• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Base layers

Eddie

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Jul 12, 2017
Posts
67
Location
Glendale, NY
Hi,
I no longer support Patagonia, lost all respect for them. Not gonna explain my reasons as to not bring politics into this forum. If anyone thinks I already did, I apologize. Anyhoo, looking for good comparisons to their Capilne base layers. Will also look into wool too.
Thanks in advance.
 

Mazama

Booting up
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Posts
33
Location
PNW
You might try Duckworth in Montana. They have an excellent set of wool tops. Have not tried their wool pants yet, but will this year. They are also awesome at addressing feedback if you want them to improve things. They are also an interesting operation as they own 100% of the production, including the sheep herds.
 

Ken_R

Living the Dream
Skier
Joined
Feb 10, 2016
Posts
5,775
Location
Denver, CO
Hi,
I no longer support Patagonia, lost all respect for them. Not gonna explain my reasons as to not bring politics into this forum. If anyone thinks I already did, I apologize. Anyhoo, looking for good comparisons to their Capilne base layers. Will also look into wool too.
Thanks in advance.

There are many other great options available today. Wool is amazing if you can afford it. I generally use synthetics since I use my baselayers a LOT throughout the year and hence have to wash them a lot but nothing beats high quality wool for warmth to weight.
 

Wasatchman

over the hill
Skier
Joined
Nov 9, 2017
Posts
2,324
Location
Wasatch and NZ
There are many other great options available today. Wool is amazing if you can afford it. I generally use synthetics since I use my baselayers a LOT throughout the year and hence have to wash them a lot but nothing beats high quality wool for warmth to weight.
Wool is spendy. But one advantage of wool for me is you don't have to wash as often as they tend not to get the bad odors that synthetics can. But maybe the fact I'm not washing my baselayers enough explains why I don't have many friends :)
 

chopchop

so many skis, so little time
Skier
Joined
Apr 1, 2020
Posts
325
Location
Too far
Preface: I prefer tighter-fitting, lighter weight baselayer tops (prioritizing moisture transport over warmth, which I leave to my midlayer). I only use zipnecks.

If you're very fit/slender I recommend Craft. Very low-profile. Just enough warmth. Great moisture transport. long arms. I also know some folks like Mammut, though I have not tried. REI sells them (or at least did a year ago).

I bought a Marmot Harrier top this offseason. Looks like another winner. Great quality.

I also have some Mountain Hardwear buttermans shirts. Lots of lycra and very soft. May be thin for a very cold day. I actually don't use them for skiing - only for the gym in the winter. But great shirts.

If you're very frugal, look at Terramar. Perfectly fine gear. Be aware they have several thickness/weight grades and if you're not looking at that it's easy to buy the wrong one.

To state the obvious, anything by Icebreaker, Smart Wool or Ibex is going to be good-to-great. I have a Smartwool top but don't wear it a ton. The arms are a hair short for my liking. Also, the neck material (zip-neck) is a bit floppy and can droop down during use. But it does resist smells as noted in a previous post.

I bought a few from Mountain Warehouse and returned two of the three. Arms too short. Basic model (2 of the 3 I bought) has no stretch, if I recall. M/L size is barely a US medium. Crappy zippers. Seems a newish company trying to break in to the US market with direct sales. Kept one top and will be trying it out this coming season.

I bought a few MPG tops on super sale for casual wear. They could probably pass for technical use though. Not blown away but not terrible. Seems more a fly-by-night sports fashion brand.

Lots of brands you've never heard of on Sierra (Aspen, Syoban(sp), others). Garbage.

When it comes to bottoms I prefer 3/4 length and there's not a lot of options there. My favorites are Hot Chillis (don't know if there's a model name). They're great but do pill out a bit in the rub spots. Terramar 3/4s are meh. Other than that a few pair of Icebreaker full-length of various weights (Oasis and one other). Recommended, but they are full-length.

There's probably more, but that's what comes to mind at the moment.
 

Jilly

Lead Cougar
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,412
Location
Belleville, Ontario,/ Mont Tremblant, Quebec
Mountain Hardware is out of England. What do they know about cold! But I did buy a jacket and pants and only lasted a season, but the price was right. Fit wasn't great either. But I needed a suit and the local store didn't have anything that I would wear.

I have a Helly Hanson top layer that I love. Haven't tried any bottoms yet...
 

x10003q

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Nov 19, 2015
Posts
750
Location
NYC Metro
Mountain Hardware is out of England. What do they know about cold! But I did buy a jacket and pants and only lasted a season, but the price was right. Fit wasn't great either. But I needed a suit and the local store didn't have anything that I would wear.

I have a Helly Hanson top layer that I love. Haven't tried any bottoms yet...
Mountain Hardware has been owned by Columbia since 2003. They are based in California.
 

Mountainside

Booting up
Skier
Joined
Jan 31, 2019
Posts
11
Been a fan of L.L. Bean base layers over the last couple of years. IMO excellent quality, wait for a sale.
 

Rod MacDonald

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
May 30, 2017
Posts
273
Whoa...Mountain Warehouse, not Mountain Hardware...Sorry, my mistake....

Mountain warehouse is budget outdoors wear ,own brand and reasonable for the money, but not to be compared to actual outdoor branded clothing.
 

Rod9301

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Jan 11, 2016
Posts
2,443
I gave up on smartwool and icebreaker add they don't last at all. Their quality has gone down.

I bought an or wool synthetic combination and it's great, no odor, lasts a long time
 

Dos-Equis

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Jul 30, 2019
Posts
219
Location
Washington DC
I have a Helly Hansen combination base layer that I love. It’s the “LIFA merino seamless”. It’s synthetic on the inside and merino on the outside. Fantastic at wicking, provides a bit of warmth with the merino, No stink, and really comfortable against the skin.

I also own the Patagonia capeline air, and I think the HH blows it out of the water.
 

Steve

SkiMangoJazz
Pass Pulled
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Posts
2,338
Outdoor Research baselayers are excellent. Lightweight merino wool, tend to be on the snug side.
 

Lauren

AKA elemmac
SkiTalk Tester
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Jun 7, 2016
Posts
2,589
Location
The Granite State
I mostly wear merino wool for my baselayers…almost exclusively Smartwool. The caveat with most wool layers is you need to care for them gently in order for them to last...this means actually following the recommended washing instructions. Because they do take a bit of special care, I really like that you can wear them multiple times without stinking.

I didn't buy into the "anti-stink" at first, but now when I go back to a synthetic layer for a day the difference is remarkable. Another bonus of re-wearing is lightweight packing is much easier when traveling.
 

NZRob

Skiing the Rock
Skier
Joined
Oct 8, 2017
Posts
407
Location
New Zealand
Icebreaker merino products are all class...pricey but high quality and long lasting if you follow the care instructions. My family is fully clad in the stuff from socks, base layers, insulated mid layers, beanies, neck warmers, glove liners. I've even got a smart-casual work jacket from them. I really like Smartwool socks too, other Smartwool products are harder to find in NZ.

We have another local (NZ) merino brand that has a big following here, Mons Royale. High quality and at least on price par with Icebreaker, and likes to shout about itself with its branding.

@elemmac the proof of the anti-stink qualities of merino are surely in their underwear....I wear (a single pair of) Icebreaker merino underwear on multi-day hikes - no smell. Sorry about the TMI aspect of that anecdote :ogbiggrin:

We have found that lower grade merino products tend to lose their shape more quickly and are more prone to washing damage.
 

raytseng

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Posts
3,330
Location
SF Bay Area
would you consider non-ski / non-outdoorsy base layers? E.g. do you really need this item to be super lightweight and you have to wear it for multiple days?

There's a whole untapped apparal for people who chase after various sportsballs in the cold, e.g. Nike, adidas, reebok, underarmor etc.
I've taken to just wearing a nike dri fit tshirt rather than ski specific baselayer.
 

cantunamunch

Meh
Skier
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
21,907
Location
Behavioral sink
There's a whole untapped apparal for people who chase after various sportsballs in the cold, e.g. Nike, adidas, reebok, underarmor etc.
I've taken to just wearing a nike dri fit tshirt rather than ski specific baselayer.

OP is from NY. I don't know where OP skis but it's very likely to be Northeast levels of cold.

I know firsthand that Nike DriFit and football-grade Underarmour Coldgear (both compression and non) simply isn't reliably warm in NE cold.
 

Aquila

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Jul 11, 2019
Posts
182
Location
Canada
Icebreaker merino products are all class...pricey but high quality and long lasting if you follow the care instructions. My family is fully clad in the stuff from socks, base layers, insulated mid layers, beanies, neck warmers, glove liners. I've even got a smart-casual work jacket from them. I really like Smartwool socks too, other Smartwool products are harder to find in NZ.

We have another local (NZ) merino brand that has a big following here, Mons Royale. High quality and at least on price par with Icebreaker, and likes to shout about itself with its branding.

@elemmac the proof of the anti-stink qualities of merino are surely in their underwear....I wear (a single pair of) Icebreaker merino underwear on multi-day hikes - no smell. Sorry about the TMI aspect of that anecdote :ogbiggrin:

We have found that lower grade merino products tend to lose their shape more quickly and are more prone to washing damage.

Hi, me! I'm a big fan of Icebreaker and Mons Royale, and my ski socks are all Smartwool. Must be a NZ thing.

I am lucky enough to live close to factory outlet shops for Icebreaker and Mons Royale though, so I've picked up quite a few high quality merino pieces on the cheap. :) I wear them for all sorts of things, not just skiing.
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top