View Full Version : Under Armour Or Icebreaker for under layer clothing..
nighthiker
10-24-2010, 20:02
:-? Basically, cold gear fabric vs wool for under garmits, which will deal with temps around low 20 degree weather as well as a thru hike providing Rain, Snow, Cold wind / air warmth.....:sun
RedneckRye
10-24-2010, 22:13
I've swapped just about all of my synthetic base layer stuff out for wool.
It just feels better against the skin and does not have a horrible stench after a few days.
However, wool does not dry as quickly in cold, humid conditions - Hello North Carolina in March.
I prefer Smartwool Microweight over Ice Breaker 150 weight, but I like the heavier Ice Breaker stuff over Smartwool.
The Patagonia Wool 4 is knit like a sock (terry loops on the inside) and would probably be way too warm if you are actually exerting heavily. But it was really comfy when I tried it on and stood around in it for a while.
I like Merino almost as much as I like Down.
Cold Gear is great when moving. 2 seconds after stopping, you(I) feel the cold.
You might rephrase-capilene vs wool.
skinewmexico
10-25-2010, 10:03
Cold Gear is great when moving. 2 seconds after stopping, you(I) feel the cold.
You might rephrase-capilene vs wool.
Yep, it's not like UA invented anything, just marketed exiting products to the nth degree, and made them a status symbol. Go Icebreaker.
just another opinion...I found that on my thru hike (late March start) that thermals were not required very often, esp. the pants. Used the tops occasionally to hike in. Started with a 15 deg. bag, then switched to a 40 degree bag so rarely evn used my thermals at night. Not suggesting that you not carry any but my WalMart (or equivalent) thermals were more than sufficient (of course they were not cotton but the poly-whatever stuff) warmth-wise and survived the entire trip. I think the brand name on it was Remington.
I do have the more expensive stuff (i.e. UnderArmour among others) but I usually wear it for less active sports such as cold weather fishing and hunting. Seriously I cannot tell the difference from one brand to the next. However I haven't tried or use the wool stuff in years so I have no opinion there.
Bottom line, imo, if you are looking at long johns for long distance hiking I don't think you need to spend for the name brand stuff.
Low 20's is not cold enough to require thermals while hiking. If anything, wear wind pants if it's windy. If it's not windy, then any pants are warm enough to stay warm while hiking.
Fiddleback
10-25-2010, 11:08
Low 20's is not cold enough to require thermals while hiking. If anything, wear wind pants if it's windy. If it's not windy, then any pants are warm enough to stay warm while hiking.
Same thoughts here.
FB
Moose2001
10-25-2010, 11:24
just another opinion...I found that on my thru hike (late March start) that thermals were not required very often, esp. the pants. Used the tops occasionally to hike in. Started with a 15 deg. bag, then switched to a 40 degree bag so rarely evn used my thermals at night. Not suggesting that you not carry any but my WalMart (or equivalent) thermals were more than sufficient (of course they were not cotton but the poly-whatever stuff) warmth-wise and survived the entire trip. I think the brand name on it was Remington.
I do have the more expensive stuff (i.e. UnderArmour among others) but I usually wear it for less active sports such as cold weather fishing and hunting. Seriously I cannot tell the difference from one brand to the next. However I haven't tried or use the wool stuff in years so I have no opinion there.
Bottom line, imo, if you are looking at long johns for long distance hiking I don't think you need to spend for the name brand stuff.
Agree on the types of thermals you want to use. I'm a cold sleeper so I have expedition weight until I get to VA. After that, I switched to just a light set of thermals. No need to spend big bucks. Besides....they will be trashed and stinky by the time you get to Katahdin. Check out Sierra Trading Post. You can buy tops/bottoms for about $18 each piece. I work at a ski resort and go through lots of thermals. Always get my work stuff at STP.
HeartFire
10-25-2010, 11:45
Go with the wool. For all the reasons above, plus, even if it's wet, you will stay warm. I fell in a creek once, it was getting into the late afternoon (getting dark) 38*, windy - as long as I was walking (and not even fast) I stayed warm.
On cold rainy days when you are wet inside and out, you will stay warm in wool
Cabin Fever
10-25-2010, 19:32
I've used Patagonia Capiliene and Under Armour Cold Gear both on the Trail and Patagonia wins hands down. Like others have said, UA gets cold when you stop moving. It's also heavier and doesn't pack down as small as Capilene. Capilene 3 is great for wearing in a lighter sleeping bag or hiking in during the early morning.
Why are you limiting yourself to Under Armor and Icebreaker thermals? There are other options!
I will not delve deeply into the pros or cons or comparisons of polyester synthetics versus merino wool for thermals or next to skin/bottom layers. You can do that yourself. I will say, for next to skin thermal tops I like merino wool and for bottoms I like polyester/polyester blends.
I think the polyester/synthetic bottom thermals are more comfortable than merino wool bottoms. That's why, even though I have some excellent Smartwool mid wt merino wool thermal bottoms, I most often opt for the synthetic bottoms I have from Hot Chillys(silk or med wt) or Patagonia(Capilene in various wts). Hot Chillys, and even Patagonia(which IMO probably has invested more money and time in advancing their Capilene technology than UA has in advancing their polyester blends, I also like Patagonia's commitment to its employees and sound environmental practices!) are less expensive options in synthetic thermals than UA. I think the merino wool is warmer but I find it not as important to have warm legs versus a warm top. IMO, it's much more important to have a warm core, that includes my torso. Heck, as long as I'm moving I can hike in bare legs(in shorts) when below freezing down into the low twenties. Can't say the same thing if my core(torso) was exposed in those conditions.
UA is basically a polyester synthetic base layer. Some of the newer pieces look to be well made - double stitched hems, flat seams, thicker material, higher thread counts, etc. However, like another poster has mentioned, they have marketed quite aggressively and have some name brand high profile athletes advertising for them. It has also been mentioned UA gear has become a status symbol among some crowds. I agree. However, all this marketing, status symbol recognition, and highly paid professional athletic endorsement raises the price of UA gear. IMO, if I were in the market for polyester synthetic/polyester blend thermals I think I could do better in price and with equal or better performance by instead opting for Patagonia Capilene in 1,2,3, or 4 wts(the higher the # the warmer the thermals) or Eastern Mountain Sports(EMS) Bergalene or Hot Chillys. I have been very pleased with all these synthetic thermals I have from these outfitters. The EMS long sleeved Bergalene tops I have are excellent especially considering I bought mine in the off-season for $7 apiece! As also mentioned by another poster, the Capilene and Bergalene tend to not hold hiker stench as much as straight polyester.
When you mention Icebreaker, IMO, you have put your finger on some of the VERY BEST merino wool clothing that can be used for hiking. Icebreaker manufactures very well constructed, durable, and high performing merino wool clothing. Along with my Ibex Full Zip Long Sleeved Shak Merino Wool heavy wt shirt and my Icebreaker tops(both short sleeved med wt and long sleeved heavy wt tops) I consider these pieces my VERY BEST tops. However, I also love Smartwool Micro Wt and med wt merino wool short sleeve tops. I also have several of those. I layer them quite nicely with other pieces in the coldest and wettest of hiking conditions. However, of all the hiking clothing I wear I think the Smartwool merino wool tops perform the best in the widest extremes of temperature, from blazing hot low elevation desert temperature hiking where it soars above 100* down to the single digits! They are all, also quite expensive! IMO, the price is worth the performance! I also hike a lot so I always have a merino wool piece on virtually every hike I do. I also wear these merino wool pieces when I'm not hiking, so I get excellent use from them for the price. The Icebreaker long sleeved merino wool top with monkey finger holes I have on right now still looks like the day I bought it despite having been through 3 thru-hikes and an untold number of washings along various long distance trails! I love Icebreaker! However, I want to purchase some IO-BIO merino wool tops that are manufactured from eco-friendly New Zealand merino wool that supposedly has the softest hand available, or, supposedly softer and more luxurious, than Australian raised merino wool sources.
As an alternative to these high priced merino wool pieces, IMO, Minus 33* merino wool thermal bottoms and tops are some of the softest most economical and decently made merino wool pieces available that I know of. If on a tight budget and you just have to have merino wool thermals I suggest you check out Minus 33*.
Kerosene
10-27-2010, 12:58
My lone experience with wool for hiking was the 17 miles south of Erwin in 45 degree weather, fog and drippy. I wore a lightweight long-sleeve SmartWool top for the day, which was absolutely soaked from my perspiration and weighed a ton. Needless to say, it was still soaking wet the next morning. I was much more comfortable walking in a synthetic T-shirt. I'll save the wool for sub-freezing temps where I have to moderate my exertion level.
Merino wool 1000%, ton less stink, great in hot, cold, whatever weather, rinses easy and drys fast. backpackinglight has great and super light merino wool tee's and long sleeve as well. Ditto merino wool long underwear.
Johnny Thunder
10-29-2010, 01:11
this is an odd question...and a bit of a drift. but since i know most of you (read: Jester) enjoy thinking about me in holey underwear, here goes:
i had a pair of terramar wool long underwear from springer until waynesboro that bit the dust when i'd discovered that a shelter mouse had made a breathable and insulated nest out of some larger bits of the fabric. unfortunately, this was discovered in the waynesboro laundro-mat while all my other clothes were wet and in the wash. luckily all the vitals were covered.
anyone ever had mice go after non-synthetics while they were sleeping?
I can hear Lone Wolf's caustic and curt response to your question Johnny Thunder, "stay out of AT shelters and you will not have a problem with mice chewing/eating your undies."
No, I Have not JT. It may have been food or salt on your non-synthetics or, perhaps, a mouse that enjoys high quality merino wool as much as me!
Did you or someone else spill cheese crumbs on your thermals JT?