Is Under Armor Clothing Any Good?

[dale7637]

I am looking for a new base layer for late fall/early winter hunting. I need something that wicks moisture away, rather than absorbing it. I have been looking at the under armor base layers, but i am reluctant due to the cost. Is this stuff worth the money?

[CaberTosser]

The UA compression stuff is OK, but actually I find it's wicking action excessive and as a result too chilling when you've gotten a sweat on. I tried merino wool and found it to have the best of both worlds so far as wicking and being warm while wet goes (super comfortable too, in quality brands). The under armor also supports BO, while the merino does not. The drawback is that the quality merino I've found has worse sticker shock than underarmor. Look for Smartwool or Icebreaker, I found the RedRam brand available at WSS to be itchy. Smartwool might just be socks, I can't recall. I found the Icebreaker at Campers Village, bring a fat wallet.

[dale7637]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

The UA compression stuff is OK, but actually I find it's wicking action excessive and as a result too chilling when you've gotten a sweat on. I tried merino wool and found it to have the best of both worlds so far as wicking and being warm while wet goes (super comfortable too, in quality brands). The under armor also supports BO, while the merino does not. The drawback is that the quality merino I've found has worse sticker shock than underarmor. Look for Smartwool or Icebreaker, I found the RedRam brand available at WSS to be itchy. Smartwool might just be socks, I can't recall. I found the Icebreaker at Campers Village, bring a fat wallet.

Cool man, thanks for the headsup. Appreciate it. Any idea where i can find this stuff? BPS or Cabelas?

[bang_on_sk]

I'd go with the merino wool too. Camofire.com get's some of thee core4element stuff on there, ive got two sets of it and it's great. Not too bad on the pocket book, 40$ per piece.

I think you can email the guy that runs it and he'll sell you stuff that isn't their daily deal too.

[CaberTosser]

I've seen merino wool all over; sometimes as blends with poly (even Marks Work Wearhouse has it in blends), Mountain Equipment Co-op (for those who shop there) carry some too, it's priced a fair bit better than the Icebreaker, a different weave and not quite so soft, but not itchy and way better than the RedRam. Be sure to read the label to see if it's 100% merino or a blend of some sort. I was just checking Cabelas online two nights ago to see what they had for merino midlayers, but I really need to feel the stuff to see it's not itchy. I actually found the Icebreaker stuff so comfy I'd wear it any time possible, it moderates temperature very well, producing a wide comfort range. I found that one UA coldgear top I got that was fleece lined would get too hot right away if I was indoors; there's not a lot of middle ground with the stuff.

I'm leaning towards seeking some stuff at hiking shops and the like, looking to find good gear in a tan/sand color. I think some of the better stuff is geared towards hikers. Then there's also KUIU, who I've not bought from, but have seen discussed here on AO. The KUIU founder was a founder of Sitka, which he sold; now he markets his new gear solely online. Prices look OK for high end gear.

www.kuiu.com

[ctf80]

Originally Posted by dale7637

I am looking for a new base layer for late fall/early winter hunting. I need something that wicks moisture away, rather than absorbing it. I have been looking at the under armor base layers, but i am reluctant due to the cost. Is this stuff worth the money?

have you checked out Xbionic clothing? definitely not cheap, but i think its worth the cost. they use a combination of wicking and absorbing in their clothing. the idea is that the body sweats for a reason, so to simply wick away moisture is counter productive. you need to hold mosture to certain areas of the body as it helps cool when the body is overheating. I wear my Xbionic shirts both playing hockey and hunting and really notice how much less water i need to drink, i also really notice that when hiking for a long time and working up a sweat i dont get too hot, but also when i stop for lunch or to rest i dont get the chills and need to layer up. the other thing is that the xbionic shirts are antibacterial so they dont smell after using them. i have literally worn mine to a hockey tourney (4 games in three days) and used it every game without it smelling. a buddy of mine just wore his for 5 strait days sheep hunting in yukon and had no smell aside from campfire!

[ksteed17]

Originally Posted by ctf80

have you checked out Xbionic clothing? definitely not cheap, but i think its worth the cost. they use a combination of wicking and absorbing in their clothing. the idea is that the body sweats for a reason, so to simply wick away moisture is counter productive. you need to hold mosture to certain areas of the body as it helps cool when the body is overheating. I wear my Xbionic shirts both playing hockey and hunting and really notice how much less water i need to drink, i also really notice that when hiking for a long time and working up a sweat i dont get too hot, but also when i stop for lunch or to rest i dont get the chills and need to layer up. the other thing is that the xbionic shirts are antibacterial so they dont smell after using them. i have literally worn mine to a hockey tourney (4 games in three days) and used it every game without it smelling. a buddy of mine just wore his for 5 strait days sheep hunting in yukon and had no smell aside from campfire!

X2! On the xbionics. It's great stuff and well worth the money.

[ShawnM]

The Under Armor looks and feels pretty good but the prices are similar to what you'd pay for Sitka stuff and I'd rather have the Sitka any day of the week.