Base layers for touring

[eSock]

Long sleeve and full leg base layers usually feel like overkill for me considering how much heat I produce and am experimenting more with just wearing athletic shorts/t shirts. What are y'alls go to base clothing for touring?

[sb]

Craft made merino wool spun directly from the sheep then knit into the softest body armor ever made by female elves from middle earth.

On warm days i just wear a wife beater and a jock strap.

[danmelon]

for warm day spring touring I wear my lulu lemon yoga shorts as a base layer.

[auvgeek]

Quite a few variations depending on the weather.

Merino wool boxers under a soft shell ski pant works pretty well when it’s too cold for a climbing pant (which I wear in spring) and too warm for ¾ length merino baselayer pants.

[3PinGrin]

Craft made merino wool spun directly from the sheep then knit into the softest body armor ever made by female elves from middle earth.

On warm days i just wear a wife beater and a jock strap.

nailed it!

[gregL]

Le Bent 200 long sleeve and 3/4 bottoms for winter, Le Bent briefs and short sleeve shirt for spring/summer.

[John_B]

Kuiu 3/4 length long underwear with side zips. It's nice to be able to ditch your long underwear at some point in the day when things warm up without taking your boots off..just drop your pants to your ankles and undo both side zips. The caveat is Kuiu sizing is kind of funky and my mediums are way tighter than any other medium I've worn.

[AK47bp]

Capilene. I have different levels of thickness depending on temps. Love that stuff.

[XXX-er]

merino T shirts (cheaper ) made by druid virgins won't stink in a hut scenario but if you will be near a washing m/c just go plastic cuz its much better wearing and probably has about the same warmth

you don't need much under soft shells, a lot of people wear too much, so wear less start cold or wearing a puffy and puton/ takeoff as required

[mrkbrnblm]

Don't overthink it... for touring, a synthetic t-shirt and underwear is all you need under your softshell unless its 10 degree F or colder. I like Patagonia for both (Patagonia boxers are INCREDIBLE), but there are many options and they'll all work fine. Main thing is for it to be synthetic, light, and breathable. Hold the shirt up to the light and you should be able to see through it. Super-tight-knits don't breathe nearly as well (but are warmer). For resort skiing, it's nice to be warm on the chair so I tend to wear long underwear when it gets below 30 or so.

[Jason4]

It depends on the group and the objective. Most storm days I'm in 3/4 length Smartwool long johns and some version of a wool shirt plus a some insulation and hard shells. Most fun days I'm just in a thin long sleeve shirt and thin wool long johns hopefully with soft shell pants. I wear long sleeves year round in the mountains for sun protection more than temp.

[Tjaardbreeuwer]

For warm days, I like the long boxers (I have some from Saxx). I can wear those under hard or soft shells pants, and when I zip open the vents, they keep the edges from chafing, as well as preventing chafing if you are wearing a harness, or just from thigh rub.

For intermediate warmth I like Brynje Polypropylene mesh. Not only is it far and away the best base layer for moisture management, but it also is reasonably warm under a (soft)shell, but then, when you open up the vents, it really loses a lot of heat, allowing you to adjust to the conditions more easily, and usually negates the need for zip off long underpants like @John_B mentions.

For slightly colder temps, I have an older Pata Capilene 4, that is very stretchy, soft and comfy, and is still pretty good at cooling when opening shell vents.

The other one I have for colder weather is a Polartec Alpha Direct, 90 g/m². That also offers the big change in warmth, when going from fully closed to vents open on the shell. It’s also super light, so good for multiway trips where you might not ever end up wearing it. And it’s very soft and cozy for camp/hut/sleep use.

For the upper body,

For me, most of the time, a long sleeve Brynje polypro mesh, for the same reasons mentioned above. But short sleeve if it’s warm.
Then, for really warm weather, a super thin sun hoody over that, or for cooler conditions, a thin shell with full front zip and pitzips for venting. Either a windshirt, lightweight softshell or, most of the time, a hardshell. But all of them thin, so they don’t add much warmth on that front.

[Blaster]

+1 on the Brynje

[grskier]

I like merino t shirts.
full transparency I have had a relationship with this company, but I swear by their stuff:
https://point6.com/collections/mens-...erino-wool-tee

[adrenalated]

Craft made merino wool spun directly from the sheep then knit into the softest body armor ever made by female elves from middle earth.

On warm days i just wear a wife beater and a jock strap.

This is the way

[XXX-er]

I have 5 or 6 brands of merino most of which i inherited from my 84 yr old father,

they all had developed holes from the extreme TV watching while sitting in his condo

its really all the same shit as far as i can tell so buy the cheapest stuff you can find

or just go plastic if you got a washing MC handy

[rod9301]

I like merino / plastic blend shirts. OR makes one, had it for 4 years and still in good shape. Pure merino wears too fast

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[Va Ki Bo]

.

[mr_pretzel]

Brynje

[XXX-er]

some thing to consider is that wool can be very itchy, I can put up with 100 weight but the coarser stuff bugs me especaily in winter

[gregL]

its really all the same shit as far as i can tell so buy the cheapest stuff you can find

It is not. Some companies like to use 100% Merino (Mons Royale, Ibex, Point 6, etc.), but most blend the Merino with something else - Polyester, Polyamide (nylon), Polypropylene and/or Elastane. All resist odor pretty well, but Le Bent's use of Rayon in the blend puts their comfort on a different level. I get pro deals on pretty much every brand, and that's where I put my hard earned bootfitting money.

[gregL]

some thing to consider is that wool can be very itchy, I can put up with 100 weight but the coarser stuff bugs me especaily in winter

100 weight (or 200, or 250) refers to the grams per meter squared of the fabric, not the softness or quality of the wool . . .

[MagnificentUnicorn]

100 weight (or 200, or 250) refers to the grams per meter squared of the fabric, not the softness or quality of the wool . . .

Hey, don’t let facts get in his way…


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[XXX-er]

well I have found some brands harder on my skin which would be the 200+ and it all falls apart

I used to really like this smart wool, do you want me to get you some more pictures of holes ?

[Tjaardbreeuwer]

100 weight (or 200, or 250) refers to the grams per meter squared of the fabric, not the softness or quality of the wool . . .

It might be @XXX-er came up with that conclusion because:
The lightest weights (120 gsm, I don’t think anyone has a 100 g/m^{2 )} use the thinnest fibers. Thicker knits can be made with either thin or thick fibers. The thinnest fibers are the least scratchy.
So maybe Lee, you happened to have thicker fabrics made from larger fibers?

The other reason might be that thinner fabrics are more flexible and don’t scratch as much because of that?