Move over Merino, yak wool is warmer and better at wicking

Kora, based in Cumbernauld, has developed a technical base layer using yak wool sourced from nomadic Himalyan communities in China.

Hima-Layer is said to be extremely soft. The yak wool is sourced from the the Qingmei Rabden and the KeGaWa Co-operative.

In tests, Kora’s Hima-Layer was found to be 40 percent warmer than merino wool weight for weight; wicks better than Merino; and has 66 percent greater air permeability than Merino.

Kora founder Michael Kleinwort said a 230gm Hima-Layer base layer is warmer and more breathable than a 260gm Merino equivalent. 

Yak hair – used by nomads for tents, ropes and carpets – is course; yak’s wool, an inner layer, is very soft.

Kleinwort has spent months in the Himalayas testing prototypes and finding and meeting nomadic communities from which Kora’s wool is sourced. A Kora baselayer costs £105.