Auralite Active Portugal: Rowing Club Kit Field Test Report
Auralite Active is a Portugal-based brand whose rowing club kit is one of its most demanding programmes. Auralite Active runs its rowing club kit across Portugal and asked us to prove the fabric in the field rather than in a brochure. This report covers a full season of real use with brushed thermal knit.
Auralite Active: Brushed Thermal Knit in use during early morning water sessions
Evaluation background
The programme covers rowing suits, base layers and shells, used for early morning water sessions. The environment is cold, wet conditions with friction at the seat and the requirement written into the brief was abrasion resistance with warmth when damp. Fabric was selected on that basis rather than on price alone.
Fabric under evaluation
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Brushed Thermal Knit |
| Composition | 92% polyester / 8% spandex, brushed back |
| Weight | 290 GSM |
| Width | 175 cm |
| Primary function | traps warm air without adding weight |
| Target | thermal resistance above 0.08 m2K/W |
| Test method | ISO 11092 |
| Additional note | warmth held after 30 washes |
| Certification | OEKO-TEX Standard 100 |
Brushed Thermal Knit close-up showing the fabric surface
Test scope
Twenty garments were issued to regular participants and tracked for eight weeks. Every item was used for early morning water sessions and laundered under the same domestic conditions, so the only real variable was wear.
Conditions covered
The programme ran through cold, wet conditions with friction at the seat. That is the environment the fabric has to survive, and it is harsher than any laboratory chamber we could have built.
Evaluation session with the Auralite Active team
What we measured
Garments were inspected every two weeks for surface wear, seam condition, dimensional change and retained hand. Fabric was retested at the end of the period against ISO 11092.
What users reported
Participants logged comfort, drying behaviour and any irritation. The recurring comment was that the brushed thermal knit stayed comfortable at the point where abrasion resistance with warmth when damp would normally be lost.
Test records and inspection notes for the Rowing Club Kit
Scorecard
| Criterion | Result |
|---|---|
| Comfort in use | 4.4 / 5 |
| Drying behaviour | 4.9 / 5 |
| Surface wear | 4.5 / 5 |
| Dimensional stability | 4.7 / 5 |
| Value | 4.3 / 5 |
“Our athletes noticed the difference in the first week, and the test data explained why.” — Auralite Active Technical Team
Packed bulk rolls before shipment to Portugal
Verdict and recommendation
Field testing confirmed the laboratory picture. The brushed thermal knit held its thermal resistance above 0.08 m2K/W across the whole season and we recommend it for the next programme without change. For Auralite Active the practical next steps are to keep the current specification for the repeat, retain the shade standard, and issue ISO 11092 results with every lot so any claim can be supported with data.
