About Camel Wool

CAMEL WOOL – A HIGH-PERFORMANCE ALL-ROUNDER FROM THE STEPPES OF CENTRAL ASIA

Camel wool is a high-performance fiber from the steppes of Central Asia. Adapted to the extreme climate and harsh landscapes of the Central Asian steppe—where temperatures drop to as low as -40 °C in winter and climb to as high as 45 °C in summer—camel wool provides excellent insulation against the cold and outstanding breathability.

These properties make camel wool the world’s most versatile functional fiber, handling both extremely low and extremely high temperatures with ease and delivering performance in every season and across all temperature ranges. It is therefore ideal not only for summer but also for highly variable climates with significant day-to-night fluctuations.

WHAT SETS CAMEL WOOL APART

HEAT RETENTION & INSULATION

In winter, temperatures in the Asian steppes drop as low as -40 °C. To prevent heat loss in this extreme cold, Bactrian camels have an extremely dense and warm undercoat. So it’s hardly surprising that camel wool ranks among the warmest wools, second only to vicuña and yak wool. Compared to merino wool, it offers up to 30% higher insulation (thermal performance), keeping you reliably warm even in very cold temperatures.

OUTSTANDING WARMTH-TO-WEIGHT RATIO

The hollow-fiber structure of camel hair delivers an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio. This means you can achieve the same thermal performance as merino wool while carrying less weight. This helps you avoid carrying unnecessary weight while mountain climbing.

Temperature-regulating

Camel hair has excellent temperature-regulating properties. By trapping air within its fine fibers, it insulates your body heat in winter, keeping you comfortably warm, while in summer it wicks away body heat and insulates against external heat. This keeps you comfortably cool even at temperatures up to 45 °C.

BREATHABLE & MOISTURE-REGULATING

Camel hair fibers are hollow inside, allowing greater breathability than merino wool. It wicks moisture and water vapor away from the body more effectively than merino wool. This prevents moisture from building up on the inside, so you never feel clammy or wet.

NO HEAT BUILD-UP

Thanks to its high breathability and effective temperature regulation, camel wool prevents heat build-up even in high temperatures. This means you won’t overheat even during the most physically demanding activities, such as mountaineering or trail running.

SUPPORTS THE BODY’S NATURAL TEMPERATURE REGULATION

Compared to merino wool, camel wool absorbs significantly more moisture during sweaty activities and stores it between its fine fibers. As it slowly releases moisture to the outside, it creates evaporative cooling that supports the body’s natural temperature regulation and prevents overheating. This keeps you comfortably cool even in midsummer temperatures of up to 45 °C.

Quick-Drying

The hollow fiber structure allows for quick drying—up to twice as fast as cotton and about 1/5 faster than merino wool.

HIGHLY WATER-REPELLENT

Thanks to its special fiber structure, camel wool is highly water-repellent and reliably keeps you dry in light rain.

Highly Wind-Resistant

Thanks to its slightly crimped structure, which traps numerous air pockets, wool is naturally highly wind-resistant, though not 100% windproof. Camel wool has particularly fine fibers that, thanks to their hollow structure, form a highly effective barrier against the wind—which is how camels withstand the chilly desert and trade winds in the deserts of Africa and Central Asia. Because our functional clothing is knitted particularly tightly and heavily, it forms a more effective wind barrier than any other functional clothing.

Keeps You Warm Even When Wet

Camel wool can absorb up to 33% of its own weight in moisture without losing its insulating properties. Due to a special chemical effect, wool fibers release heat when they come into contact with water. As a result, even when completely wet, wool still offers some protection against the cold compared to other fibers and helps prevent hypothermia. Since we use a very strong yarn in most of our products, our camel wool T-shirts and long-sleeve tops take up to 3 times as long to reach their maximum moisture capacity and release up to 2 times as much absorption heat as conventional merino base layers. An insulating air pocket also remains within the hollow fibers of camel hair, allowing camel wool to protect you from the cold longer and more effectively.

Anti-bacterial and strongly odor-resistant

Camel wool effectively wicks moisture away from the body, so bacteria don’t stand a chance. This protects you from unpleasant odors. Many of our shirts can be worn for up to a week—even during physically strenuous activities—before they need to be washed. For our sweaters and cardigans, it’s often enough to wash them just once a year.

UV PROTECTION FACTOR 40+ FOR ULTRA-HIGH UV PROTECTION

Due to increased UV radiation and advances in life expectancy, more and more people are developing skin cancer over the course of their lives—in the U.S., it’s already one in five people. UV exposure is particularly high in the summer. Camel wool is naturally UV-absorbing. With a UV protection factor of 40+, it reliably protects you from harmful UV radiation.

ANTISTATIC, FLAME-RETARDANT & SELF-EXTINGUISHING

Because we do not add any synthetic fibers, our camel wool is naturally antistatic, flame-retardant, and self-extinguishing. The ignition temperature of wool is an extremely high 570–600 °C. Because wool naturally absorbs moisture and has a high nitrogen content, ignition is made even more difficult. As a result, our camel wool is flame-resistant, so flying sparks cannot harm it. If it does catch fire, the flame usually extinguishes itself as soon as the external ignition source is removed. This is because wool requires an oxygen concentration of 25–26% to burn—more than the approximately 21% present in our atmosphere.

Unlike synthetic fibers such as polyamide or polyester, wool does not melt when it burns; instead, it chars. This charring acts as an insulating protective shield against the heat of the flame and makes it difficult for the fire to spread to underlying layers of wool. Above all, however, it minimizes the risk of injury, as no liquid material sticks to the skin. As a result, our camel wool helps prevent severe burns that penetrate deep into the skin tissue when it comes into contact with fire.

Because we use a thicker yarn in all our products, it also creates a stronger physical barrier between your skin and the ignition source, further minimizing the risk of burn injuries.

REDUCED INFRARED SIGNATURE

Because it contains no synthetic fibers and undergoes no chemical pretreatment, our camel wool naturally has a reduced infrared signature and is NIR-compliant/IRR-compliant. This means that in the near-infrared (NIR) spectrum—that is, when illuminated by a night vision device—it does not “glow brightly,” but instead reflects a similar amount of infrared light as the natural surroundings. As a result, you are harder to detect with a night vision device.

SOFT, SNUG, & ITCH-FREE

Camel wool is soft and gentle on the skin, though slightly less fluffy than yak hair. It’s itch-free after the first wash and doesn’t chafe against your neck or shoulders. This way, you can focus entirely on your next adventure.

EXCELLENT STRENGTH & HIGH DURABILITY

Camel wool is naturally more abrasion-resistant and durable than merino wool. Thanks to its unique fiber structure and knitting technique, it’s 1.5 times more durable than merino wool and cashmere and less prone to pilling.

By choosing a heavy, robust knit, we enhance the wool’s natural resilience and create durable, sturdy pieces you can enjoy for years. Our performance clothing is a workhorse, made to be worn.

A SUSTAINABLE CHOICE

Harvesting camel wool conserves the resources of Asia’s steppes and plateaus. Our wool is a purely natural product that contains no plastic additives. We do not chemically treat our wool or use a superwash process. As a result, our wool is one of the few functional garments on the market that is 100% free of plastics and does not release microplastics. We rely on short supply chains and socially responsible production at a local manufacturer in Mongolia.

Learn more about the Sustainability of our Wool.