Most Versatile T-Shirtsįrom local trail runs of up to 20 miles in temps from 60 to 80 degrees and cool, wet days of camping and rock climbing, to a five-day, 78-mile backpacking trip on the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier, four days of variable weather on Nevada’s Ruby Crest Trail and five cool, sometimes very windy and snowy days trekking in June through Spain’s Picos de Europa Mountains, Patagonia’s Capilene Cool Trail Shirt has become my go-to for countless days and virtually any kind of activity. Testing the Patagonia Capilene Cool Merino Tech Tee in Idaho’s Boise Foothills. Today you can also find base layers that combine synthetic fabrics with wool-often Merino for its softness-to combine the strengths of both materials. But the lightest Merino wool tops aren’t always as durable as synthetics. It breathes as well as any fabric doesn’t dry as quickly as synthetics, but keeps you warm, anyway and won’t develop odors. Wool-which today often means Merino wool-keeps getting softer and more comfortable, and I find myself wearing it more often, for virtually any activity, in a wider range of conditions than I ever did before. But synthetics can get sweat-soaked (leaving you cold on cool days) and stinky after many days of wearing and multiple washings. I wear lightweight synthetic base layers for high-intensity activities in warm temperatures, and midweight synthetics for moderate-intensity activities in cool temps. Modern synthetics are getting lighter and more efficient at moving moisture. My experience with dozens of base layers is that both types keep getting better. We all know that synthetic fabrics wick moisture and dry quickly, while wool keeps you warm even once it’s wet. What You Need to Know About Synthetic Versus Wool Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Click here for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. And you can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by making purchases through the affiliate links below-where you’ll also often find the best prices. Please leave any comments or questions about my picks for best base layers in the comments section at the bottom of this story. Light- and medium-weight T-shirts and long-sleeve tops are the most versatile because you can layer them in a wider range of temperatures to keep you drier and cooler, but fabrics and design features of tops and shorts also affect their temperature range and the activities for which they’re comfortable. And over the course of a quarter-century of testing and reviewing gear, including the 10 years I spent as the lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine and even longer running this blog, I’ve learned how to distinguish the mediocre from the excellent. It matters.Īfter much testing from the trails to the mountains to the gym year-round, the long-sleeve tops, T-shirts, shorts, underwear, socks, and compression socks, shorts, and tights reviewed here are the best I’ve found for dayhiking, backpacking, trail running, climbing, and training. Base layers that don’t perform well probably won’t kill you, but misery isn’t a good companion. But this under-appreciated first stage in a layering system for the outdoors really sets the table for how comfortable you’ll be. Let’s admit it: We don’t always take our base layers as seriously and we do our outerwear and insulation-or packs, tents, boots and other gear, for that matter.
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