UKC

Hi there, I'm looking to spend quite a bit to find the perfect baselayer for winter and the rest of the year really but as I'm looking to invest top end I thought I would see what you guys thought first. Basically I will be climbing, biking and hiking and possibly sleeping and just living in it hopefully. I will also need it to be a bit warmer than my current lightweight merino piece and cheap UA synthetic top as I will be living in north Wales and spending much of my time in snowdonia and I heard it can be pretty miserable up there. A friend and I are also planning a trip to Scotland this winter and hopefully Norway next summer, so I'm using all this as an excuse.
Anyway, as I like the finer things in life, I have narrowed my selection to a couple which are both new and seem promising: the Jottnar Uller yak/synthetic zip top http://www.jottnar.com/uller-yak-m and the new Patagonia MerinoAir baselayer( both £90) http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/mens-merino-air-crew?p=36400-0-UWTB or something like the Patagonia capilene 4. Was wondering which to get or just people's views on the two and if anyone's tried out a yak wool baselayer yet from Kora http://www.kora.net/shop/mens/shola-230-zip ,for example. Any other suggestions would be welcomed obviously. Cheers

In reply to georgewhyte:

Brynje. You'll look like Rab C.Nesbitt (a reason to avoid the white one) but will be toasty, also very easy to vent if too warm. Pair it up with a thin windshirt and voila.

In reply to J_Trottet: Yeah I've heard a lot of good things about the Brynje and it seems like a good addition to my layering system, could save a fair bit of cash as well as I think I saw the long sleeve version for £25! Cheers, i will definitely think about getting one and pairing it underneath a lightweight baselayer for colder days

In reply to georgewhyte:
I bought my brother a brynje for x mas and he rates his too, despite looking like an extra from 'right said Fred' !!

In reply to ashpreston:

Personally I think Powerdry is far better to wear than merino in the winter, unless your doing a very low output activity. Regardless of the weather, wool always seems to get saturated and power dry feels nicer on the skin when its damp, drys quicker, and needs less care taken with it. Ok, it might start to smell, but who really cares about that? And it's way cheaper!

Any of the waffle fleece power dry jumpers should do the trick: Patagonia cap 3, Rab Baseline, ME Eclipse etc.

In reply to LJC:

My plan for next winter is Brynje under my hooded ME Eclipse. I've various bits of merino and I'm using it less and less.

In reply to georgewhyte:

Suggestions:

MEC T3 Hoodie http://www.mec.ca/product/5026-604/mec-t3-hoodie-mens/
Quechua Techwinter 500 http://www.decathlon.co.uk/techwinter-500-t-shirt-id_8319665.html

In reply to georgewhyte:

I have a Patagonia Cap 4 Hoody, fantastic, dries quicker than any other baselayer I've worn. Recommended.

Stuart

In reply to galpinos:

I use this set up and it works really well.

Mesh baselayer
ME Eclipse midlayer
Haglofs Softshell

Polartec alpha vest over the eclipse if it's extra cold, or I'm doing a slow route.

In reply to blue_sundown:

Yep. Very similar to my winter set up (identical base- and mid-layer then either Alpha vest under shell, or Alpha jacket as a shell). Good isn't it?

And the mesh just astounds with its performance.

In reply to georgewhyte:

Brynje does a two layer set up, mesh with merino outer which is stunning. Not cheap but worth it

In reply to blue_sundown:
Would a string vest work as well as an expensive Brynje?

In reply to LJC:

I love power dry as a midlayer, the Rab AL pull on for spring and autumn, Baseline hoodie for winter. Even with the anti bacterial treatment, it gets a bit wiffy fast...
For baselayers, I've tried ; pure merino, lifa/wool blends, various synthetics and meco. I'm currently enamored with meco, dries quickly like synthetics, but doesn't smell horrendous nor get too clammy when moist. Pity about the price.

In reply to georgewhyte: I've been using a Mountain Equipment Eclipse as a base layer for the last couple of seasons and consider it one of the few "perfect" items in my outdoor wardrobe. I've considered experimenting with sexy brynje mesh underneath before, glad to hear that's working as a system for other people.

In reply to georgewhyte:
I am a big fan of Buffalo for winter.
It does, for me, need to be below freezing to use it.

Last year I bought a long sleeved Brynje. Wonderful buy.
It is very warm but if I become warm and need to vent, the holes make venting more effective. It keeps me much drier than other synthetics and avoids that clammy feeling that I get with Jose Mourinho wool.
Used it last winter under a Rab Vapourise top and that is an excellent combination.
A lighter unlined windshirt would enable the top to used without the Right Freds Dead look mentioned by Ashpreston above.

In reply to georgewhyte:

I've recently been using an Aclima Warmwool hooded top which has been pretty great for cold weather use, too warm for summer though. Seems hardwearing and with nice features, the hood/neck gaiter is good though a bit fiddly at first. I used mine for two weeks, day and night, on a recent trip to Spitzbergen

In reply to highaltitudebarista:

Is your Eclipse PowerDry? I see the website now says Pontetorto fabrics, but I'm sure it used to be PowerDry...

I liked the MEC T3 so much, I bought four. Well, I had to to make the delivery and customs handling worthwhile. Good job I liked them...

In reply to georgewhyte:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/203682036/mens-boys-health-vest-mens-vest-k...

Get knitting.

In reply to captain paranoia:

It's the other way round, they used to be Pontetorto (mine is) but they're switching to PowerDry. I don't think there's much difference in use, I've got other PowerDry tops for comparison.

In reply to georgewhyte:

Another vote for brynje mesh, got the short sleeved (black!) one last year and wore it loads. Worn with a thin windproof I was only too cold once when working hard (walk ins) and then during the day wore it with an old rab vapour rise smock which was a great combination.

In reply to georgewhyte:

I think you'll not find one base layer that does all those things. Something thick and warm in winter will be too heavy for summer use. Something good for running or cycling in the hills would be smelly and synthetic feeling if you were just wearing it for casual use etc. I've tested and reviewed the Jöttnar Uller for UKC although the review hasn't been published yet - not sure why. It is lovely; soft and warm but it isn't the best thing for high output activity like biking or running - a cheap polypro works much better for that and will be way harder wearing. And the price is very very high, at least for me. It doesn't mean its not a great top but I could probably buy three or four different baselayers for the same money that might do all those specific things you want better.

In reply to Dave the Rave:


I've been wondering the same thing. A normal string vest will probably be cotton so I decided it wouldn't be very good as it's absorbent. The Brynje material probably doesn't absorb any moisture. If you can find a string vest made of polypro etc then that would probably be fine. Let me know if you see one!

In reply to NottsRich:

I got a full set of Brynje base layers for a trip to Alaska this year and ir rocked my world! it is the least cool looking kit on the market but i couldnt beleve how warm it was even when totally soaked, and it didnt smell.

In reply to georgewhyte:

Mesh or grid with a hood is the way forward for sure. Traps air but allows your skin to dry without chilling. Go thin with grid/mesh next to skin and add layers. Brynje, or Brynje with a thin skintight synthetic top over, or powerdry "High efficiency" (thin gridded fleece) like MEC T2 or Pata Cap 4, ME Eclipse, Marmot Thermo. Outdoor Research Centrifuge is also awesome for a hybrid base/mid layer as it has a wind resistant front and breathable grid back

In reply to highaltitudebarista:


Yeah; Pontetorto fleeces are pretty decent.

Odd about the ME Eclipse. Men's is still listed as Pontetorto, women's as PowerDry...

http://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/eclipse-hooded-zip-t
http://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/eclipse-hooded-zip-t-wmns-9293

In reply to georgewhyte:

Whatever you get you'll need two unless you don't like washing.

In reply to iksander: Yeah based on the suggestions a brynje mesh top with a rab powerdry over the top is what I'm going to go for and it'll still be more versatile then a single heavyweight piece and cheaper in the sales which is a bonus.
The mesh and the rab powerdry with my vapourise lite hoody seems the ideal setup and if too cold or stopped I can put a patagucci nano air hoody underneath and marmot essence rain shell instead of the vapourise when the heavens open.
Cheers for all the helpful comments, much appreciated. Look forward to testing this system out soon, hope it's a nice and cold winter this year! See you out there

In reply to georgewhyte:

Brjyne mesh + Rab AL (powerdry) is perfect but, on the move, you won't want more than a windshirt or rainshell over the top. Your nano air is brilliant too but only over a lightweight tee shirt. Great for stop start activities, mind.

In reply to BnB:

How weird that we are going back to the humble string vest but apparently justifying it to ourselves by calling it by the modern name of mesh...

In reply to obi-wan nick b:

Me personally, one of my favourite base layers is just a cheap polyester one I bought 7 years back, generally combed with a cheap micro fleece - I never spend much on the fleeces as a new cheap fluffy one is always better than an expensive old balled up on the inside one.

I have some merino base layers but I find them a little prickly and also they damp out easier and don't dry as fast, this makes me cold and unhappy. I'm a bit more tech with my top layers liking stretchy soft shell.

In reply to obi-wan nick b:

...further justification that this is new technology is aour apparent willingness to spend c.10x the price on it as well.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mens-Crystal-Mesh-STRING-VEST/dp/B00JSSLXBU/ref=sr_...

In reply to georgewhyte:

I have two tops and a pair of bottoms of Patagucci Capilene 4, which must be about 7 years old now and have had LOTS of use. These have the tiny "open grid" pattern on the inside. They remain my favourite baselayers by some distance. They keep me warm at a lower weight than some, wick fantastically well, and dry very quickly. They pack down really small, and seem remarkably durable, I reckon the zip neck top must have been worn over 500 times as I tend to live in them in the winter with regular washes. And they don't even smell unless you do 5 or 6 days without changing!