Anything But Basic

30 December 201330 December 2013 The Long Run

The North Face FlashDry Warm Merino Base Layer

If you plan on running in cold climes then a good base layer set is a must. To tell you the truth, when we pack for a trip to somewhere that we expect it to be anything less than 4 degrees celcius, the base layer is the first thing in the bag! Leaders in the outdoor industry, The North Face pride themselves on making products that use the latest in technology and are made with the consumer in mind. There’s no skimping on design and materials to save a few bucks. In this instance they’ve developed proprietary fabrics that incorporate microporous particles to improve moisture management and temperature regulation during outdoor activity. Put simply the FlashDry™ fabrics accelerate the removal of moisture from the skin and speed evaporative drying. Which means you stay drier, more comfortable and do so in a wide range of weather conditions and environments.

To start with, there’s comfort to consider, and in this department it gets a big tick from us. Warmth begins with a base layer, so no matter how good a mid layer you’ve got, it’s the first barrier against the cold that matters most. This product wears incredibly nicely, keeping you warm and not feeling restricted as can be the case with cheaper options. Then there’s the moisture control. That’s where the FlashDry technology comes to the fore. A day of skiing or going for a run on a mountain trail can be a sweaty affair, and the worst thing is getting cold when you stop and all that sweat basically turns to freezing cold moisture! Well that’s not an issue with this base layer, as the moisture is spread evenly and quickly evaporated almost as quickly as it appears.