Morning all
I'm looking to buy a new baselayer top,with so much choice I'm not really sure where to begin.
The best I can do is tell you good folk my requirements,firstly I will be wearing just this with my north face glitchin jacket, this is quite a athletic fit and when I wear 2 layers it's a little tighter than I prefer.
I recently tested this jacket with a lightweight baselayer top and was borderline cold so I would like something a little more in the mid weight /quite warm area.
This will be used for mainly inactive stuff standing around,fishing etc,after being recommened smartwool socks and finding them extremely good I wondered if there baselayer are as highly recommened,these are quite expensive so obviously alot of choice within that price range.
Another advantage would be if it's from the bigger high street outlets so that I can try on.
Many thanks
Rick
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 Yes smartwool tops very good (as with all merino) not mega warm mind. If after some warmth when inactive maybe try some of the power stretch style stuff. Or just a thin fitting fleece over some thinnish, tightly fitting base layer - if that combination is too thick to fit underneath then so will be a single warm base layer 
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 Agree with Martin that if you need a single warm base layer then powerstretch might be the best thing to look at. It can also be used as a mid layer over a thin base layer so is quite flexible in its use.
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 Gridded/waffle fleeces are usually good for this job. They have a little pile so will trap more air than Powerstretch and are available in light weights. Patagonia's "Regulator" series and malden's Micro Grid are good examples. As Kate notes, they make good bases by themselves or can be used as midlayers over thinner bases. Pete.
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 Just reviewed the Halglöfs Winter Actives top, which I think would work pretty well in that application.
Or the Polartec PowerDry HE stuff is also very good - Rab does a couple - and slightly warmer.
Both wick better than pure merino, but it depends on how hot you run and how sweaty you are. I'd take PowerDry HE over PowerStretch as a baselayer to be honest, unless you're planning on wearing it a lot without a shell. Smartwool's base layers work well, but like most merino wool, don't like being used with a pack without a shell layer over the top. See our review of the Midweight Hoody on the site.
I've also been experimenting with layering thinner baselayers in different fabrics - polyester over a light merino tee, for example, which works pretty well in a similar way to the Haglofs merino/polyester hybrid fabric.
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Crikey,theres quite alot of homework to do in all that lol,I will start looking at all products you gals and guys I have suggested,Jon could you name a few products that are produced in the polartec HE so I can research these along with all the suggestions.
As a side note do baselayers need to be tight fit in order for them to perform to there best potential,as this is a pet hate of mine,as I've got older I much prefer a looser fit,which i find more comfortable.
Many thanks so far
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 also consider cheap fleeces that are of good quality these days e.g. uniqlo, m&s, lands end and the like. keeping your eye open will get you a good performing fleece at a fraction of what "proper outdoors" brands cost. unfortunately you are now at the end of the winter season for clothes and shops won't restock until this autumn. in particular check out uniqlo who do a wide range of excellent fleeces and very good prices - and even better prices when the end of season reductions appear. also consider that a simple woolly jumper over a t shirt will keep you as warm as anything else and probably for a lot less money and for a lot more being able to wear it anywhere. go to your nearest tk maxx (if you have one) as they usually have racks of stuff that will fit your purpose.
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As a side note do baselayers need to be tight fit in order for them to perform to there best potential,as this is a pet hate of mine,as I've got older I much prefer a looser fit,which i find more comfortable. It depends on what you're actually trying to achieve, but the bad news for you is that for what you want (warmth while standing around, as I read it) it will work better. Base-layers have various jobs but for air trapping a snug fit will allow air to be trapped against your skin where body heat will most usefully be kept from leaking outwards. With a loose fit you'll get space for convection currents, which will lose you heat. In this case you also have a problem of a snug outer layer, and if you pack out what space you have too tightly you'll actually squeeze the down and impede its ability to do its job too. Note that stretchy fabrics are typically more comfortable in a snug fit. Pete.
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 > I'd take PowerDry HE over PowerStretch as a baselayer Ditto; PowerDry wicks better than PS, which can get rather damp; it's not really intended as a wicking base layer, IMHO. If you're going to be standing around, then you'll need significant insulation. If it won't fit under your tight waterproof shell, then you might consider wearing an insulation overlayer (aka 'belay jacket' aka 'static warmth layer'). Base layers intended to deal with sweat are best close-fitting, so they can wick sweat from the body and allow it to evaporate. If your activity means you won't sweat (standing around fishing), then you only need something that's comfortable against the skin, and provides some insulation.
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http://www.Smartwool.com and http://www.Icebreaker.com both do a range of midweight base layers which are as the name suggests thicker and warmer than the lightweight. Both are available in shops as well as online at various outlets. I have found them to be incredibly comfortable next to the skin and snug without being tight.
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| Edited: 08/02/12 14:43 |
