreation hotbed of Ogden, Utah, following the rest of the ski industry leaders such as Salomon, Atomic (with their parent company Amer Sports), Descente, Nidecker, and others. Klymit has made great progress with the biggest brand names in outdoor gear and sporting apparel who are lining up to be a part of the initial release of the technology. Given these exciting opportunities for expansion, Klymit feels ready to transform the insulation industry and is gearing up to enter the international market with a product that industry leaders are already calling The Holy Grail of Insulation™. Isn’t it about time you Kontrolled the Elements™?
