Seldom do I ever get excited about any type of clothing when it comes to the outdoors. Most of the big brands are over-hyped and over-commercialized and I cannot afford half of them anyway, so it was a great discovery to find ColdPruf Base Layer clothing in my Christmas stocking last year. Here is what I found out and why I recommend this brand of base layer clothing, which I still stubbornly refer to as ‘long underwear.’
During the last 25 years, I have worked or hunted in many cold climates such as Alaska, North Dakota, Utah, Germany, and in the mountains of Afghanistan. It is easy to find clothing to keep you warm, but the trick is to find light clothing that will keep you warm while you are active. Anyone can throw on 20 layers of clothing, but most people could only perform limited physical activities while looking and feeling like a giant wet blob. That is why “performance clothing” is all the rage now.
Companies are now making light-weight layers that help you get the most warmth for your buck while also displacing moisture away from the skin, which creates even more warmth. And yes, there are several brands that are over-priced and over-hyped, but ColdPruf is the affordable version of everything that is good in performance clothing.
For starters, the main draw for me is odor control. If I just look at a mountain I start sweating, so moisture wicking and the retardation of bacteria growth is a must for me. ColdPruf Platinum contains around 30% Merino Wool, which is famous for limiting the stink on sweating bodies. So, while the wool battles bacteria, the 70% polyester blend transports your moisture to the exterior.
My favorite option for this ColdPruf line is the quarter zipper offered in the men’s mock zip tops. If you want superior neck coverage, just zip it up. If you want to cool off a little and get some air flowing down your torso, a simple unzip will do it. I can’t tell you how much warmer I feel when my neck is completely covered.
Of course as previously mentioned, the ColdPruf is very affordable. I can get into a set of high-performance base layers easily for under a hundred bucks. That will leave you with money left over for plenty of Merino wool socks.
