Nicely cut, high-wicking Polartec Powerdry baselayer top from the nice people at Sprayway put through the mangle...
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Sprayway Powerdry Long Sleeve
Top Tested
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Price: £35.00
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Weight: 200 grammes (men's
large)
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Features: Polartec
Powerdry fabric, flat seams, streamlined cut, neck zip,
longer length to eliminate cold spots, box knit weave for
longer life. Also available as short and long-sleeved crew,
short-sleeved zip and pants.
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Good cut and fabric
We'd prefer a more substantial collar for sun
protection.
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The Concept Baselayer top designed specifically to wick
moisture away from the skin during exercise and dissipate it either
directly into the atmosphere by evaporation, or on to the insulating
mid-layer. Cut snug to maximise skin contact and up efficiency as a
result. Wicking base-layers are a must under breathable clothing.
Cotton tees simply hold moisture against your skin and prevent other
layers from working.
Features The fabric is Polartec's impressive Powerdry, which
uses the physical structure of the fabric to wick moisture from the
skin, then a different external weave to spread the moisture across
the surface and dissipate it keeping you cool and help breathable
outer
layers
to do their job. Sprayway says the fabric moves moisture away from
the skin 30 per-cent faster than other baselayer materials.
The cut is longish and snug for maximum efficiency and there's a
zip-neck for ventilation and a collar, albeit rudimentary.
In Action It's gradually dawning on us that the performance of
baselayer fabrics is partially dependent on their thickness, so while
this, the thinner Berghaus Xstatic Top and TNF's thicker El Cap shirt
(see test later this week) all use Powerdry, all transport moisture
at a slightly different rate.
The Sprayway fabric is a medium weight and while not quite as fast
wicking as the thin Berghaus Powerdry, still does a good job even in
warmer, sweatier conditions and is right up there with the likes of
Lowe Alpine's Dryflo.
We also liked the snugness of the cut, though larger users may
find it a bit tight, ditto those with big, manly shoulders. A couple
of quibbles: one is that the neck zip could be deeper for more
effective venting and the other is that while the rudimentary collar
looks neat and trendy and seals well, a larger version would offer
more sun protection to the back of the neck. Incidentally, Powerdry's
sun protection is claimed to be twice that of cotton.
Good baselayer top with a snug, efficient fit. The fabric wicks well
though isn't quite as fast moisture moving as current fave, the
Berghaus Xstatic top, then again it feels thicker and more
substantial. We'd prefer a higher collar for sun protection and a
deeper zip, but neither prevent this from working. Nice that you can
get the men's version in pleasant pastel sage as well. Oooh, get
us...
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time:
Nice long-sleeved, zip-neck baselayer top in
medium-weight, high-wicking Polartec Powerdry fabric. Cut is
snug and effective, collar could offer more protectiona nd
if you want to be really fussy, a deeper neck zip would be
nice. Really though it's a very nice, effective base layer
top.
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