What to know: Our team of expert testers wore 46 bottoms and tops made of natural and synthetic materials for skiing, running, and other winter activities. Their months of evaluation resulted in naming the Stellar Merino Base Top and Tights as the best overall base layer for men for its comfort and moisture management. Most versatile is the Flylow Hanmer Wool Baselayer Top for under $100.
The base layer (aka long underwear or thermals) is both the literal and metaphorical foundation of a proper layering system. A wrong choice makes the whole system fall apart. If you pick a layer that chafes or gets sweaty, you’re going to be miserable no matter how perfect your insulation or shell performs.
Even after testing them for over a decade, however, I’m still hesitant to crown a few as the best because base layers are highly personal. Someone skinning uphill in the damp Pacific Northwest needs something very different from a resort skier sitting on frozen chairlifts in Colorado. Your ideal fabric feel, insulating weight, shoulder fit, and myriad other variables may vary greatly from mine.
This year’s rough snow season in the western U.S. only reinforced how important versatility is in our gear. Due to inconsistent winter conditions, we found ourselves wearing these base layers not only while skiing and touring, but also during mountain bike rides, cold morning runs, gym workouts, and shoulder-season adventures where moisture management and mobility mattered just as much as warmth. After months of testing 46 bottoms and tops—because it is our job, after all—these are the best base layers that we believe will appeal to a variety of preferences.
Pros and Cons + Most comfortable wool layer in test + Best-in-class moisture management + Remarkable odor mitigation – No hood Out of the 46 base layers we tested, the strongest pool we have ever drawn from, the Stellar Merino Base Top and Tights were the best base layering set in the widest variety of conditions. From 15-degree full-day ski tours in Colorado’s San Juan backcountry to 45-degree high-output mountain bike rides in Durango, the layers scored best in comfort, moisture management, fit, and odor mitigation. One tester put it simply: “Clear best in test.” Sourced from Uruguay and produced in a family-owned factory in Portugal, the Stellar kit uses premium fine 19.5-micron merino wool fibers, which deliver both softness and stretch.
The fit earned praise from our tester, who is 5’10” and 170 pounds, and extremely picky about how his base layers hug his body while he moves in the snow. Each layer features flatlock seams to reduce bulk, gusseted underarms for full range of motion, and an elongated back panel to block cold drafts. It moved moisture efficiently and transitioned from sweaty to completely dry in under 30 minutes.
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