Base layer recommendations

Hi all. Before I nio down to mountain warehouse and get whatever base layer they have on offer are there any that I should look at first? I do have some bamboo ones which are excellent but too expensive for farming at 45 quid each.

Nothing beats wool/merino wool as base layer unless its kinda hot outside.
Dries quick, keeps you warm when wet.
Fleece as mid layer when really cold.

I run in the norwegian mountains all year, and often use bamboo in hotter days, but always wool when sub +5'C.
I even use only wool sweatshirt at +3 to +12'C alot when its not much wind and rain.

My best mate moves timber and loads lorries on an open crane in all weathers. I got him some base layer stuff from sports direct for xmas, long sleeve top and long johns. Quick wicking stuff £26 if I remember right.

sniper

Listen to the Norwegian fellows - their advice will be spot-on where this is concerned.
If you can get Norwegian army shirts they're excellent but these are not a base-layer. The military folk I work with swear by Buffalo Mountain shirts but they cost an arm and leg but are a well-ventilated tough, work top

For regular working trips to the Falklands I went to Mountain Whorehouse or Blacks (I forget which) and got some excellent Peter Storm longjohns and long sleeved thermal base-layer also by Peter Storm and these are excellent. LINK TO TOP
The undershirt has a zipped neck so you can allow heat out; it's important in a cold climate to "dress up and dress down" as required so you don't get into a situation where you generate a sweat because that will go cold and make you cold (and wet) later on.

I'm outside all day every day and appreciate the not getting a sweat on as that's a surety for becoming frozen. In the past I have struggled with having enough clothing to be warm meaning that it's almost impossible to work effectively. Being warm and still able to move, that's the future!

Looking on mountain warehouse they do a merino set at 26quid each which isn't totally offensive for workwear, they also have a polyester high wicking set at 10 each. Think I might have to handle each see how warm they feel.

Well from a personal perspective, (I work outdoors in all weathers all year round). Some of my work can be fairly 'passive' such as just walking around big jets visually inspecting stuff, but an hour or so later I might be involved in changing several huge mainwheels which is heavy and laborious work interspersed with stopping to do detailed work such as wirelocking etc. So it's easy to get very hot then get very cold shortly after.
I'd say the best single piece of clobber I've got are my Buffalo Mountain shirts - simply because they take a hell of a lot of punishment, are capable of keeping you warm - even when wet, and have a whole load of vents to unzip to stop you building up too much heat,
Mine get covered in everything from aviation fuel to grease and as a result are constantly being washed, yet they survive for years.

However you were talking about base-layers (I assume for sub zero conditions). I usually get away with just a tee-shirt under the Buffalo but if its seriously windy thats when the PeteStorm thermal shirt comes out.
Sometimes I'll use the thermal base-layers with the Norgie Army shirt with a big Hi Vis coat over the top of that... Or a Norgie Army knitted Jumper (not to be confused with the Norgie shirt) as well as the hi-vis coat.
Unfortunately the Norgie Army jumpers are difficult if not impossible to get here.

It is a dilemma and takes a lot of different combinations trial and errors and experiments etc to find what suits you - at the end of the day its horses for courses

Unfortunately I haven't tried any of the Merino stuff but Ive heard its highly regarded.

Lambert wrote: I'In the past I have struggled with having enough clothing to be warm meaning that it's almost impossible to work effectively. Being warm and still able to move, that's the future!

Thats the thing , use wool first layer, and a thin/medium shell 2nd layer (jacket) on top to stop wind/rain, and you have full body movement with no restrictions. Even ice climbers wears layers like this. When doing more passive work, add a fleece sweater as mid layer, or/and a warm coat.
I also keep a thin wool neckwarmer (buff) in my pocket, as a great way to adjust temp changes according to task/workload.

If you sweat alittle, wool transports it very well from youre skin, and dries while wearing it when you stop sweating.
Wool sweatshirt, add trousers if really cold. Wool socks (thin/normal socks) are also great to keep feet dry and warm.

The only place i normally dont wear wool is underwear, as wool is 40dg wash only.... But i do have them for the really extreme cold days.

Polyester and especially cotton are freezing cold when wet, and never dries when wearing them. Polyester is ok at warmer temps.

I am a sheep farmer so am very aware of how good wool is as an insulator. For the last few years I have been using stretch jeans to allow movement while being wind resistant and fairly durable but they are miserable when wet, tops have usually been a t-shirt then microfleece gillett and heavy fleece outer which is fine until it rains and needs a waterproof jacket over top that's when the movement is restricted. What i was thinking was base layer then knee length sweatpant shorts to offer ventilation and get covered in muck then base layer and fleece jumper to allow movement inside the waterproof jacket. Trial and error.

Hi I do a lot of shooting and bike riding I always wear under armour that’s good stuff dawn

I grasped that you were involved in farming but wasn't sure in what field exactly ('scuse the pun :dry:).
Sheep eh? Now your forum name starts to make sense!
For a short time before joining the Royal Air Farce I had a farm job. I recall it being very hard work but immensly rewarding It was both arable and pastoral; mostly sheep barley and oat.

Yes trial and error is definitely the way forward with clothing but there's some technical stuff out there that amazes me - like the Buffalo clothing; it's just finding someone that has used it in order to get a recommendation!
It often makes me wonder in awe at how those poor guys in the WW1 trenches coped with the basic gear they had to use in horrendous conditions, so I try not to grumble too much when the great kit I have sometimes isn't "good enough"

+1 for me for Under Armour stuff Dawn, but I mostly use that for walking/hiking cycling and yoga rather than trying to keep warm. Its v expensive too - I've been lucky enough to get most of my Under Armour cheaply at US Military stores when we travel away.

"Rooster Sailing" for me, as the name suggests it is designed to get wet and to dry quickly as it's primary function

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I second that of OlaGB. Nothing beats wool. Nothing adapts to the differences in activity and perspiration. I use it all the time from September to May.
When doing skiing or when practicing my snowmobile skills there's nothing like it to keep you warm.

In the ski-patrol when we get injuries, we have so much more easy work if the patients have good clothing. Some young girls and boys not wearing a helmet and only want to look cool going down the slopes in cotton hoodie end up getting too cool and really chilled. Adding that to their other injuries.

Most days when out I use either light or heavy wool inner layer, then often fleece or another wool layer.
I even got Fleece pants like the kids in kindergarten got. Not so easy to find in my size
Fleece underneath your wind/rain layer however is a condensation collector. Living in western Norway we never know when it is gonna rain so Gore Tex or similar for the good weather, or flat out 100% waterproof plastic oilskin wich has no breath-ability and total fisherman style for the bad weather..
And if i haven't got my ski boots, then Muck boots neoprene/rubber boots. love them.
And do not forget that a lot of your temperature loss is thru the head and neck and hands and feet. So many people never wear a proper hat to keep your head warm more worried about looks.

But for working like on my car or about a farm or garden I often end up using worn out old clothes, or if it is colder I just bought cheap insulated nylon pants and jacket like a carpenter would use. but movement gets restricted and they do not adapt to activity much so often end up being too warm.