 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Spyder - mmm, nice ! I personally always wear a Helly Hansen LIFA base layer. All these products tend to be polyester base ( so is fleece ! ). At the price you will pay for Spyder kit it will do what it is supposed to do - I've never had a problem with my Helly. It 'breaths' to wick moisture away from your body and if it does get a little damp from sweat it will dry out very quickly ( as a lady, I guess you don't have such a problem here hence why you can get away with a cotton T - me I need all the help I can get when I am exercising ! ). If you invest in decent base layers, then its also best to wear technical kit for the other layers - i.e. wearing a cotton top on top of a decent base layer will defeat the object and the the cotton top will simply prevent moisture evaporating and it will get damp itself trapping a damp layer between the base and your outer shelf ( it gets cold too ! ). So normally, think base layer, light fleece ( like Campagnolo light fleece or North Face etc. - normally quite respectably priced ) and then the technical outer jacket. Carry a heavier fleece or waistcoat for cooler days.
I would buy the size designed for you husband, ( the manufacturer knows best after all ) - follow the size guides they give you with the product. My Helly is close fitting so I guess you husbands should be too - sounds like the 'models' would be tight fitting too ! 
Polyester DOES sound awful but it isn't in these kind of products - very soft and comfortable close to the skin.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Beverley, I'm a convert to this wicking stuff for cycling and skiing. It does work. Not as nasty as it sounds. Take care with washing - some don't like you to use fabric conditioners (blocks the little holes) and some don't like tumble driers.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Beverley, yeah, it's not the fabric you remember. It's polyester wot's been mucked around with to make it a super-cloth. Like Richie_S and kuwait_ian state, the science labs have altered it so that it "wicks" really well.
Basically, it does a bluddy good job of keeping you warm while simultaneously letting your sweat out without getting soggy, and without making you cold. Which also makes it more comfortable than any other fabric. It will sit more snugly than anything else you've worn, but (in the words of Blackeyed Peas) I have lady lumps so I like the additional support! Just make sure you can still breath and move comfortably. 
To be honest I wouldn't bother with "big brand" names like Spyder. Sure they do the job, but only as good as the cheaper brands - so the additional price is just for the brand name. Helly Hansen's some of the best on the market - and it's reasonably priced.
There's a new move in base layers to the new "super wool" materials coming from NZ - it's merino wool, but has been mucked around with to improve the insulation, wicking, and comfort levels. I haven't tried it, but wearers tell me it's v. good. V. blimmin expensive at present, too which is putting me off. 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Beverley,
I agree with all thats been said above. These tops ( from the good outdoor manufactureres) work. With the spyder,salomon,rossi ones you are paying a fashion premium. Berghaus, Helly hansen and NF don't carry such a cost but all make a huge difference to your comfort, especially in a sport like skiing where one minute you are getting hot skiing away down a piste and the next you are sitting on a cold/exposed chair lift. They are extremely comfortable, flat seams and very fine fibres mean a silk like feel and no scratch, they keep you dry and warm . I use the Helly LIFA tops - the wool /poly blend ones are great in "cold" places, my wife is a complete Icebreaker nut - these are merino NZ thermals that cost a little more but are the business in base and mid layers - well worth a try.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Though better than previously "smelly helly" is not an idle nick name!
The merino wool base layers do seem to be a lot better.
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Falke look good too and are a little cheaper I think
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fragglerock, I think smelly helly is a reputation that was earned a few years ago and has unjustifiably stuck to this day. The hellies (?sp) I own have some sort of anti-bacterial coating which is very effective at keeping smell away even on multi-day ski-touring or mountaineering trips where very little washing goes on!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I tend to wear my Helly tops for two or three days when away and they are left to air overnight - never noticed any problems with smells, but the pistes always seem surprisingly quiet when I'm on them ! 
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Beverley, I've got a Men's Tahoe Func T-neck & it works great. A bit over priced for the name but hey, it's Christmas. Use the size chart off the Spyder web site. I'm a 42" chest & a L size fits me just right - as you've seen on the pic of me modelling it 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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M&S silk thermals, cheap, resilient, and a great first layer. There is a major design fault however. Whenever I put them on the wife vomits if she sees me before I get my next layer on.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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This is a brilliant response, thank you everyone!
Husband is a bit of a label freak when it comes to some things and adores the Spyder stuff. I will check out this 'super wool' thing as well though.
Am now researching ski socks......but that's a whole new minefield!
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You know it makes sense.
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spyderjon,
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seeing as Spyder don't make socks
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They do !
Spyder X Static Sock
or
[url=http://www.reliableracing.com/searchresults.cfm?search=Spyder¤trow=61] Spyder Sock Range[/url]
At these prices may be worth picking some up when your over for the ESA.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Beverley, I have an Icebreaker Bodyfit merino base as well as a polyester (Polartec 100) one, made by LGT from Field and Trek for about £32. I have to say I much prefer the polyester, and reckon it's about the best clothing purchase I've ever made. It's lighter-weight than the Icebreaker, just as warm if not warmer and has a zip up neck - which allows you a good degree of adjustment on how warm you want to be (I see from the picture that the Spyder ones have that too, although I'd prefer a slightly higher neck). It also has silver thread included in the weave which is alleged to act as an antibacterial (anti-smell) ingredient - and that really works as I've used it for 5 days hard skiing/touring with "next to no niff". The Icebreaker does start getting a bit less than fresh after a couple of days.
The Spyder stuff does look much smarter though.
BTW I normally ski in only the base layer (as above) and a thinninsh windstopper fleece, which is fine for middling days. For when it gets really hot (late March/April) or cold (cloudy Jan days) I'm going to get a microfleece to go respectively instead of and in addition to my main fleece - I was just trying on a really nice one from Mountain Hardware (their "Expedition Zip-T") in S&R this evening. That one's definitely on my Xmas list.
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Poster: A snowHead
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on the topic of smelly helly, I think this dates frtom when Lifa was made from a polypropylene knit rather than the current polyester material (which doesn't suffer the same way). Personally I think the polyprop was better in some ways (stretchier, slightly more comfy) but it did hold a little more moisture and I think this is what tended to get VERY smelly. This was especially bad if you were backpacking for a few days without washing facilities...
I've just bought some icebreaker merino wool stuff but haven't put it through its paces yet. I think this might be a better luxury buy than the spyder stuff.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A mountain guide from Andermatt once told me that if you wore wool next to your skin that after a week touring you smell like a sheep. However if you wore the new fangled stuff in a day you smell like a dead sheep  Just thought I'd share that with you.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| srobbo wrote: |
spyderjon,
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seeing as Spyder don't make socks
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They do !
Spyder X Static Sock
or
[url=http://www.reliableracing.com/searchresults.cfm?search=Spyder¤trow=61] Spyder Sock Range[/url]
At these prices may be worth picking some up when your over for the ESA. |
Straight on to my Christmas list
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