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Who doesn’t want to be more efficient on the mountain and recover faster after sport? What sounds too good to be true has been developed by Salewa through intensive research. Since 2020, Responsive technology has been on the market and is used in Salewa clothing, accessories and even sleeping bags to reflect body heat in the form of far infrared energy. Read this blog post to find out exactly how the technology works and how you can benefit from it.
TIP: Read a personal review below.
What is Responsive Technology?
Salewa Responsive Technology consists of naturally occurring minerals such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, titanium, and zirconium. The Responsive minerals are applied to the fabric or synthetic fibres used in blends and remain permanently in the material. Even washing cycles cannot harm the technology.
How does Salewa’s Responsive technology work?
The blend of natural minerals in Responsive absorbs the heat given off by the body and returns it to the body in the form of Far Infrared (FIR) energy. The whole thing can be thought of as heating a south-facing rock face. It absorbs the sun’s energy during the day and releases it over time.
This is how the technology works in humans: During exercise, Responsive technology returns body heat to the body as far-infrared energy. There, it penetrates muscle tissue, increasing blood flow, cellular performance and oxygen saturation. The overall result is improved performance and concentration. At rest, infrared energy promotes micro circulation, reduces muscle fatigue and accelerates recovery.
The oxygen thing: how it works
The energy that Responsive returns to your body causes the blood vessels in the capillary bed to dilate, making more oxygen available to the cells. This natural biological process improves blood flow and, on average, increases oxygen delivery to tissues. So the body has more ‘fuel’ to work with as Responsive helps your body use oxygen more efficiently. This works even through multiple layers of clothing.
The benefits of Salewa Responsive at a glance:
- Improved circulation
- Improved cellular performance
- Improved oxygen delivery
- More efficient thermoregulation
- Reduced lactate production
How to wear Responsive products
To maximize the reduction of muscle fatigue, it is recommended that garments with Responsive technology are worn approximately 30 minutes before exercise. Infrared reflection begins after 20 minutes. This has been confirmed by Salewa tests. The effect lasts as long as the garment is worn. Salewa recommends that you wear a garment with Responsive fibers for at least 6 hours a day to get the maximum recovery effect. It does not matter how close or far away from the body the garment is worn. Even several layers of Responsive are no more effective than a single layer. The key is to cover as much of the body as possible. The more surface area covered, the greater the reflective effect. By the way: The FIR radiation emitted to the body by Responsive technology is harmless!
Shop Salewa Responsive products:
Test report: Salewa Responsive line
With the Responsive line, Salewa has added a mineral blend to its gear, from baselayers to hardshells, designed to store the body’s infrared radiation and return it when it cools down. I tested the Salewa Zebru Responsive long-sleeved shirt.
Minerals in a baselayer – at first it sounds like deodorant crystals and swirling water with pebbles. To see what the Zebru could do with its stone dust function, I tested it during a variety of activities.
Responsive minerals on the mountain
The first tour took place in the autumn sunshine on the Laber near Oberau. Light paths, but also some shady woodland, and the micro-stones in my undershirt must have helped to regulate the temperature. The first thing I notice is that the Salewa Zebru Responsive is very comfortable to wear. It fits snugly, does not compress – but does not pinch either. The fabric has a woolly feel to it – it’s made from Alpine Wool Nylon Yarn Blend (64% merino wool, 19% wool and 17% polyamide), whereas the Responsive material is 100% polyamide.
My impression is that it’s soft, lightweight and textured in areas with a striking pattern. Most importantly for a base layer, the Zebru shirt never feels damp or cool when worn. Most importantly, it dries fabulously fast.
Now to the Responsive features. The thermoreactive minerals are the first thing I notice when the sun is shining on my back during a long rest. Sure, it gets warm – but the comparison with the sun on bare skin is considerable, it gets much warmer.
Thermoactive all morning
The second test scenario is cycling to work. It’s a frosty -3°, and I still have 20 km to go. Salewa recommends wearing the Responsive Baselayer about half an hour before activity. So I eat my breakfast in it and set off. And yes, I seem to be getting quite a bit of heat from the kitchen before I warm up. The explanation echoes in my head: “Responsive absorbs the body’s far infrared (FIR) radiation and gradually releases it back into the muscle tissue”.
Infrared during stretching
The final test is supposed to be my run – but as I’m stretching afterwards, I notice that the Responsive minerals also wick away the cool moisture from the long-sleeved shirt that other base layers have when I’m just wearing it “on top” while I’m stretching. The Salewa also feels relatively damp, yet warm and, above all, pleasantly light on the skin.
Another advantage of Salewa’s Responsive fabric blend is that, according to the manufacturer, even the necessary washing of this type of garment does not damage the built-in minerals. The only drawback are the labels sewn into the shoulders, which have to be cut off very carefully to avoid annoying the wearer. The hanging hook on the outside of the collar is a great idea to prevent chafing on the inside.
Conclusion Responsive long sleeve shirt
The Salewa Zebru Responsive long-sleeved shirt does not have built-in heating, nor is it comparable to jackets that are coated with silver foil on the inside. However, Salewa’s FIR material technology provides a sublime feeling of comfort that remains even when wet.