ユニクロのHEATTECH

去年欲しかったのに品切れになってしまい、今シーズンにようやく購入。

以前セーターを買いに行ったとき、保温力は生地の厚みに比例します。素材の品質もいろいろありますが結局のところ「厚み」が大事なのですという説明を受けた覚えがあります。

一方ベースレイヤーを考えるとき、薄くてもある程度の保温力を期待するためには、IBEXやPatagoniaのウール素材を着てその上に風を遮断するシェルを着ると効果的です。また、天然繊維でなくてもアウトドアメーカーを中心に開発されているハイテク素材では発熱（プリマロフト）や繊維の立体構造（ハニカム構造など）による保温も可能になっています。

ユニクロのヒートテックも発熱系ですが、ほぼ肌着のように着れてそれなりの保温能力があります。でもこの手の繊維が威力を発揮するかどうかはレイヤリングにかかっているので、この上には風を完全に遮断できるものを着たいですね。実際、風が通るものを重ねるとあまり温かくありませんでした。お値打ち価格でもあると思うので、これで耐久性にも問題なければ定番入りです。

Patagonia's Winter

"What the hell do Japanese students commute to school with such heavy stuff?"

That's a question from one American when he knows there are many funs of Patagonia products in Japan. It's always difficult to answer any issue relative to our own behavior. However, we can at least say that Japanese young people have preference of products which brings us or make us feel comfortable and stable with having such endurable tools even though we may not make use of it.

We are the happy race satisfying ourselves with giving such stuff which is beyond our needs. Of course, we may choose to buy cheaper things and then we will switch it into new one when it is getting worn out. Then, total amount of money we spend is equal to buying luxurious things and there are actually people who feel suitable to make this choice. However, we chose the latter way. It's because we can be more comfortable and satisfied, which is relative to conspicuous consumption in micro economic sense, when we can afford to buy them. We can make ourselves nicer and sometimes pretend to be nicer than they actually are. Someone may say it is superficial and we need to change ourselves to fit what we have or to have suitable things for the status in the other way. However, for Japanese the priority to look nice comes first. After they prepare the whole things, they will take any action for that as if there is a Japanese typical phrase it says, first we prepare things, Katachi kara hairu.