ISPO Collab Club Testing Shows Montane x Polygiene Is a Match Made in Heaven

As part of its commitment to product innovation and its desire to maximize performance and provide customers with high-quality products, Polygiene® regularly participates in customer-focused product testing initiatives. Most recently, alongside outdoor clothing specialists Montane, it submitted the Montane Dart Base Layer for testing by the ISPO Collaborators Club.

Featuring Polygiene StayFresh™ technology, the Dart Base Layer generated considerable praise amongst testers, who valued its style, moisture management, impressive odor-control, and emphasis on sustainability. Key findings included:

  • 88% of testers found that Polygiene StayFresh™ kept their base layer fresher for longer and enabled them to wash it less frequently.
  • 94% of testers would recommend the Montane Dart collection to a friend.
  • 100% of testers would be happy to wear their base layer at least three times before washing it. 

The ISPO testing process demonstrated that users believe the Montane Dart Base Layer represents excellent value for performance-conscious outdoor enthusiasts, while also benefiting the environment by encouraging customers to wear more and wash less.

High-performance outdoor wear with odor-control technology

The Montane Dart Base Layer is a performance-oriented technical base layer that is available as both a short and long-sleeve design. Breathable, lightweight, and designed to keep you warm when you head out into the great outdoors, Dart base layers also benefit from Polygiene StayFresh™ odor-control technology, reducing the need for washing and keeping the garment hygienic and smell-free for longer. 

The ISPO Collaborators Club, which boasts 35,000 members who regularly explore, play, and compete in the great outdoors, put the Montane Dart Base Layer through its paces. 324 applicants were whittled down to 20 qualified testers, who had just over three months to use the products, complete questionnaires, post videos and photos, and provide detailed reviews.

The Montane Dart Base Layer hits the mark

The ISPO Collaborators Club testers returned overwhelmingly positive feedback for the Montane Dart Base Layer. Key takeaways from the testing process included:

  • 88% of testers reported that they will buy products from the Montane Dart collection or other Montane collections in the future.
  • 94% of testers would recommend the Montane Dart collection to a friend.
  • 88% of testers believed product quality matched or exceeded that of other base layers.

Testers were particularly enthusiastic about the quality and feel of the material, the quick-drying nature of the material, and the comfortable fit. 

Montane x Polygiene StayFresh™

Testers were also quick to praise the performance of Polygiene StayFresh. The tester with the username Auffimuasi commented on the base layer’s fresher-for-longer feel. “I’m really excited about the smell performance. If you hang the base layer for a few hours in the fresh air, it does not smell, even after multiple uses.” User Spörli was similarly impressed. “The odor control is brilliant – even the next day you smell nothing. The base layer dries insanely fast. If you sweat while running and then you are more relaxed walking, it dries while on the move.” 

Tester Markus Zahn described how the Dart Base Layer met all a snowboarder’s performance needs. “Worn several days in a row while snowboarding on the mountain. Does not smell, keeps warm and is hardly noticeable! Does what it should and at a very high level!”

This feedback was backed up by the testers’ responses to the questionnaires. They showed that Polygiene StayFresh™ performed exceptionally well and often exceeded the testers’ expectations. Testers also made the connection between odor-control technology and improved sustainability, with many suggesting that this would make them more likely to buy products that incorporated Polygiene StayFresh™ in the future. 

  • 88% of testers washed their base layer less than they usually would.
  • 53% of testers would wear the shirt three or four times without washes in between, while 33% would extend that to five or six times before washing. The remaining respondents stated that they could wear the Dart base layer eight times without washing it.
  • 41% of testers said that the associated sustainability benefits mean they will try to buy products that incorporate Polygiene technology in the future.

Positive user feedback for Polygiene StayFresh™ technology

Reflecting on the positive feedback the Montane x Polygiene collaboration received, Polygiene is delighted the ISPO testers enjoyed testing the Dart Base Layer and were able to experience its high-performance design first-hand. 

“Polygiene is a key component of our product and sustainability offering, collectively we can all reduce our impact if we wash clothes less”, says Matt Hickman, Marketing Director of Montane and continues, “Polygiene makes this possible with their StayFresh™ technology. Working alongside the ISPO collaborators club and Polygiene to deliver this study reinforces the brand choices we are making, additionally this study has provided a platform to listen to consumer feedback and enabled us to adapt several areas of our communications.”

“Our odor-control technologies are designed to work for manufacturers, customers, and the environment,” noted Markus Hefter, Global Category Director Sports & Outdoor “Polygiene StayFresh™ improves garment performance, saves customers money by extending the lifespan of the product, and is more sustainable because it requires less washing. To hear that experienced outdoor athletes and enthusiasts believe the technology can make a difference to both product quality and the planet is extremely rewarding. Our collaboration with Montane on the Dart Base Layer is the perfect example of our mission to create clothes that you can wear more and wash less.”

The Montane Dart Collection is available to buy here.