How To Buy Snowboard Base Layers
Effective layering ensures high-performance snowboard comfort by keeping
you dry, warm, and protected from the elements. With pieces that can be added or
removed as needed, you can weather fast-changing winter conditions or tailor your apparel to your
activity level. Remember to dress for the coldest or most extreme weather you anticipate.
The importance of layering
- With three uniquely functioning layers, you create a "personal
climate" that keeps you comfortable and protected on the slopes.
- Layer one: long underwear/base layer
- Layer two: insulating tops & pants
- Layer three: outerwear
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Layer one: long underwear/base layer
Tops and pants in the base layer function mainly to keep you dry and
maintain body temperature. By helping
perspiration evaporate quickly, this layer prevents heat escape and chafing,
allowing you to ride longer in comfort.
Long underwear also contributes to overall warmth.
Styles
- A crew neck, long-sleeved pullover and long pants, both with ribbed
cuffs to keep out the cold, is most popular. Other styles, including
short-sleeve tops and short-length bottoms, are available for different
activity and anatomical demands.
Fit
- Base layer garments should graze the skin without restricting
movement
- Look to achieve a fit that is loose enough to allow freedom of motion, but not so
loose that there is little contact with the skin for moisture control
Functional requirements
Comfort is key for the base layer. These garments should be soft,
moisture wicking, and gently warming.
- Softness
- Advances in fabric and fiber technology mean that softness is no
longer a luxury, but a functional requirement of good long underwear
- Moisture wicking
- Your long underwear should wick perspiration away from the body to the
surface of the garment to evaporate. The high-energy, high-perspiration nature
of snowbaording make this property particularly important for this sport.
- When you wear long underwear with moisture-wicking properties, you
create a soft, dry layer between the skin and the insulating layer
- Thermal properties and fabric weight
- The weight or bulk of the garment's fabric is related to the amount
of warmth it provides
- Most snowboarders prefer long underwear that is light- to
mid-weight
- Anti-bacterial/Anti-microbial
- Though not a requirement in base layer garments,
anti-bacterial/anti-microbial treatments are a good idea if you plan to wear
the garment several times between washes
- These treatments make garments resistant to odor-causing bacteria,
microbes, mildews, and molds. They are designed to extend the life of
the fabric, not to maintain hygienic cleanliness
Materials
- Polyester and other synthetics
- Man-made fabrics are often the best choice for long underwear, since
they offer a combination of moisture management, softness, and thermal
properties
- Polyester is the most common base layer material, because of its
excellent
wicking ability. It is used in several branded fabrics designed to manage
moisture.
-
A similarly constructed, completely non-allergenic fabric,
Polypropylene, is also available for those with sensitive skin. Polypro
- Silk
- Used especially in lightweight pieces, silk is a soft, strong, and
naturally wicking fiber
- Sometimes treated to enhance moisture wicking
- Wool
- Like wilk, wool is naturally moisture wicking
- Though it can be too heavy for some activity levels, it is also very
soft and durable
- Cotton
- Warm, soft and comfortable as cotton feels, cotton is not the best
fabric
for base laye garments. It tends to absorb and hold moisture creating an
uncomfortable, chaffing layer next to the skin.
- Blends
- Some long underwear is made using fabric blends. Make sure the
garments you choose are made of blends that wicks moisture.
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Layer two: insulating tops & pants
The insulating layer is designed to provide long-wearing, reliable
warmth.
Styles
- Most often offered in pull-over styles, this layer includes a variety of
tops,
sweaters, sweatshirts, and vests
- Sweatpant-style bottoms offer freedom of motion, but all styles should
be constructed
to provide warmth without binding
- Jeans and basic cotton sweats restrict
movement and retain moisture. They seem like a convenient solution, but in
the long run they compromise comfort
- Because clothing in this layer is deigned for style as well as function,
many snowboarders also use these garments as casual streetwear
Fit
- These garments should have a loose fit for a full-range of motion, but
should not be so baggy that they require a cumbersome jacket or shell to fit
comfortably over them
Functional requirements
- Warmth
- Again, the weight of the fabric affects the degree of warmth the
garment offers
- Moisture Wicking
- In order to maintain the outward travel of persiration, the insulating
layer should also work to wick moisture, picking up where the base layer
leaves off
- Low-bulk
- Warmth without bulk is important for overall comfort, but particularly
for ease of movement in snowboarding
- Many new fleece and spun fabrics are designed to optimize warmth
without
increasing bulk
- Stretch
- Materials that offer natural stretch or garments that incorporate
spandex/Lycra® offer snowboarders the freedom of motion the sport
demands
Materials
- Fleece
- Synthetic fleeces, including PolarFleece®, the popular polyester
fleece
fabrics from Malden Mills, are the most widely used materials for insulating
garments
- In addition to providing lightweight warmth, they
also function to move moisture to the surface
- Fleece offers shape retention and easy, machine wash-and-dry
care
- Pile
- This synthetic fabric has many of the same properties as fleece,
including wicking, breathability, and warmth without bulk, but is made with a
more dense construction
- Wool
- This fiber naturally offers warmth and moisture wicking
- Added warmth means added bulk, which may make
this fiber less desirable to some snowboarders
- Cotton
- Just as with the base layer, cotton's absorbency makes it an unpopular
choice for the insulating layer
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Layer three: outerwear
- Snowboard outerwear, the outer layer composed of jackets, parkas, pants,
and sometimes bibs, serves to protect you from wet, windy, and extreme
elements. This layer
seals out weather and protects your personal climate.
- To learn more about snowboarding outerwear, see How To Buy Snowboard Jackets and How To Buy Snowboard Pantsbefore making your
purchase decision
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