Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The Best Baselayers for 2016

By

A good set of baselayers are your second skin when out on the trail. They’ll wick sweat away when you’re working hard, and provide a little extra warmth when the temperature drops. Whether you’re a devotee of natural fibers, or looking for the latest high tech fabric innovation, we’ve been putting this year’s crop through the ringer on backcountry missions in all conditions. These three picks represent the best in terms of performance and style for all season comfort.

Best All Around: TREW Gear NuYarn

For years Hood Oregon based ski brand TREW Gear has been building a very devoted following among die hard power hounds. Their latest baselayers, built with NuYarn fibers will easily help you see why. Using a nylon core fiber with wool spun around it, the NuYarn is light and airy, yet extremely strong. This is especially nice when you’re in alpine areas and your baselayer is often getting rubbed on gear, snow, and rock. This means it breathes like a lighter weight material, protects and insulates, like a heavier one, and looks better than everything else on the market. We love the 1/4 zip top and bottom for winter wear, and are eagerly awaiting summer temperatures to put the t-shirt version to use as well.

Recommended Videos

Best Synthetic: Patagonia

The venerable Patagonia R1 has long been a staple of alpine climbers and mountain enthusiasts. Its Polartec Power Grid Fleece body wicks sweat more efficiently than anything we’ve ever worn, and often at half the weight of heavier mid layering pieces. It is also treated with Polygeine antimicrobial technology, making it the only fully synthetic piece we own that doesn’t get stinky after a few days of wearing it on the trail. Paired with a light or midweight Capilene bottom, this baselayer system will keep you warm and dry in the alpine all year long.

Related

Best Merino: Duckworth

When we first came across Duckworth’s Made in the USA Wool, we figured it was much like any other merino brand. We were wrong. Using a system that eschews harsh chlorine for steam washing as the wool is spun into fabric, Duckworth’s Maverick baselayers is much softer to the touch and more elastic than similar merino pieces. That translates into excellent temperature management properties – we wear our Snorkel Hood piece backcountry skiing from the mid 50s to well below zero comfortably. This is a true all season set of baselayers for mountain living, and a pair of the bottoms and top will last you long seasons of hard use.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Austin Parker
Austin Parker
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Austin Parker is a former contributor at The Manual Parker is a powder skier and sport climber and is no stranger hauling…
Denis Villeneuve says he ‘absolutely believes’ in ‘Dune: Messiah’ as he develops the script
The exact timing for the potential trilogy capper remains under wraps.
Timothee Chalamet in Dune Part 2

Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Dune has been more successful than many who have loved the Frank Herbert novel for decades could have dreamed. Dune: Part 1 was nominated for a bunch of Oscars and won a couple, and Part 2 seems to be on a similar trajectory, and also far outgrossed the first installment.

Villeneuve has promised that he will return to the world of Dune one more time to adapt Herbert's sequel, Dune: Messiah, but we don't know exactly when that movie might be coming. In a recent interview with Deadline to discuss Part 2, Villeneuve was hesitant to say too much about the upcoming third installment.

Read more
Will Max’s new thriller Duster be your next must-watch show?
J.J. Abrams' newest thriller is coming soon
duster season 1 lost star josh holloway at the 64th annual golden globe

Max has become the home to some of the most fascinating and innovative shows on TV. Fans can trust that the HBO-affiliated streamer has tons of originals and plenty of old favorites from trusted creators, and that trend will continue with their newest offering titled Duster. This thriller comes from the mind of the esteemed J.J. Abrams and stars his fellow Lost alum, Josh Holloway, as a getaway driver who must use his skills for the good of the government when the first Black female FBI agent in American history asks him for her help (the agent will be played by Rachel Hilson). The show is a period piece taking place in the 1970s. It hasn't been revealed how any of the main events of the decade will be incorporated into the plot of the series.

Like a lot of shows that have been teased for the coming months, Duster doesn't have a lot of concrete details out in the open yet. The project has been ongoing for quite some time and was delayed during the Hollywood writers and actors strikes, but a recent teaser trailer has hinted that Duster should finally arrive at an unspecified point in 2025. Here is everything we know so far about Duster.
Who is starring in Duster on Max?

Read more
The first reactions to ‘A Complete Unknown’ call Timothee Chalamet’s Bob Dylan the ‘performance of the year’
Critics also praised the supporting performances from Monica Barbaro, Elle Fanning, and Edward Norton
timothee chalamet

There may be an Oscar in Timothee Chalamet's future, at least if the first reactions to A Complete Unknown are to be believed. Chalamet plays a young Bob Dylan in the film, which is set to hit theaters on Christmas Day. First reactions to the movie suggest that while the movie is strong, Chalamet's performance is utterly transformative. Here's what they say:

Gregory Ellwood of The Playlist said that while he's "not a fan of folk music and A Complete Unknown is superb and shockingly moving. Timothee is fantastic. Monica Barbaro is incredible. We need a Joan Baez spin off movie.”

Read more