Men's Base and mid layer clothing
Men’s base layers and mid layers for the outdoors and sports
A well-fitting base layer does its job
A base layer should sit close to the skin. Only through skin contact can the base layer material do its job — moving moisture away from the body. Intermediate and mid layers usually fit a little looser. The base layer is also the first layer that adds insulation.
Merino wool
In trekking and the outdoors, merino wool has recently become hugely popular as a base layer material — it evens out temperature swings well and needs less washing than synthetics. It feels pleasant against the skin even when damp, which is wool’s party trick. When you’re on the move in a merino base layer, stopping for a break doesn’t make you feel cold immediately, unlike with many synthetics. A merino base layer is also a comfortable choice as sleepwear on trips.
Merino wool’s (and wool’s in general) odour-resistant properties are a real bonus, especially when hiking. In fact, feel tells you more about when merino needs washing: a merino garment that needs a wash feels cold when you put it on, whereas a clean merino garment is pleasantly warm the moment it touches your skin. Often a simple airing is enough. When you wash wool garments, always remember to use only wool detergent and to follow the care instructions for that particular garment. Wool detergent treats the lanolin in the wool gently, so the wool keeps its properties.
The difference between ordinary wool and merino wool is clear, at least when you look at it under a microscope: ordinary sheep’s wool appears quite coarse and scaly when magnified. Merino fibres are finer and considerably smoother. You can easily feel this on your skin too, as a merino garment is soft against the skin, whereas ordinary wool garments cause many people to itch and scratch. Merino wool can be worn without any problems by almost everyone, including those for whom sheep’s wool worn directly against the skin is more or less a nightmare. Merino wool comes from — you guessed it — merino sheep. All the merino wool garment manufacturers we carry have distanced themselves from the notorious mulesing method, which is painful for the sheep.
Finnsvala - an option from Finland
Among base layers, the Stretchmesh fabric from Finnish brand Finnsvala deserves a special mention. This fully synthetic mesh fabric is an absolute favourite for many. The mesh, made from polypropylene, moves moisture extremely well, and its structure also insulates well. Because it lets air circulate freely unless you put a mid layer over it, the mesh material is at the same time very breathable. Washing polypropylene is straightforward and it dries very quickly.
Technical base layers for sports
On an active exerciser’s fitness run, a synthetic base layer is often the right choice. Synthetics absorb an extremely small amount of sweat and move moisture at a fast pace to the outer layers. When you’re heading out for a proper sweaty run, it’s worth wearing a base layer made from Helly Hansen’s Lifa material closest to your skin. Even if you sweat a lot, a synthetic base layer absorbs very little moisture during the outing, because a good percentage of it passes on to the next layers. Synthetic garments also dry extremely fast after washing, and on the washing line they’re often ready to wear hours before other garments.
The mid layer insulates
The mid layer adds warmth to layered clothing. A mid layer top and bottoms are pulled on, for example, on a cool evening at camp or when the daytime temperature calls for more insulation than a base layer can provide. Mid layer tops and jackets often work well on their own too, as loungewear or as a warmer for a cool summer evening. Mid layer bottoms are more of a cold-weather item. They add insulating capacity and help prevent cold spots from forming. In mid layers, such as men’s stretch fleece sets, Polartec Power Stretch has long been a very popular material. It’s a stretchy fleece material that is soft on the inside and has a shinier, more durable surface. Thanks to the stretch, Power Stretch can be made into very close-fitting garments that still give excellent freedom of movement.
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The Finnish Scandinavian Outdoor delivers quality men’s base and mid layers with decades of experience.
