YOUR BASELAYER IS YOUR LITERALLY YOUR ‘BASE’ ‘LAYER’, AND FORMS THE BEDROCK EVERYTHING THAT GOES OVER IT IS BUILT ON. GET IT WRONG AND IT DOESN’T MATTER REALLY WHAT YOU DO, BUT YOU WON’T GET THE FULL FUNCTION OUT OF EVERYTHING ELSE INCLUDING THAT EXPENSIVE DOWN SUIT. BUT GET IT RIGHT AND YOU WILL BE SURPRISED HOW WELL OTHER THINGS CAN FUNCTION.
A BASELAYER HAS FUNCTION; KEEP YOUR SKIN TEMPERATURE REGULATED. THAT’S IT. HOW IT DOES THAT IS A SERIES OF OTHER THINGS, BUT IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR INSULATION IN YOUR BASELAYER YOU’VE GOT THE EQUATION WRONG. SKIN IS KEPT DRY IN TWO WAYS; MINIMIZING SWEATING BY STAYING COOL, AND WICKING AWAY MOISTURE IF IT ARRIVES. THE MONTANE PRIMINO BASELAYERS DO BOTH VERY WELL FOR BIG ALPINE TRIPS WHERE A BASELAYER NEEDS TO WORK VERY HARD.
FULL DISCLOSURE; WE THOUGHT WOOL WAS TERRIBLE WAS FOR THIS JOB, UNTIL POLARTEC BOUGH PRIMINO CAME OUT. WE WERE VERY HARD TO CONVINCE AFTER THE ‘WOOL CRAZE’ 15 YEARS AGO PUT US OFF. BUT, AS CARD-CARRYING CONVERTS TO PRIMALOFT, PRIMINO (PRIMALOFT + MERINO, GET IT) GOT US INTERESTED. THE THING WITH WOOL IS OVER THE COURSE OF A BIG ALPINE TRIP – LET ALONE A FULL SEASON – IT WAS TOO WARM DOWN LOW, TOO COOL UP HIGH, TOO CLAMMY WHEN IT GOT DAMP, TOOK TOO LONG TO DRY AND LOST TOO MUCH OF IT’S SHAPE TO DO IT’S JOB. YES, IT SMELLED NICER LONGER, BUT AT #10 ON THE LIST WITH SOME BIG FAILINGS BEFORE IT WE DIDN’T CARE. THE FIBRES THEMSELVES WERE HALF TO BLAME, BUT ALSO THERE WAS THE FACT IT WAS NEVER WOVEN INTO FORMS THAT HELPED WICKING. FINE MAYBE FOR PLODDING UP TO A CAMP WHERE YOU KNOW A CHANGE IS WAITING, BUT WHEN THE DAY WAS GOING TO END IN A TENT ON A SMALL LEDGE, NOT WORTH GAMBLING ON.
BUT MONTANES PRIMINO BASELAYERS RESOLVE ALL THAT.
THE COMBINATION WITH PRIMALOFT YARN, THEN WOVEN INTO WICKING FABRICS AND DESIGNED INTO MULTI-FUNCTION GARMENTS MAKES THESE THE BEST BASELAYERS WE KNOW. HAVING ALWAYS ADVOCATED FOR THE MOST BREATHABLE BASELAYERS POSSIBLE, PRIMINO DOES THIS AND MONTANE HAS ENHANCED IT WITH DEEP ZIPS, SLEEVES THAT PUSH UP & A LIGHT COLOUR-WAY AND MESH WOVEN PANELS FOR WHEN THINGS GET HOT. UNLIKE MANY BASELAYERS, THESE ARE NICELY STRETCHY FOR A FULL CONTACT FIT & EASE OF TOILET DUTIES, AND WHEN THINGS GET COLD THEY ZIP UP AND ROLL DOWN WITH THE WOOL CONTENT MAKING FOR A LEVEL OF COSINESS. THE HOODIE’S BALACLAVA HOOD HAS A GOOD DEGREE OF COVERAGE AND SITS WELL AGAINST THE NAPE OF THE NECK. THE OFFSET ZIP IS A DECENT DETAIL, NOT CRUCIAL BUT WITHOUT NEGATIVES. THE WAIST HEM SITS WELL BELOW HARNESS-LEVEL MEANING THE NEED FOR A ONE-PIECE BASELAYER IS GONE (THAT SAID, IF ONE WAS MADE OF PRIMINO WE’D ADVOCATE IT).
IN WARM APPLICATIONS LIKE EXPOSED SLOPES AND ON GLACIERS, STRIPPED TO IT’S OWN BOTH BASELAYERS WORK WELL ENOUGH TO NEGATE HAVING TO NEED ANOTHER LAYER JUST FOR THE JOB – JUST. WHERE THEY EXCEL IS WIDE SPECTRUM BEYOND THAT DOWN TO VERY COLD CONDITIONS WITHOUT MUCH MOVEMENT, WHERE A BASELAYERS ABILITY TO LET BODY HEAT STABILIZE OVER THE SKIN IS VITAL AND WHERE THE COMBINATION OF WOOL & PRIMALOFT IS BEST FELT, BEING COSIER THAN PRIMALOFT ALONE. COMBINED WITH OUR RECOMMENDED SYSTEM OF A THERMOPLUME AND 850+DOWN LAYER OVER TOP THERE IS MINIMAL MATERIAL & DENSITY DIFFERENTIAL TO GET IN THE WAY, CREATING A VERY EFFICIENT INSULATION PROFILE.
THE ONLY THING WE LIKE BUT ISN’T DELIVERED IS A POCKET TO KEEP BATTERIES WARM. SURMOUNTABLE, AND THE PROPERTIES OF THE MATERIAL MAKE UP FOR IT, BUT NEEDS CONSIDERING. THE INTEGRITY OF THE FABRIC MEANS A TIGHT FIT WILL HAPPILY KEEP GLOVES AND BARS CLOSE TO THE SKIN TO KEEP WARM, BUT NOT BATTERIES.
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