From mountaineering to sailing (and vice versa)

The Keepsailing line marked the entry of Montura, a leader in technical outdoor and mountain clothing, into the world of sailing. And the solutions tested in water now serve to produce better garments in every area.

It’s been more than five years since Roberto Giordani, the owner of Montura, a historic Italian clothing brand dedicated to the mountains and the outdoors, with the help of his friend architect Claudio Caramel (founder of Arkanoè Sailing Team Melges24) decided to probe a new path, “from the vertical to the horizontal,” developing a line of garments designed for sailing, named Keepsailing.

Five years of extensive testing in search of the best performance, starting with the similarities between the outdoor and mountain worlds and boats, and then identifying the differences.

For example, the garments worn by mountaineers are designed for a body in constant motion and with high physical stress, while in sport sailing, you sometimes stand still in the sickle cell taking buckets of water to the face.

Based also on these assumptions, tissues were studied and tested at length. Such as Goretex Pro for the “Conero Jacket,” capable of 28,000 water column water resistance (or for the Kevlar-reinforced “Conero Pants”).

At the beginning of this new venture, the product developers of the company born in Trentino and also based in Veneto thought that it was sufficient to make only the outer layer, oilskins and dungarees, using products from the mountain catalog as underwear and intermediate layers.

But this was not the case, as the inner layers also had to be adapted to maximize ergonomics and breathability. And now the studies done for the Keepsailing line, in a kind of reverse process, are being used to improve outdoor garments as well.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TESTERS

Be it clothing or footwear for the mountains or the sea, the important thing is not to betray Montura’s philosophy summed up in the motto “searching a new way”: before launching a product, it is necessary to test it in all conditions, always looking for a new solution, a trail never traveled, a new way. For this, a number of key testers were identified, each of them mirroring a different ‘face’ of sailing.

With oceanicists Gaetano Mura and Michele Zambelli, garments dedicated to the ‘big cold’ were tested. Similar operation accomplished with the crew of Enrico Tettamanti, who aboard the “Solaris 72 Kamana” crossed the Northwest Passage sailing from west to east.

In the world of offshore racing and monotypes, Montura collaborates with Enrico Zennaro and the boys of Arkanoè Sailing Team (of which Sergio Caramel, Montura’s technical advisor, is in charge) on Melges 24s. With an exceptional coach, Slovenian Olympian Karlo Hmeljak, the young team will participate in the Melges 24 Worlds in Villasimius in October.

The event will be the last test for the brand new garments Montura is about to launch on the market to complement the Keepsailing line. The ongoing tests are not only for the world of sport sailing, but also for those in the boating industry, collaborating with Velamania riggers, OneSails, 69Fsailing, and FragliaVelaRiva to test products in the professional arena as well.

Last but not least, Montura has always been attentive to social issues and publishing: in the former case, it supports a number of inclusive sports projects, including support for the “Diversamente marinai” association. In the publishing field, a new book is being launched for the types of “Montura Editing” by Enrico Tettamanti.

All of Montura’s social and solidarity activities, as well as the products, can be viewed on the company websites www.montura.it and www.monturastore.com and can be touched at some of the most important events in the sailing world, from the Genoa Boat Show to the Barcolana in Trieste and the METS in Amsterdam.