If you could Design you own baselayer........

[Toddy]

I know I'm not alone in this, but for most of the year merino under things are just too warm, even if they do wick away. I end up with a prickly heat rash which is just miserable. I've never had a problem with either the silk or linen garments. I'm not allergic to wool either, it's just I stay too warm and sticky with any effort while wearing wool next to my skin. Hanging around in the freezing cold of a wintery day or a perishing cold night though....

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Swampy Matt]

I've never had a problem with either the silk or linen garments. I'm not allergic to wool either, it's just I stay too warm and sticky with any effort while wearing wool next to my skin.

I've found that just a merino T-shirt can be too much in summer, so i have been trying out linen and silk for summer use this year and I have been very impressed, particularly with the linen. A pair of this years casual linen trousers are about to find their way into the kit pile as next years summer walking trousers.

I find that silk, once damp, clings to the skin. It also seems to attract the attention of each and every thorn, bramble and burr in the area!

Some people are allergic to wool but that is mostly a histamine responce to the protiens that make up wool.

Cheers EdS - I'd heard that there was a reason that some people could be allergic, but didn't know what it was. It is apparently very, very rare. Kinda like being allergic to water

Matt

 

[Toddy]

I find that silk, once damp, clings to the skin. It also seems to attract the attention of each and every thorn, bramble and burr in the area!

Matt

Pine needles
I haven't found the knitted silk clinging damply though the woven fabric does.
http://www.greenfibres.co.uk
sell hemp clothing/sheeting, etc.,and
http://www.patra.com
sell silk

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Swampy Matt]

Pine needles
I haven't found the knitted silk clinging damply though the woven fabric does.
http://www.greenfibres.co.uk
sell hemp clothing/sheeting, etc.,and
http://www.patra.co.uk
sell silk

Cheers,
Toddy

Cool - both links added to favorites (Its patra.com ) - Thanks Toddy.

Its just occured to me that maybe the best fibre is neither wool, silk nor linen - perhaps its all of them.

Bridgedale socks are made by wrapping the various synthetic and wool fibres around each other so that the yarn strand has the properties of each of the individual fibre materials. Using this principle, a yarn braided from silk, linen and wool could be woven into a fabric that reacted like each of its constituent parts.

Now that is a base layer I'd love to try.

What would be your ideal baselayer style or cut when out in harsh environments all over the world?

My preference would be a simple version of this:
http://www.alleycatscratch.com/lotr/Human/Aragorn/Strider/Aragorn_shirt.jpg
or a 'Jacobite' shirt with no collar.
A Japanese style 'Keokogi' (like a karate top) would be ok too. But then I don't exactly have a 'normal' dress sense

Matt

 

[Toddy]

Hmmm, you need to have a look at medieval clothing patterns I think
There's an excellent Canadian booklet called "Cut my Cote", which gives patterns for traditional and historical garments, usually cut from loom width fabrics with virtually no waste, that might interest you too. Covers from Egyptian to Japanese garments, but includes traditional shirts from Europe as well.
pm if you'd like a look....it was too dear for such a small booklet and I think it's out of print now anyway.
Cheers,
Toddy

 

[fungy]

sorry if I'm repeating any one ,have'nt got time to read full thread.

My choice of base layer is powerstretch many companies use it I happened to have a sprayway version had it a few years now and it still as new, though it's been used in all seasons and in different activities, it's an good all rounder, keeps you warm if wet or cold, keeps you cool if hot and can be used by its self or in conjuction with other breathable products.

 

[demographic]

Design my own baselayer, why?

Loads of stuff on the market and pretty cheap also.

I have better things to than re-invent the wheel

 

[Swampy Matt]

Design my own baselayer, why?

Loads of stuff on the market and pretty cheap also.

I have better things to than re-invent the wheel

Why do we have an "Edged Tool's" section, in which people discuss designing their own knives? Loads of stuff on the market - pretty cheap too.

Every bushcrafter i've met seems to have a need to alter or customise various parts of their kit. Sometimes just to personalise it, sometimes to 'improve' it for themselves.

Whilst there may be some good products on the market already, quite often they arn't exactly right. E.g.1. merino wool is a fantastic material, but all the tops are cut too tight for my preference - I'd design one cut slightly baggier.
E.g.2. There was no windproof smock available that could be worn under gore-tex without ending up wearing 2 membranes, so I made my own out of tent canvas (it has now replaced my sprayway dominator).

Also, there are several outdoor company's reps who at least browse these forums. Our discussions just might give them the hint to start looking at trying out some of our designs/ideas.

At the moment, many of the outdoor clothing companies are at a crossroads. Do they continue to use non-sustainable synthetic, high-tech products that they have been developing for 20, 30 or 40 years or do they use natural products, such as hemp, linen and wool, which are just as good but are sustainable.

Although hemp, linen and wool have been in use for thousands of years, there is an element of 'evolution' to using them now. 100 years ago it was not possible to process hemp into a 'plastic'. It is now, so maybe this is where the future of natural/synthetic textiles will be.

So we're not re-inventing the wheel, we're evolving it.

Matt.

oh, and goodyear have just 're-invented the wheel' - Its called the 'Run-on-flat' and is seen as a huge leap in road safety.

 

[demographic]

Why do we have an "Edged Tool's" section, in which people discuss designing their own knives? Loads of stuff on the market - pretty cheap too.

Every bushcrafter i've met seems to have a need to alter or customise various parts of their kit. Sometimes just to personalise it, sometimes to 'improve' it for themselves.

Whilst there may be some good products on the market already, quite often they arn't exactly right. E.g.1. merino wool is a fantastic material, but all the tops are cut too tight for my preference - I'd design one cut slightly baggier.
E.g.2. There was no windproof smock available that could be worn under gore-tex without ending up wearing 2 membranes, so I made my own out of tent canvas (it has now replaced my sprayway dominator).

Also, there are several outdoor company's reps who at least browse these forums. Our discussions just might give them the hint to start looking at trying out some of our designs/ideas.

At the moment, many of the outdoor clothing companies are at a crossroads. Do they continue to use non-sustainable synthetic, high-tech products that they have been developing for 20, 30 or 40 years or do they use natural products, such as hemp, linen and wool, which are just as good but are sustainable.

Although hemp, linen and wool have been in use for thousands of years, there is an element of 'evolution' to using them now. 100 years ago it was not possible to process hemp into a 'plastic'. It is now, so maybe this is where the future of natural/synthetic textiles will be.

So we're not re-inventing the wheel, we're evolving it.

Matt.

oh, and goodyear have just 're-invented the wheel' - Its called the 'Run-on-flat' and is seen as a huge leap in road safety.

Fair comment, I must admit that I have enough knives to last a lifetime (then pass them on to a nipper) but still have two of Jim Hrisoulas's books on knifemaking

I suppose it's a part of human nature to try and better things but for me I seem to cope pretty well with a fairly standard Helly Hanson baselayer.