PAKACLOUD Fleece Fabric

Starting with the fabric itself, PAKACLOUD Fleece is something of a wonder-textile. According to the tag, it’s made with a mixture of 42% baby alpaca, 30% recycled polyester, 14% merino wool, and 14% recycled nylon. This composition reduces the shed of microplastics, and each fabric offers an assortment of benefits. Alpaca and merino are both soft, warm, breathable, moisture wicking, sustainable, and odor resistant. Nylon and polyester, both recycled, offer maximum quick dry properties (alpaca already dries quickly) and enhanced durability.

Part of the magic of alpaca fleece is the “hollow medullated air pockets (found within each strand of fiber), which reduce heat transfer and creates an insulating buffer compared to synthetic fibers.”

Formulating an assumption based on close visual inspection, there is a woven core that provides the textile’s structure (likely the nylon and/or polyester component) to which the brushed alpaca/merino wool strands are affixed. This places each material where it is most effective, and is a brilliant advancement in textile technology. Our compliments to PAKA.

The end result is that PAKACLOUD is warmer than traditional fleece, and PAKA’s testing indicates 2X the CLO value (an insulative property test using fabric over a hot plate). We’ve seen an overview of their study results, which tested 252 gsm weight PAKACLOUD against 260 gsm weight generic 100% polyester polar fleece. The PAKACLOUD scored a CLO 1.20 which is more than double the 0.51 of the polar fleece.

Based on early wear testing, we agree PAKACLOUD is warmer than a comparably thick traditional fleece, while also being much softer and more breathable. However, while the sensation we feel while wearing it outside is definitely warm, we would not describe it as 2x warmer. Perhaps we’re spoiled on top of the line performance outdoor fleeces, and their testing compared against a budget non-technical fleece textile. Or maybe there’s something about the lab testing was conducted that happened to favor PAKACLOUD. The testing was conducted by a neutral third party called IDFL, but paid for by PAKA.

Either way, we’re in full agreement that PAKACLOUD outperforms traditional fleece of comparable gsm fabric weight by virtually every measurement and perception. But we’d be super curious to see how it compares to top of the lines fleece textiles from major outdoor brands and and name-brand textile innovators like Polartec.

Lastly, as always, PAKA smashed it out of the park with regard to sustainability. All of the petroleum based nylon and polyester fabrics are recycled. The cinching hardware is built with a corn byproduct. And alpaca wool and merino wool are natural, bio based, and 100% sustainable. What’s more, PAKA is also a certified B Corp, and their brand employees in Quechua, Peru, make 4x the local living wage. 1% of proceeds are donated to the betterment of young women in Peru. Anything you buy from PAKA is a win for mother earth, and the PAKACLOUD Fleece Pullover is no exception.