UKC

Is the Patagonia Capilene 2 a good base layer, or should I pay a little more and get a helly or berghaus tech tee?

In reply to stuart945: I dont know about the modern ones but i have them from the mid nineties i still use extensively .. The stuff is bombproof. I dont know about recent stuff.

In reply to stuart945: go for the capaline, been using it for years and love it, also use a zipneck as a mid layer, please tell where you can get it cheaper than helly and berghaus

In reply to stuart945:

I have one newish Capilene 2 top and lots of early-mid 90s capilene, all of which are great. I had a brief dalliance with Merino, which doesn't work and is fragile and expensive, although it doesn't smell.

In reply to stuart945:

Ok, cool well I think they've run out of my size now anyway! Think medium would be slightly too big for me.

Urbanrock have lots of them:

http://www.urbanrock.com/products_detail.php?CatId=134&PId=3259

In reply to stuart945: I have a Capilene 2, merino by Icebreaker, Berghaus Tech Tees with and without Zips and some calssic Helly Lifa stuff,

all good to a point... I find the Capilene very warm, so tend to only use it at this time of year (with a Helly if its really cold), rest of year I am a Berghaus man - cheap as chips usually from www.gooutdoors.co.uk, they have just done tech t shirts for a tenner in the last sale the Helly stuff I usually run in or use as a "first" base layer when its proper cold.

Merino is great for travelling in and is dead comfortable when worn with jeans in the pub.

(in my humble opinion of couse!)

Colin

In reply to stuart945:

Something I've been doing when winter climbing is walking in wearing a patagonia cap 2 top as it wicks very well and then changing into a merino layer at the base of the climb. This leaves me feeling warm and comfortable and not slowly chilling at the belay in a sweaty, saturated top.

In reply to stuart945:

I use Caperline 3, which is slightly thicker.

After using Berghaus, Icebreaker (merino wool) and Helly baselayers over the years, Caperline is the one I'd pick everytime.