Hey BPL'ers,
I have been using a pair of RBH Vapor Therm Shirt and Pants for a year now for winter/spring backcountry skiing and I was looking for some advice on how to properly wear them.
I am currently wearing a layer of thin wool long underwear underneath the vapor therm shirt and pants and this works great during the day. I am venting as soon as I start to sweat but what I am finding is that at the end of the day (once the sun has started to go down/movement has slowed) is rapid evaporative cooling- the very thing these garments are supposed to prevent! When I remove the vapor therm clothing I find that my base layers end up quite wet (probably the root cause of the problem).
Do you guys have suggestions on how to reduce the wetness of the base layer? Based on this thread (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=5557) I am considering either synthetic long underwear that absorbs less moisture than wool or a set of polypro fishnet long underwear (such as the set made by Bryjne). Does anyone have any experience with either of these options as a base layer underneath the vapor therm?
The other question I had concerned long-term use of the garments. I will be taking a 24 ski mountaineering trip this summer (the reason I am trying to fine tune the vapor barrier system) and I was looking to use the vapor therm as a long-term base layer- it would not come off for 24 days. Given the nature of a vapor barrier, is this a hygiene concern? I am worried about fungal infections from having a damp/wet environment next to be skin for such an extended period of time. I know with vapor barrier socks the suggestion is to change them at the end of every day and make sure that your feet have the opportunity to dry out- how would one do this with vapor barrier clothing?
