At a glance
Plusses: Comfort, warmth, performance.
Minuses: Price.

Weight: 147g (m)

Features: Made from Polartec Power Grid polyester fabric (30-92 per cent recycled content) with an anti-bacterial treatment. Offset seams ensure no chafing under pack straps and a full underarm gusset allows unrestricted movement. There are low-profile thumb loops and the garment is Fair Trade certified. 

Fit: The top is a loose-fit on me and hangs to below the waist for full coverage. Sleeves hang to the heel of the hand and don’t ride up when arms are outstretched. 

Comfort: Flatlock seams throughout ensure chafe-free comfort and minimise rubbing or irritation from pack straps. The underarm gusset allows ample freedom of movement. 

In use: The Power Grid fabric provides exceptional warmth. It has an open-grid pattern next-to-skin to create thousands of tiny air pockets and increase the surface area of the fabric. This makes it super warm and quick drying. I only needed to wear this top and a rain jacket to remain comfortable on cold morning walks where the temperature was about 3℃.

Its odour-control is effective. Despite my sweating when using it on hikes, it didn’t start to smell until after several day’s use. I also wore it for a minimum of two hours every day for more than a month – around the house and at work – and only felt the need to wash it once every couple of weeks.

I like the low-profile thumb loops that don’t pop out of the sleeve of their own volition. 

Value: Its hi-tech performance makes it pricey for a baselayer, but its performance is second to none. 

Verdict: If there was one baselayer to rule them all, this would be it.