Reviews > Clothing > Base Layers and Undies > ODLO Natural Kinship Base Layers > Test Report by Nancy Griffith

ODLO NATURAL + KINSHIP WARM BASE LAYERS
TEST SERIES BY NANCY GRIFFITH
LONG-TERM REPORT
May 10, 2022

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TESTER INFORMATION

My outdoor experience began in high school with a co-ed scout group which made a 10-day canoe voyage through the Quebec wilds. I've been backpacking since college in Pennsylvania. I have hiked 1/4 of the Appalachian Trail and 2/3 of the Pacific Crest Trail. My typical trip is in the Sierra Nevada from a few days to a few weeks long. My base weight is lightweight at 15 lb (6.8 kg) while still using a tent, stove and quilt. Longer mileage summer trips are now stoveless.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: ODLO International AG
Year of Manufacture: 2022
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.odlo.com
MSRP: $100 US (each for top or bottom)
Listed Weight: Not Listed
Measured Weight (Top): 6.5 oz (184 g)
Measured Weight (Bottom): 5.8 oz (164 g)

Color Tested: Winetasting Melange
Other Colors Available: Black Melange, Submerged Melange, Dark Sapphire Melange
Size Tested: Medium
Other Sizes Available: XS, S, L, XL
Made in Turkey

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The Women's NATURAL + KINSHIP WARM Base Layers are made of 52% merino wool, 19% polyester, 13% polyamide (nylon) and 6% elastane. All of the seams are flat for comfort with outer layers.

The pattern on the garments not only makes for a nice-looking style, it is functional. The lighter areas with dots are perforated into the fabric to allow for temperature regulation and moisture ventilation in those areas. The darker solid-colored areas are not ventilated and are designed to retain more heat.

ODLO has an excellent chart on their website that shows at what temperatures the garment will be comfortable while sitting vs. walking vs. being active. These base layers are in their WARM category which is listed as ideal for all winter activities. Temperature ranges are as follows:
-10 to 15 C (14 to 59 F) Standing still
-15 to 0 C (5 to 32 F) Walking
-25 to -15 C (-13 to 5 F) Active

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS & TRYING THEM OUT

My initial impression was that these seem like a solid set of base layers. They aren't as lightweight as several other pairs I own, but they are more substantial. When I tried them on, I loved the fit and comfortable soft fabric. They are listed as a 'fitted' type which was true for me. They fit close-to-skin like a good base layer but aren't tight or constraining in any way. The size guide on their website was easy-to-use and yielded the exact right size for me. The size guide asks for height, weight, age and measurements of bust, waist and hips. Then it shows how the fit will be as in 'slightly loose at hip, fits at waist'. Very helpful! The fabric color is beautiful and matches what I expected based on the color shown on the website.

Top:
The top fit great and has a nice collar. It doesn't come up my neck but also doesn't leave my collar bones exposed at all. The sleeves are long enough to extend to my hand knuckles if I pull them out all of the way. The sleeves have a wide cuff as does the shirt hem. The bottom of the shirt extends past my hips so it should easily stay tucked in, but I'll test that out.

Bottoms:
The pants have a wide hem at the waist and cuffs which feels comfortable and hopefully will do a good job holding the pants up during use. I notice that the distance from the crotch to the waist looks short so these could be more hip-riding than waist-riding. When I put them on, the waistband is just above my hips. I sometimes need tights/pants with a drawstring in order to keep my pants up during vigorous activity so we'll see if that happens with these pants. My absolute favorite thing is that the pants are long enough! I have never in my life had a pair of base layer pants that actually fit my leg length. Even if they seem to be long enough, they still ride up my calves during activity. For reference, my inseam is 32.5 in (83 cm) to floor or leg length 31 in (79 cm) to ankle. The size guide shows the pants as having 31.5 in (80 cm) leg length.

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

Washing instructions say to machine wash cold with the garment inside out with like colors in liquid detergent. No bleach is to be used. The garment should not be tumble dried, ironed or dry cleaned.

Machine Wash Cold
Do Not Bleach
Do Not Tumble Dry
Do Not Iron
Do Not Dry Clean

SUMMARY

The ODLO Kinship Warm Base Layers are a technical clothing layer designed for winter activities.

Initial Loves:
Excellent size guide
Great temperature use chart
Nice-looking color and pattern
Soft fabric
Pants are long enough for me

Initial Questions:
How well do the ventilation zones work?
Will the pant waistband pull down during activity?
Will the pant cuffs pull up during activity?
Will the shirt stay tucked in?

FIELD REPORT

FIELD REPORT April 10, 2022

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

I wore the ODLO Kinship Base Layers on one overnight snowshoe trip, one snowshoe day hike, five day hikes, one mountain bike ride and three morning runs. I also wore them on three motorcycle rides and around the house for lifting weights and just hanging out.

Snowshoeing/Backpacking:
Shadow Lake, Sierra Nevada, California: overnight trip of 10 mi (16 km); 6,327 to 7,264 ft (1,928 to 2,214 m); 28 to 42 F (-2 to 6 C); sunny and clear

Coldstream Valley, Northern Sierra Nevada, California: 4.8 mi (7.7 km); 5,935 to 6,236 ft (1,809 to 1,901 m) elevation; 21 to 24 F (-6 to -4 C); partly cloudy and breezy

Hiking:
Two hikes on El Dorado Trail, Sierra Nevada, California: 4 mi (6 km) and 5.8 mi (9.3 km); 1,630 to 1,900 ft (500 to 580 m) elevation; 48 to 53 F (9 to 12 C) and 64 F (18 C)

Brown's Ravine Trail, Folsom Lake, California: 4 mi (6 km); 490 to 600 ft (149 to 183 m) elevation; 42 F (6 C)

Monroe Ridge Trail, Sierra Nevada, California; 5.5 mi (8.9 km); 743 to 1,262 ft (226 to 385 m) elevation; 45 to 52 F (7 to 11 C)

Gerle Loop in the Auburn Recreation Area, California: 3.5 mi (5.6 km); 764 to 921 ft (233 to 281 m) elevation; 64 F (18 C)

Mountain Biking:
Magnolia Ranch, California: 8 mi (13 km); 562 to 940 ft (171 to 450 m); 34 to 41 F (1 to 5 C)

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

The ODLO NATURAL + KINSHIP WARM Base Layers were my go-to outfit many days this winter when I'd dress on cool mornings. Whether I was going out for a run or just working on my computer at home, the base layers were the perfect start. I would add pants for snowshoeing, hiking and motorcycling but for running and mountain biking, I wore the base layer bottoms alone. The base layer bottoms worked great as a single layer when I was exerting myself and would have been much too hot with another layer. They are thick enough to function more like tights/leggings than long underwear.

For the top, I'd start with the base layer and then add the ODLO FLI Mid-Layer and ODLO Aegis Waterproof Jacket. This combination worked very well for many situations and was a great starting point. For snowshoeing I had to add a down layer between the mid-layer and jacket. For running and mountain biking, the mid-layer and jacket combination worked until the upper 40s F (9 C) when I needed to shed either the jacket or mid-layer.

Both top and bottoms are incredibly comfortable with a good next-to-skin fit. There is just enough elasticity to give a slight compression which feels wonderful on my muscles after a long day. The bottoms have a slightly low waistband that sits closer to my hips. I was concerned that the bottoms would sag down or that the top would pull out of the waistband, but I've had no issues at all. The top stays tucked in and the waistband doesn't slip down over my hips.

Even during vigorous activity, the pants cuffs stay down instead of riding up over the top of my socks. I love wearing knee socks with base layers for the coldest activity and this certainly worked out the best. But I also tried snowshoeing with the ODLO crew-height socks and was surprised to find that they didn't allow for a cold-air gap. This height barely worked, but it worked.

The sleeves and pant hems are long enough and have remained that way through multiple washings. This alone makes the ODLO base layers the best-fitting base layers that I have ever worn.

I washed the set inside-out five times in cold water and dried them flat at room temperature. This washing frequency means that I wore the set multiple times between washings just to see how they did with odor resistance. I had no issues with the pants, but the top started to smell sooner requiring a wash. This was slightly more frequent that what I've experienced with wool but similar to my other synthetic base layers. I haven't noticed any fading of color, loose threads, pilling or other deterioration of the fabric.

LONG-TERM REPORT

LONG-TERM REPORT May 10, 2022

LONG-TERM TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Typical running attire

I wore the ODLO Kinship Warm Base Layers multiple times in April into early May. I wore them on six day hikes and five morning runs. I also wore them for motorcycle rides and inside the house.

Hiking:
Two hikes on El Dorado Trail, Sierra Nevada, California: 4 mi (6 km) each; 1,630 to 1,900 ft (500 to 580 m) elevation; 42 to 49 F (5 to 9 C) and 48 to 54 F (9 to 12 C); conditions were cool overcast with few sprinkles

Three hikes in Auburn Recreation Area, California: 2.5 to 3.5 mi (4 to 5.6 km); 764 to 921 ft (233 to 281 m) elevation; 38 to 52 F (3 to 11 C); conditions ranged from cold and clear to cloudy to rainy

Off-trail Sierra Nevada Foothills, California: 2 mi (3 km); 1,890 to 1,950 ft (576 to 594 m) elevation; 45 F (7 C); steady rain in light winds

Running:
Multiple early morning runs at 1,900 ft (579 m) elevation with minimal elevation change; temperatures started in the upper 30s to low 40s F (3 to 6 C) and a few times warmed into the 50s F (7 C) as the sun hit; conditions ranged from overcast with light rain to clear and cold

PERFORMANCE IN THE FIELD

Looking as good as new

Pants too!

Our mild February and March turned more winter-like in April which was perfect for testing. I wore the base layer top alone, with the FLI mid-layer and/or a waterproof shell atop when going outside.

I just love the light weight and minimal bulk of the base layers while still feeling warm and cozy. They were my go-to on cold mornings in the house as a lounging layer and then with more layers for outdoor activity.

I found the upper temperature ranges listed by ODLO to be pretty accurate when I was wearing the base layer with hiking pants. It shows walking use extending to 32 F (15 C) which I was able to exceed by wearing the base layer pants as my sole layer.

With perfect rain conditions one afternoon, I decided to test out my rain jacket. I wore a mid-layer underneath with the Kinship Warm base layer under it. During the hike, water came through the rain jacket at the shoulders and got a small spot on my shoulders wet. I could feel coolness at my shoulders, but the base layer stayed completely warm and dry.

I washed the base layers three more times. The base layers still look great with virtually no sign of deterioration at all and none of the typical issues I've seen as base layers wear. There is no bagging at the knees and elbows, no shrinking in arm and leg length, no lessening of elasticity and certainly no snags, holes or tears. I can't even find any pilling which is remarkable given how many times I wore both the base layer top and bottoms as my sole layer indoors and out.

SUMMARY

The ODLO Kinship Warm Base Layers are a technical clothing next-to-skin layer designed for cooler weather activities.

Love-it:
Comfortable
Outstanding durability
Breathable
Great fit

Loathe-it:
Slight odor build-up

This concludes my Long-Term Report and this test series. Thanks to ODLO and BackpackGearTest.org for allowing me to test these layers.

Reviews > Clothing > Base Layers and Undies > ODLO Natural Kinship Base Layers > Test Report by Nancy Griffith