Suggestions on baselayer?

[Travis Brown]

I had a set of Patagonia Cap 2's, but I lost about 20lbs and they are way too loose now. I was looking seriously at the smartwool stuff. REI has them for $55 each. What are you guys using that you really like? Looking for a midweight.

[Randy Martin]

$55 for a Smartwool baselayer is hard to beat. Having said that I really like what Patagonia is doing with their Merino baselayers by mixing with polyester which creates a smoother and more durable material.

[Andrew Zajac]

I really like my cap2 and if you have had success with it you might consider just sizing down. However, it tends to get stinky quickly which is where wool really takes the cake. I have literally not washed wool shirts for whole summers and had them smelling just fine. It also seems like it could depend on your hiking temp. I just haven't found a long sleeve wool shirt that I can hike in comfortably in temps over 60F and will just go wool short sleeve or synthetic long sleeve in warmer temps depending on sun exposure.

[Travis Brown]

I just ordered a set of Smartwool midweights from Sierra, but after looking at Smartwool's website I'm concerned they are going to be too warm for hiking in. These won't get a ton of use since I live in texas. I'll wear it under my waders in the winter more than anything. But I will be using this the first part of September on a multiday trip in the South San Juan's.
Did I over buy? I could cancel my order and get the lightweight off of Amazon for the same price.

[Randy Martin]

Yes, I midweight merino wool is way too much for Texas except maybe in Winter (which is still pretty mild in Texas). For 3 season use in Texas you should be looking at the lightest baselayer (like a Patagonia Cap 1 or 2). Patagonia's new Merino/Poly blend baselayers are awesome and the Merino 1 layer is a good choice

[Travis Brown]

Randy, thanks for the reply. I didn't mean to imply that I was going to be using these 3 season in Texas. I wear shorts for 3.5 seasons hear. Like I mentioned I'm going to be using these backpacking the San Juans in September. I will also use them under my waders in Colorado and Texas in the winter. I tried to cancel my order with Sierra but they already had it packaged up. I will return them when they get hear and find some lighter weight Merino.

[Randy Martin]

Sorry, I missed your last post about the location/timing of your use. Having said that, while a mid-weight may be ok for September in the Alpine (when lows will be in the 30's and high's in the 50's) it's always better to have a more versatile layering system. Of course one of the beauties of wool is that it breathes well enough that it has a wider comfort range in terms of temperature.

[Mary D]

I find that the lightweight base layers are better even in cold weather. With a heavier base layer, you're more liable to sweat when moving, especially uphill. The colder the weather, the more dangerous it is to sweat!

I'd rather carry an extra lightweight midlayer than wear midweight or expedition weight base layers. It's far easier to thermoregulate!

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