Silk as a baselayer?

david, i think wool is a good choice if you tend to sweat alot. it still keeps you warm even if wet, where silk will be cold if it is damp….

Silk works well as an insulator. It is lightweight so I'll bet its warmth-to-weight ratio is great. It's also very stout, probably more durable than wool. But it is IMPOSSIBLE to clean, even when back home. I stopped waring silk as an athletic base layer years ago and I occasionally see ads about washable silk now, but I won't believe it until I see it. I'm sticking with merino.

Silk is not as warm as wool and it doesn't wick as well. It sure feels better against the skin than my sleeping bag shell when its hot and muggy, so I use it to sleep in in th summer. I don't see good applications for colder temps vs. merino or synthetic fabrics.

I tried silk, but I dislike it because IME the fabric stretches very little. So either accept the baggy fit or the sensation of restricted movement. I'm sticking with wool for the 9 coolest months. Synthetic for the 3 hottest.

This is a useful thread! Obviously, some don't prefer silk. Assuming that this is about summer conditions where insulation is a negative characteristic and the main purpose of having any layer in your sleeping bag would be

1. Not to have a "clammy" feeling, and
2. Keep the bag as clean as possible.

Especially for #2 above, wouldn't an absorptive layer be best because we don't want our prespiration/body oils passing through to the sleeping bag? Therefore, maybe the thinnest cotton pajamas that can be found, would be the best solution?

I know I instincively shy away from cotton but, in a bag or under a quilt, inside a shelter (bivy/tent), wouldn't cotton be OK?

Silk, like cotton, is hydrophylic (water loving). It gets wet and STAYS wet.

Silk also rots fairly fast from perspiration. Underarms go quickly.

**A good, light poly layer is my 1st choice.**

Wool is my distant 2nd choice. It, too, is somewhat hydrophylic but doesn't FEEL too damp when wet because of its microscopic scales on the hair shafts.

Eric

To be more accurate, the coil-shaped wool fiber has a hydrophilic core. Due to the overlapping scales that encase this core, the fiber has some has water repellent properties while still remaining breathable. Wool wicks sweat and moisture from the body very well since the structure and shape of the fiber allows it to draw moisture into its hydrophilic core and transport the moisture away from the skin and expose it to the air, allowing the water to vaporize, provided there is heat source present on the interior surface of the fabric (e.g. a sheep or hiker producing body heat).

Of course, synthetic fabrics will usually do this quicker. Personally, I can't find a good mix with synthetic fabrics. Either they wick too quickly, potentially giving me that 'flash-off' chill or they are too thick (hot) for warmer temps. I find a similar wool garment gives me a wider temperature range over which the garment is comfortable. In the mix…wool usually wears better (durable) and smells better after a few days….well documented of course.