keep me warm with winter under layers
December 20, 2022 10:55 AM Subscribe
I am looking for good quality wool or natural material undershirts and long underwear that will help keep me warm even when sweating.
I currently have short sleeve cotton undershirts, silk long sleeve undershirts, silk long underwear, and one pair of wool long underwear. Unfortunately, I am a sweaty person and wet cotton is cold and clammy. The silk is light/thin and okay for mildly chilly weather but has not been delivering as the weather has gotten colder.
What specific products or brands would you recommend? Men, women's, or gender neutral clothing brands are welcome. I am primarily layering under wool sweaters or button downs with sweaters and under jeans, cords, or slacks for daily, indoor wear. Short or long sleeve undershirts are fine; I'd prefer generous necklines that won't peek out from under the top layer. I strongly prefer natural materials to synthetic.
I currently have short sleeve cotton undershirts, silk long sleeve undershirts, silk long underwear, and one pair of wool long underwear. Unfortunately, I am a sweaty person and wet cotton is cold and clammy. The silk is light/thin and okay for mildly chilly weather but has not been delivering as the weather has gotten colder.
What specific products or brands would you recommend? Men, women's, or gender neutral clothing brands are welcome. I am primarily layering under wool sweaters or button downs with sweaters and under jeans, cords, or slacks for daily, indoor wear. Short or long sleeve undershirts are fine; I'd prefer generous necklines that won't peek out from under the top layer. I strongly prefer natural materials to synthetic.
I like Icebreaker and routinely wear them when skiing, running, and just going about my day.
posted by TORunner at 11:12 AM on December 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by TORunner at 11:12 AM on December 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
Do you have a Costco membership? If so, I really like this affordable light merino wool layer. Sometimes they are available in-store in a v-neck and in my winter clime they come around every winter (I know that stock varies a lot Costco by Costco, though).
posted by charmedimsure at 11:13 AM on December 20, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by charmedimsure at 11:13 AM on December 20, 2022 [4 favorites]
Uniqlo has a lot of good underlayer stuff, both synthetic and wool.
I’ve only tried their synthetic underlayers, but I do have a bunch of wool overlayer turtlenecks from them which are soft, warm and very high quality for the price.
posted by mekily at 11:17 AM on December 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
I’ve only tried their synthetic underlayers, but I do have a bunch of wool overlayer turtlenecks from them which are soft, warm and very high quality for the price.
posted by mekily at 11:17 AM on December 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Smartwool is a good brand for this, their blends are easy to care for. Patagonia also has some good long johns for snow sports. If you're an REI member they have their own brand which is also pretty reliable. I would say to swing by an outdoor shop if you can to feel the material!
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 11:30 AM on December 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 11:30 AM on December 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Duckworth is a smaller company whose products in my experience compare favorably with Icebreaker and Smartwool (which are both also pretty great).
posted by box at 12:15 PM on December 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by box at 12:15 PM on December 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
+1 to Smartwool. Have owned a lot of their stuff over the years.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:54 PM on December 20, 2022
posted by oneirodynia at 1:54 PM on December 20, 2022
There's a whole world of wool base layers out there. I've liked my v-neck women's top from Wool X (search around for discount codes). I also have wool tops from Smartwool and Icebreaker that are good. I'd say to go to Sierra or REI after Christmas (if you're in the US) and get a few different tops on sale and give them a try.
posted by bluedaisy at 2:40 PM on December 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by bluedaisy at 2:40 PM on December 20, 2022 [3 favorites]
I wear an Icebreaker tank top as my base layer just about every day, and I have a couple of those Seg'ments tops that seem to be holding up well. It's always worth browsing Goodwill every so often in search of cashmere for soft, inexpensive base layering.
I used to be a Smartwool devotee but their quality has plummeted in recent years. (I think they were bought by a large Chinese investment company. Icebreaker is owned by the same company, IIRC, but they have longstanding contracts with NZ-based merino suppliers that aren't up for renewal/renegotiation yet. This per an acquaintance who works in the industry, but take it with a grain of salt because I have a bad memory.)
FWIW, to make your merino last it needs to be washed in cold on delicate, and and hung to dry. Hung over the bathtub with the fan running, it'll dry overnight. In my experience merino can last for a couple week's worth of regular wearings before it needs to be washed (unless it picks up deodorant residue from under the arms, which is my problem) so it's not as much much work as it sounds.
posted by knucklebones at 5:01 PM on December 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
I used to be a Smartwool devotee but their quality has plummeted in recent years. (I think they were bought by a large Chinese investment company. Icebreaker is owned by the same company, IIRC, but they have longstanding contracts with NZ-based merino suppliers that aren't up for renewal/renegotiation yet. This per an acquaintance who works in the industry, but take it with a grain of salt because I have a bad memory.)
FWIW, to make your merino last it needs to be washed in cold on delicate, and and hung to dry. Hung over the bathtub with the fan running, it'll dry overnight. In my experience merino can last for a couple week's worth of regular wearings before it needs to be washed (unless it picks up deodorant residue from under the arms, which is my problem) so it's not as much much work as it sounds.
posted by knucklebones at 5:01 PM on December 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Charmedimsure- thank you *so* much for the link! I’ve been looking for these in vain at my local Costco. I have one, and love it, so your link allowed me to fill in.
posted by dbmcd at 5:21 PM on December 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by dbmcd at 5:21 PM on December 20, 2022 [1 favorite]
Uniqlo's Heattech line is my go to. Two pairs of those leggings and some wool tights, and I'm good down to about - 15º. I also have a merino Lululemon long sleeve layer that's super warm, I got mine at a consignment shop but you can check Poshmark for deals.
posted by ananci at 9:23 PM on December 20, 2022
posted by ananci at 9:23 PM on December 20, 2022
Adding my vote for two brands that have already been mentioned, Smartwool and Icebreaker, just recently got some 100% merino wool tops from both brands and very happy with both. I also have some Uniqlo Heattech tops I have used for a longer time and they're ok but the merino stuff is much better in my experience, at least when it comes to tops. I also have Heattech jeans-like leggings that I've been using for ages and those are still great - and I wouldn't really think it's that feasible to replace them with merino anyway! My partner does use Icebreaker merino leggings for running and it's very happy with them but they're to be worn as under layer or indeed as running tights, whereas the Heattech leggings you can wear like a pair of jeans anywhere.
posted by bitteschoen at 4:26 AM on December 21, 2022
posted by bitteschoen at 4:26 AM on December 21, 2022
Offering some general advice about the fabric itself, whatever you buy:
wet cotton is cold and clammy
Yeah, it is. I went to a seminar on how to properly dress for outdoor activity in winter, and that was the #1 biggest takeaway they wanted us all to remember: "Cotton kills". Don't use the cotton undershirts at all, I would say. By contrast, merino wool was the best thing, they said; it's breathable, it's insulating, it wicks moisture away from your skin, and it can be made into thick or thin garments so you can layer it.
I'd try going to any outdoor shop and asking to speak to someone about "winter base layers". That's the outdoor sports/hiker name for "long underwear" or "under layers" and you'll be brought to a big variety of different fabrics and styles and designs for those things, many of which will indeed be wool.
I can also put in a personal recommendation for Heattech from Uniqlo. The one time I went on a winter hike, I was wearing a Heattech undershirt under another shirt and a sweater, with my heavy coat; I also had Heattech socks. I was hiking with friends in Utah during a cold snap, and at one point I was trying to cross a log over a small creek and the log shifted and threw my right foot ankle-deep into the water. It was below freezing, so I realized I needed to head back to the car right away - and started a brisk walk back to the trailhead, which was about a 30-minute walk if I really booked it. I was wearing only a pair of sneakers so my foot got good and wet.
But the whole way, I did not feel cold at all. Not even my toes, and not even on the foot that had gotten wet. For a while I thought maybe it wasn't as cold as we thought - until I started noticing this persistent clicking noise when I walked. It was a rhythmic pattern matching to my steps. After a few minutes I realized - it was the wet cuff of that leg of my jeans, which had frozen completely solid. And yet that same foot was perfectly comfortable in the Heattech socks, and I was also perfectly comfortable in the Heattech shirt. (I actually told that story to the guy at the seminar before we started, and he asked me to tell that story DURING his lecture as an illustration of "why cotton is bad".)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:37 AM on December 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
wet cotton is cold and clammy
Yeah, it is. I went to a seminar on how to properly dress for outdoor activity in winter, and that was the #1 biggest takeaway they wanted us all to remember: "Cotton kills". Don't use the cotton undershirts at all, I would say. By contrast, merino wool was the best thing, they said; it's breathable, it's insulating, it wicks moisture away from your skin, and it can be made into thick or thin garments so you can layer it.
I'd try going to any outdoor shop and asking to speak to someone about "winter base layers". That's the outdoor sports/hiker name for "long underwear" or "under layers" and you'll be brought to a big variety of different fabrics and styles and designs for those things, many of which will indeed be wool.
I can also put in a personal recommendation for Heattech from Uniqlo. The one time I went on a winter hike, I was wearing a Heattech undershirt under another shirt and a sweater, with my heavy coat; I also had Heattech socks. I was hiking with friends in Utah during a cold snap, and at one point I was trying to cross a log over a small creek and the log shifted and threw my right foot ankle-deep into the water. It was below freezing, so I realized I needed to head back to the car right away - and started a brisk walk back to the trailhead, which was about a 30-minute walk if I really booked it. I was wearing only a pair of sneakers so my foot got good and wet.
But the whole way, I did not feel cold at all. Not even my toes, and not even on the foot that had gotten wet. For a while I thought maybe it wasn't as cold as we thought - until I started noticing this persistent clicking noise when I walked. It was a rhythmic pattern matching to my steps. After a few minutes I realized - it was the wet cuff of that leg of my jeans, which had frozen completely solid. And yet that same foot was perfectly comfortable in the Heattech socks, and I was also perfectly comfortable in the Heattech shirt. (I actually told that story to the guy at the seminar before we started, and he asked me to tell that story DURING his lecture as an illustration of "why cotton is bad".)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:37 AM on December 21, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oh, here's some more info about base layers, along with discussions about the different fabrics available (and the pros and cons of each) as well as some product recommendations. This pretty much maps to what they said in the seminar I went to (particularly the bit about how just having a good base layer isn't good enough). They also take "how to account for being sweaty" into their advice.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:05 AM on December 21, 2022
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:05 AM on December 21, 2022
For me, it is worth the extra money to pay for a quality merino wool. There are some really awesome properties of this specific species of wool, including that it is very resistant to picking up odors. I know for sure all of your requirements, including wide neck, will be met by the Minus 33 midweight underlayer. I'll link to the one I buy (mens) but it will get you in the ballpark. Since I bought this last winter, it has never been off my body, except while sleeping, and I am so warm all the time. I bought a second one for myself a few weeks ago. Drawback-- price. They start at $80, and in the sizes I buy are more than $100. But it is so good. They also need to be washed with a wool-friendly detergent like Woolite or Nikwash (Nikwax? not sure), but that's easy to do. I order from Minus 33 because they are literally the only merino maker that has things in my size, but I'm sure there are other high quality merino clothing manufacturers out there. Good luck and many warm returns with whatever you do!
posted by seasparrow at 7:52 AM on December 21, 2022
posted by seasparrow at 7:52 AM on December 21, 2022
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