The Basics of Base Layer

Base layers are the most important pieces of clothing for any outdoor athletic kit and wilderness adventure.  They are the closest clothing to your body. Base layer are more about regulation of moistures than keeping you warm. Their main tasks it to transport moisture away from the skin, get rid of odour and keep you dry.

Base layers are divided into two broad categories, synthetic material and wool. Wool base layers are made from a blend of merino wool as the main component with small amounts of polyester, spandex and other synthetic materials. The wool is used for its ability dry fast and resists odours. Some merino base layers also use activated carbon additives like cocona to enhance the drying and odour resistance quality. Furthermore merino wool thermal base layer can still keep you warm even when it’s wet and are therefore good for outdoor winter sporting activities.

Synthetic base layers are made from materials like polyester. Many polyster based garments also add spandex and other synthetics to add stretch.  The most common synthetic material is polypropylene or polypro. The material is extremely effective in pulling the moisture way from the skin. They come in form of pant and shirts and can perform their function very effectively. 

Base layers differ in weight. Depending on the weather you can choose three main types of base layers, light, medium and heavy.

Light weight base layer consist of either a short sleeved or long sleeved base layer shirt as the first layer against the skin. The layering must be pleasant on the skin and should have a tighter fit for moisture management. They can be worn alone during mild to hot temperatures or under many other layers or a windproof jacket in the cool to extremely cold season.

Medium weight base layer can be worn against the skin or as a second layer after the light weight base to provide added insulation and moisture wicking.  Likewise they can provide warm on their own in cool to cold weather as well as form part of layering in harsh winter weather.

Heavy base layer garments can be worn in winter. There are designed for the cold conditions and are worn over a light weight layer. They add insulation and are worn more loosely without really focusing on moisture management. They can also be worn in spring as standalone shirt but will provide you with too much insulation so it’s best to reserve them for winter.