Sunday, June 10, 2012

Why Haeleum?

What is Haeleum?



It is high performance Insect Shield® apparel manufacturer.  Insect Shield technology has been around for a little bit and is used by ExOfficio, Columbia and several other big brands. 

Haeleum comes from the old English root word hael, meaning sound physical condition, protection against attack and deliverance from unfavorable conditions.  

So what is the technology behind an insect repellant shirt?  Insect Shield uses what is called Permethrin, a man-made version of a natural insect repellant that is found in certain Chrysanthemum plants.  This is tightly woven into the fabric of the apparel and is said to last about 70 washings.  I'm not sure any of my running shirts stay around longer than 70 washings anyway so the longevity of the repellant in non-factor.  

I was intrigued by this concept since Haeleum has introduced this technology in performance apparel.  I'm the type of guy who despises the thought of putting on bug spray or sun block, etc.  With that in mind I figured this product was worth putting to the test.  

The folks over at Haeleum were gracious enough to send me one of their shirts for me to test and review.


So I've now been wearing Haeleum's shirt line named Célan off and on for about a month.  I chose the carbon color simply because I'm tired of all the white and other soft colored racing shirts lining my closet. 



Few things noticeable about the shirt.

It does not smell or feel like bug spray.
It has no harmful junk in it like DEET.
It has a very tight and durable feeling weave.



It is hard to test a product like this as you really do not know if you are receiving a placebo effect or an actual positive result from the product.  I have noticed while running in the shirt a serious lack of mosquitoes and gnats pestering on my trail runs.  Horseflys and greenheads seemed kept at bay as well.  Now obviously the wearing of a shirt will not protect you from head to toe but I'm confident this product works as intended.  

The fabric wicks sweat just as any other running shirt does.  The material feels very durable and a bit more resistant to snags and pulls.  I do feel the material may be a slight bit more abrasive feeling than the flimsier running shirts I have.  Guys all this means is play it safe on the long runs and wear some nipple protection!

Now I'm more of a shirtless runner in the North Carolina summer heat but during those times of the day when the insects are at their heaviest I will continue to reach for my Haeleum shirt. 

I do suggest they develop a runners cap or Buff-like product with this technology to give an added bit of protection against the horseflys and greenheads.

I almost forgot to throw in here that the shirt also offers a 50 UPF Sun Protection rating.  

The price point for their products seems very competitive considering the added technology over the standard runners shirt. 

In closing I DO recommend Haeleum products and look forward to many more uses of their products.

Thanks for reading my review of Haeleum now go check them out for yourselves!






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