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Merino-Possum Beanie Hats, Gloves, Wristwarmers, Scarves & Socks

Reviews

Leading Antarctica scientist Prof. Jane Francis says:

“The Merino-Possum-Synthetic gloves were warm and windproof and in the wet and snowy conditions they dried quickly in the warmth of the tent. They were warm enough to wear as a single layer on very cold days and comfortable enough to allow me to hold a pencil for writing.

Compared to other purely synthetic gloves that I commonly wear, these gloves were thicker and warmer, and far more comfortable. From now on, these will be my choice for Antarctic field work.

Read more reviews here

Save a Pohutukawa - and a Kiwi!

By wearing merino-possum gear you'll not only be keeping yourself toasty-warm, you'll be helping safeguard New Zealand's fragile and endangered eco-system from the massive depradations of the introduced possum.  A non-native species, the possum has wreaked havoc in New Zealand by destroying the habitat of species unique to New Zealand including the Kiwi.  

The possum has already caused the extinction of some species, and far more are threatened.

The possum has no natural predators in New Zealand, and the abundant food supply has caused them to grow far bigger and breed far faster than they do in their native Australia, where they also have natural predators.  As a result, even the WWF sanctions the use of possum fur, as a means to control rapidly increasing numbers of possum (current population estimate 9 million!).  

Research is being carried out at a fast and furious rate on a biological control for the possum, but it is still several years away, by which time an unknown number of species, possibly including the Kiwi and the Pohutukawa tree may be wiped out.

So wear possum and save a Kiwi - or a Pohutukawa!

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Customer Seb sent us this pic from camping trip to the Cairngorms in January 2011.  He says

“We started out from Aviemore and headed for Ben Macdui. We camped about a mile away from the top at 1100m alti om 1.5m of snow. Had a great sundowner with clear skies. Next morning we woke up to gale force winds with zero vision and white out conditions which made reaching the top impossible for us. We had to descend navigating on compass bearings only. Down in the valley weather was nice and sunny. We were wearing your Possum/merino beanies and the possum/merino gloves during that trip as well. Even when wet or moist that stuff keeps you warm.

I also had socks made of merino-possum. Like the gloves, they felt fabulously soft and very warm. I wore them as my base layer in working boots, sometimes with another merino wool pair on top. They were thick and soft and a joy to wear. I am a convert - merino and possum fur will be in my kit bag for my next Antarctic”.trip”.

Technical Specification    

• Won't freeze in Antarctic conditions!  
• Double the warmth of wool alone
• Superlightweight
• Better breathability than tightly knit synthetic fleece
• Better moisture transport than  stretchwoven synthetics
• Great weather resistance in both rain and snow.

Possum is 55% warmer than merino wool & 35% warmer than cashmere so for the ultimate in toastiness, Merino-Possum is hard to beat &#45 AND it's environmentally friendly!  By wearing merino-possum gear you'll be helping safeguard New Zealand's fragile and endangered eco-system from the massive depradations of the non-native possum.  

Superlight and superwarm, socks and gloves made from Merino-Possum yarn have been recommended to sufferers of Reynaud's Syndrome, as it is believed that they help promote circulation.

The headwear is also the of choice of the experts!  From professional Antarctic scientists to leading bushcraft experts like Ray Mears (his is a Moss coloured one by the way. AND - these are the Beanies of choice for the members of the Kaspersky Commonwealth Women's Antarctica Expedition.