When you’re outdoors, whether you’re moving a lot or a little, the activity becomes much more enjoyable if you’re dressed appropriately. When you start to feel warm and begin to sweat, a heat-insulating and moisture-wicking layer close to the body is required. Water conducts heat away 25 times more effectively than air, so it’s important to wear garments that help transport moisture away from the skin.
WHY WOOL?
A wool base layer offers many fantastic properties. Compared to cotton, which absorbs a lot of moisture and dries slowly, wool excels in moisture transport and thermal insulation.
HOW TO CHOOSE CORRECTLY?
To select the best base layer for you, take the time to consider the following questions:
But to know which base layer suits you best, you need to ask yourself some basic questions:
- Do you get very cold or do you warm up easily?
- What will you be doing? Your activity level affects your choice.
- When and where will you use the base layer? How cold will it be where you are?
- Will you take long breaks or remain active the whole time?
Do you freeze a lot?
ULLFROTTÉ 200
If you freeze a lot or get cold easily, you need a base layer that insulates your body heat and keeps you warm.
Ullfrotté 200 is our classic base layer, where the wool’s curly fibers and our unique knitting method create a airy material with few contact points against the skin. The air space formed closest to the skin, in turn, effectively encapsulates the heat your body produces.
Remember that Ullfrotté 200 is a first layer. So, you shouldn’t wear any other garments underneath – except for any underwear. It’s in the loops where the magic happens, so these should be closest to the body!
Woolpower Lite
If you have a high body temperature and easily become warm, it’s important to choose a base layer that efficiently wicks away both excess heat and moisture.
Woolpower LITE is made of a rib-knit material, and the garments fit close to the skin. Thanks to the large contact areas against the skin, your body’s excess heat is effectively conducted away. LITE is perfect for those naturally warm or needing a thinner base layer for more high-intensity activities.
What will you be doing?
What you plan to do influences your choice as well. If you’re engaging in high-intensity activities like running or skiing, a breathable base layer with good moisture regulation is important to avoid overheating. On the other hand, if you’re planning calmer activities like hiking or fishing, a warmer base layer might be preferred.
To pause or not?
Your choice of base layer also depends on whether you’ll be taking long breaks during your activity, such as during downhill skiing or hunting, to ensure you stay warm and comfortable even during rest. In such cases, a Wool Base Layer is always preferable to a cotton or synthetic one.
Where and when will you use the base layer?
Where you are and how cold it is around you naturally also affect which base layer suits you best. Just in Sweden, we know that a winter day can vary from -5 to -43 degrees Celsius depending on where in the country you are, and then wind and humidity also play a role in how cold it feels where you are.
To simplify somewhat, we usually talk about cold and mild weather.
Ullfrotté 200
- In cold weather
- At low or varying activity levels
- When you take breaks during your activity
- If you get very cold easily
Woolpower LITE
- In mild weather
- At high activity levels
- When you’re moving throughout the activity
- For those who are warm and don’t freeze easily
Base layers Woolpower LITE
Winter running with Bröderna Backa
For Bröderna Backa, the Backa Brothers, running is a lifestyle. They’re out regardless of the weather and season. Here’s a simplified table of how they dress with Woolpower garments for winter running:
- From 0 to -5 degrees Celsius: Zip Turtleneck LITE Between
- -5 to -10 degrees Celsius: Zip Turtleneck LITE + Shell Jacket/Windbreaker
- Colder than -10 degrees Celsius: Zip Turtleneck LITE + Ullfrotte 200 + Shell Jacket
They always wear a Beanie Lite on their heads and Skilled Liner on their feet. When it’s colder than -5 degrees Celsius, they also wear a Tube LITE.
It’s worth noting that both live in northern Sweden and are naturally warm, so for them, Woolpower LITE is the obvious choice for a base layer.
TIP! Its good to feel a bit cold before starting, because it proves that you’re have not dressed too warm from the beginning.
Ullfrotté 200
Ullfrotte 200 is our classic base layer, where the wool’s curly fibers and our unique knitting method create an airy material with few contact points against the skin. The air space formed closest to the skin, in turn, effectively encapsulates the heat your body produces.
Every choice we’ve made, from the wool we use to how the yarn is spun and how we knit, is a decision made to ensure the material and garments trap as much air as possible.
IMPORTANT TO KNOW!
Remember that Ullfrotte 200 is a first layer. So, you shouldn’t wear any other garments underneath – except for underwear. It’s in the loops the magic happens, so these should be closest to the body! For instance, wearing a cotton garment underneath your Woolpower base layer will significantly diminish its effectiveness, and you’ll feel cold.
Woolpower Lite
If you have a high body temperature and tend to get warm easily, it’s important to choose a base layer that effectively transports both heat and moisture away.
Woolpower LITE possesses all the properties necessary to keep you warm. However, it works just as well in winter as it does in spring and summer.
The wool fiber always strives to regulate pressure, making wool suitable for all seasons. It insulates your body heat in winter and transports excess heat in summer. Since Woolpower’s LITE material is rib-knitted and fits close to the skin, it increases contact areas and effectively conducts away your body’s excess heat. This makes the products equally suitable for high-intensity winter activities like winter running and low-intensity summer activities like hiking. The garments efficiently wick away moisture and sweat.
Woolpower LITE is perfect for those naturally warm or needing a thinner base layer for more high-intensity activities.
