Base Layer Clothing

We’ve all been told that layering clothing is the best way to dress when going outdoors, and it’s true. But did you know that materials matter too?

The ubiquitous cotton t-shirt is perfect in hot summer weather, as the cotton will hold the moisture next to your skin, and help cool you down. But that same cotton t-shirt in February, even if layered under other garments is guaranteed to work against your core temperature, for the exactly the same reason.

Heat is conducted 25 times faster through water than through air - which means that removing sweat and moisture from skin surfaces is paramount to retaining body heat. The action of drawing moisture from the skin surface to the outside of a garment is known as “wicking”.

Cotton doesn’t wick, and therefore it doesn’t make a good base layer. It can make an excellent outer, or top layer, but cotton right on the skin is best left to hot climates and muggy summer days. Synthetics and wool do a much better job wicking, so base layers made from these materials are vastly better at keeping one dry and warm. A lightweight wicking base layer can be removed and dried overnight, then worn the next day, ready to provide wicking duty on the “front line” of thermal protection.