Layering is a useful manner of staying warm, but it is not comfortable to be puffed up when you're training. Nike took the concept that staying warm can be less about layering and more about quality of the material to develop the Therma-Sphere Max Men's Training Jacket.
After two years of work on it, Nike released the sweatshirt that functions similarly as a wetsuit. The back of the raised-node hexagonal technology fabric traps warm air close to the body. While a wetsuit holds water, Nike Sphere traps air.
The jacket breathes. The raised nodes keep "good" heat inside the jacket while leaving space for body heat to exit the body. In other words, the jacket is close enough and strong enough that heat stays in, but it is not too tight that the body overheats. The material is also water and wind-repellant.
Unlike the jacket, the matching Nike Therma-Sphere Max Men's Training Pant is designed for tightness with a twist. A recycled draw cord with textured zipper allows user to custom fit the pants to their liking. Articulated seams and a full-length gusset follow the contours of the moving body and adjust to keep the lower body breathing.
For women, Nike Therma-Sphere Max has a women's training vest that works with the same raised-nose technology as the men's jacket.
Nike Therma-Sphere products became available at select locations Sept. 1. Giants wide receiver, Victor Cruz, who is recovering from a torn patellar tendon suffered last October and missed the season opener Sunday night, demonstrates:
Nike let a group of journalists test the Therma-Sphere line at an undisclosed New York City location on Sept. 1 in a 32-degree room. The pictures were not as glamorous as the images of Cruz.
Nike will also unveil a line called "AeroReact," focusing on temperature-adjusting running clothing, on Oct. 1. Here is a sneak peek at the men's and women's products:
-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.
