Base Layers
 

Some years ago I bought one of those 'onesie' base layers. I can't remember the brand but it was a highly recommended one. 'It's what the motorbike racers wear' I was told.
It fitted well and it cost me around £50 at the time I think. That may be inaccurate. Anyhow....I wore it for a bike trip around Europe for 5 weeks. The weather was hot for the duration and the onesie was rubbish. I sweated like a sweaty thing. I had to wash it every night because it was a stinky thing by the time I found somewhere to stay. It was also uncomfortable and a bit itchy when I got hot.
So the question is, what base layers have you all found to be useful for travelling in warm weather. I'm not interested in fleece linings because I'm a good weather rider only and I don't need to worry about being cold.
I wear Frank Thomas textile jacket and trousers with the winter lining removed. I really like it, good quality kit, but I need a base layer because it makes taking trousers and jackets off so much easier and a good one is supposed to do a good job with getting rid of sweat. Should it be another onesie or should it be separate top and bottoms.

Y fronts and a T shirt*. Is it not called underwear when not scaling the north face of the Eiger? I hear talk of cycle shorts for those who find seams annoying.

The thermals as you have discovered are for the winter.

Andy

* plus supportive garments of whalebone, lace, steel wire etc. For those who require or enjoy them.

Wearing y fronts in the warm weather makes the lining of the trousers stick to my legs. It ain't nice.

Again for me t-shirt and undies, briefs in my case without any more sweating than would be expected in a warm climate.

Under Amour heat gear compression.

I can thoroughly recommend not wearing thermal linings in trousers while riding down through Italy in August. I some how managed to get to Bari and then discovered that my lining was still in !! What a total Plank ! I thought it was bloody hot those few days. In my defence it had been rain rain rain until then.

Anyway "normally" for hot weather, under textiles, I just wear T shirt, underwear and sometimes shorts. Tried a base layer once, got far too hot so binned it. For me the key is finding gear that is well vented, back and front. There is always going to be that time in town traffic where you will cook anyway if you not quick to unzip and open up and I felt the base layer was not helping me at all.

Edit: It just occurred to me ChrisFS, does you Frank T gear have a Gortex or similar layer? This will add to the sweating issue in hot weather. Boil in the bag effect....

Tim it isn't goretex but its called antifreeze protection. I suspect that might refer to the removable liner as it's a bit silvery in colour.

Hi Chris,

I'd recommend Helly Hansen Lifa a hundred times over- link provided. If you want wicking, they're the best I've tried. I wore them under my motorcycle gear in extremely hot and humid weather. They're great. Honestly, like another skin. Very comfortable, they wash and wear well. Good value if you can get some at discounted price. They're good for touring as well as you can just wear them with your waterproofs trousers and jacket over the top and have a versatile suit for trekking, cycling, walking or going down the pub, etc. Some bloke on amazon even wondered if they were the 'crowning achievement of western capitalism', so there you go.

Thanks rtw......they look good and not crazy cash either. They'll do for me, just ordered similar from Marine & Outdoor. Cheaper again than Cotswold by a tenner!

https://www.marineandoutdoorclothing...UaAsXM8P8HAQ#b


PS...Just remembered the name of the one I used to have. It was EDZ

Sounds goretex like. This type of plastic switches from breathable to bin bag when the pores are blocked. You need it clean using tech wash of whatever the maker reccomends and make sure there is free air both sides. If it is a size too small or gets dusty it'll bin bag.

There is a good thread on here on the subject of rain suits. I'm in the camp that says the service life of Goretex type material is too short to rely on when travelling and you don't want the soggy outer in the tent with you, so take out the liner, enjoy the breeze and wear a basic nylon rain suit when it does rain.

Some (such as the manufacturers of Goretex) disagree!

Andy

Yes Andy, I imagine it is a similar thing to goretex in some ways. Funny you should mention tech wash, I put it in the washing machine with the Nikwax tech wash just the other day. The garment labels say not to machine wash it but as it was a cool wash (30c) I thought it can't really do too much damage. It came out perfectly and looks like new all over again. I rarely use the liner in either the jacket or the trousers and I do have an oversize rain suit which I don't think has ever been used to be honest. My desire for a base layer is mostly to make sure I can take my kit off easily when it's hot and sweaty. If it wicks away a bit of sweat too and makes my journeys more pleasant then that's a great bonus.

Totally agree with above post helly hanson lifa +1
The merino wool long sleeved version for when it's chilly, got mine from blacks store in a sale for fifty pounds which was a steal, you can wear it for days before it ponts.
For summer riding they do a short sleeve t shirt, in various colours. I bought two from cotswolds again in a sale, you can wash them and they dry overnight no problems. Cotton is no good as it absorbs sweat and then causes chills if the temp drops.
Oh and another good thing about the above t shirts is if it gets monster hot, like it did in morocco last year you can put the t shirt in cold water