 Yes those Paramo trail shirts really work and yes I can recommend them. I use a Paramo trail shirt nearly every time I venture outdoors, because its warm/cool properties means it's adaptable for a variety of conditions. It goes straight onto my skin, with NO other garment underneath, and that allows it to do its job properly. 90% of the time, I won't wear anything on top, but when the weather turns cold and wet, I put a Paramo jacket on, and that takes care of the rain and wind. And that's me kitted out for summer and winter, at home and abroad!
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 Regarding Paramo, I wear a Mountain Pull-On, as my Winter base layer, it's superb; wicks very well and keeps my always feeling 'just right'. This is the reversible fabric. I also use a Cambia and a Tacana, shirts by Paramo, both are excellent as well. The reversible fabric works as it should, for me anyway. I'd suggest trying one on, Mountain Pull-On, as the sleeves are a little narrow, in my size, for rolling up. I can do this, a little more room would be nicer, though. Something else to say for the reversible fabric: I wore mine probably 4/5 times per week, against skin with nothing underneath, from November until the end of March = not an odour in sight/smell, I didn't wash it once over this period. I'd put in on a par with Merino, in this context, something that has nicely surprised me.
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 I will second the Paramo Mountain Pull-on as a great winter base layer. Not tried it the "cooling" way around yet as I don't like the sound of moisture being kept against my skin and have other baselayers for the job (Patagonia Capilene 1 or Lowe Alpine Dri-flo in summer).
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The Helly Hansen Lifa tops are very good at moving sweat away from the body quickly and are available in a wide ranfe of styles. I like the Charger half zip, which has long sleeves and a zip, as the name suggests. Not often featured in magazine reviews, presumably because Helly Hansen don't submit them, but they're very effective. Also, Lifa doesn't smell bad anything like as fast as it used to -- I think it's better than Paramo Cambia stuff in this respect.
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 Yes the reversible Paramo shirts work very well but like all synthetics, they can start to pong a bit with extended wear. I find that this is only noticeable after a few days in enclosed spaces (a tent or car for example). Saying that, I would still heartily recommend them.
A decent Merino wool baselayer will deal very well with the pong but it isn't quite as good as dealing with excessive amounts of sweat and they're usually more expensive. I prefer Merino over synthetic and I'd recommend anything by ChocolateFishMerino.
Aldi have a special buy on at the moment for running gear. They've got Crane running tops (a short sleeved T which is very 'wickable' and only costs a fiver) and also windproofs for a tenner. I've got a few bits of kit made by Crane (all from Aldi sales). They're at the cheaper end of the market but I have never had a problem with the quality (eg I have a Crane merino wool T which is still going strong after 2 years of heavy use).
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 the paramo shirts are easy to wash and giving them a wring and a good twirling makes them immediately wearable again as the fluffy side feels dry whilst the outer feels wet. they dry quickly. so no excuse to have a smelly one really.
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Yes, I often keep a bucket of water in my car for the journey back from a hike. It's just like the river or lake that I always make sure is right next to my tent of an evening so that I can wash my smalls 
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what! you don't walk where free flowing water is always at hand? tsk tsk. 250ml is sufficient to wash the armpits - the shirt's and yours.
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Pah! I'm not going to waste pack weight on water to wash my clothes! And don't tell me I wouldn't be wasting it if I drank it afterwards, that's too low even for you Parky  In either case, the fact that synthetic clothes hold onto sweat odour far longer than natural fibres is well documented - and washing the clothes to get rid of the smell is pretty much a given....
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 I used to swear by the Lowe Alpine T's and the long sleeves. But I bought a Berghaus Tech T and have used it lately, it's very good. I wasn't chuffed when I seen them on sale in Millets recently for half the price I payed for mine from Tisos. I'm going to pick up another one thou at that price. I'm sure Millets were doing them for £15.
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