GripGrab Thermal Long Sleeve Cycling Base Layer

[Mark Ferwerda]

I’ve been updating my layering system over the last year based on BPL’s advice. It is as follows:

• Bryne Super Thermo base fishnet (short sleeves, poly)
• merino wool or alpaca wool LS shirt
• Rab FLash Alpha Direct jacket (120gsm)
• Marmot Ion windshirt

On hikes in the cold weather (usually 20 and above) I usually wet those out at some point on a long uphill climb and it takes a while to dry out. Lately I’ve been trying a shirt by a company brand called GripGrab. It is a double layer shirt made of 50% polyester and 50% polypropylene. This past weekend hiking on a trail, I wetted it out on a long hill but 10 minutes later I’m completely dry. All the moisture went through all the layers including my windshirt and evaporated. At 4.3oz, I didn’t think I would stay warm enough but I was surprisingly comfortable. I  think my merino and alpaca wool shirts have been relegated to the back seat.

[Dustin V]

So, is the inner layer sort of a mesh? Does it seem to hold air pockets? It kind of looks like a Lifa shirt I nabbed.

[Mark Ferwerda]

Yes. AND helps pass moisture to the next layer. Which is also what I assume the fishnet layer is doing.

[David D]

It looks similar to the system I use (and I know that Stephen uses) in 2 piece, a Brynje covered by Lifa.

The two pieces are a bit more flexible for different temps & are 100% polypropylene so just a bit dryer than a polyester/polyprop combo, but this sort of set up in 1 or 2 piece is amazing for keeping you dry and warm.

Airmesh over this keeps me dry and warm down to 5F even pushing hard, though 60 or 90 AD depending on conditions would be even drier theoretically.

Waiting for colder weather to push it even lower.  Then a hyper breathable wind shirt over it (e.g. Dooy) when needed

[Stephen Seeber]

Mark, Thanks for posting this. The shirt sounds interesting, and it was pretty cheap, so I purchased one. Below are my thoughts without wearing it out in the sub-zero temperatures we have at the moment.

The fabric is very thin for a knit base layer: .031″. This is the same thickness as an HH Stripe shirt, which would explain a fast dry time. There is very little fabric, so it can’t hold much sweat and can dry quickly once sweating stops. When faced with a heavy sweating rate, I expect it will saturate quickly, but then it will dry quickly after you stop an activity.

The polypro inner mesh layer is somehow bonded to the outer polyester layer.  How this is accomplished and whether the bonding process restricts vapor passage through the fabric is unclear.

I did pipette testing on both layers. The polypro layer is hydrophobic.  The polyester outer is treated to be very hydrophilic to support its wicking role.

The Air Permeability is 258 CFM/Ft2.  This should provide decent breathability and wind protection.  Breathability will be way lower than the Brynje/HH Stripe or Finetrack combination.  I expect this shirt to be inferior for sweat management to a Brynje/HH Stripe or Finetrack combination for moisture management.  This shirt will lack the air pockets formed by the Brynje mesh that enables sweat on the skin to evaporate and become vapor before hitting the next layer, enabling maximum evaporative cooling.  It also can’t match the trick of providing some insulation and simultaneous moisture control offered by the Brynje/ HH Stripe or Finetrack combination.

Concerning Mark’s layering.  I get the impression that you are wearing your base layer, the Merino or Alpaca shirt,  the 120 gsm Alpha Flash, and the wind layer at the same time.  If so, that sounds like a lot of layers for hiking uphill at 20F.   My ensemble for that temperature would be long-sleeve Brynje, HH Stripe, possibly 60 gsm Alpha Direct, and a wind layer with pit zips.  Once I am warmed up, I would remove the Alpha Direct or wind layer. Of course, our needs for warmth and breathability are all unique.

I will give this shirt a try when things warm up a bit.

[Mark Ferwerda]

Stephen – Thank you for your analysis and comment on this shirt. I’m not as warm blooded as I used to be, so I overdress a bit. I assume by “HH Stripe” you mean the Lifa HH Stripe Pro.

[Bill in Roswell]

Mark, thanks for the heads up on GripGrab. Im an old roadie and live where there are a lot of steep shorts hills to climb and descend. Im a sweatball and found winter cycling nearly impossible to regulate. Then Gore came out with softshell Windpro with pit zips. It was a game changer. GripGrab seems to fill that niche. Health issues forego winter cycling now but not hiking. I will give one of their shirts a try. BTW, Brynje is on Garage Grown Gear now.

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