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Reviews > Clothing > Underwear > Duofold Varitherm Midweight > Jim Hatch > Initial ReportDuofold Varitherm Midweight
Base Layer
Personal Information
PRODUCT INFORMATION Manufacturer: Duofold
Long Sleeve Crew (style 470A):
Men's Ankle Length Bottom (style 470B):
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION The Duofold Varitherm midweight base layer is designed for comfort in cold weather when undergoing high activity levels (e.g. hiking, skiing, ice climbing, etc.). According to Duofold, the Varitherm line "represent the ultimate standard for products that combine thermal protection and moisture management" and is worn "exclusively by USA Luge, USA Bobsled & Skeleton teams" as well as the British Royal Marines who wore them while trekking to the North Pole. Unlike some thermal layers, these combine moisture management with thermal protection. Varitherm fabrics are supposed to wick moisture away from the skin for "quick evaporation, keeping you warm, dry, and comfortable". Other base layers ("long underwear" to those of us who grew up before miracle fabrics) in the Duofold line focus on keeping the wearer warm (but with less moisture management as they are intended to be warn in low activity levels -- ice fishing for example) or cool & dry (with more moisture management for very high activity levels -- like luge racing). According to the hang tag that was attached to the bottoms (the top had no hang tag), Varitherm is a hollow core polyester fabric that moves water vapor while also trapping air to create the wicking thermal barrier. Initial Impression The Varitherms are packaged in an interesting plastic bag not unlike a souped-up version of a food storage bag. The zipper locking top has a built-in hanger (for store display racks?) and there is a small (1 in/2.5 cm) oval cutout that provides a view of the color & fabric feel (a good thing as the website's color "marine" looks more green than blue but as is evident in this picture, it's more blue than green in real life).
I'm feeling bad about discarding these bags so I'm looking for other uses for a sealable bag with a hole in it. The bags contain much the same information as the website to provide a point-of-purchase display buyer with what I believe is sufficient information to make an informed buying decision. The fit is snugly comforting. I'm at the outer edge of the size L top but it fits well, snug to my skin without being tight and constricting which from my experience, should help make it wick easier than were it to be loose and baggy. I'm at the bottom end of the recommended range for waist sizes but again it fits well. I expect the Lycra adds enough stretch to give but not squeeze. The seams are very well sewn, flat to the fabric (so there isn't a rib or ridge under my clothes or one that leads to sore spots), and with multiple rows of stitching at normal fraying points (like the cuffs of the top). Contrary to the website, there doesn't seem to be any "wicking waistband" to the top but it does fall comfortably to my mid-butt. That keeps it tucked into the bottoms and prevents riding up when I move around, including when stretching or raising my arms. The fabric in the arms stretches enough to stay in place when I'm reaching for things (instead of riding up my arm) and I'm interested to see if that will continue as the fabric ages through wear and washings. Although heavier than my normal silk base layer, they seem to be just as comfortable (perhaps a tad more as they stay in place somewhat better). The fabric seems to be tightly knit (see photo below) and the labels are glued or "melted" on.
TESTING After wearing them around the house for a day (with 15 in/38 cm of snow falling!), I'm ready to take these into the woods. I'll be wearing these as my normal base layer for the next four months of (primarily) winter camping here in the Northeast. Weather should be normal winter snow, perhaps wet precipitation and usually below freezing. With the latest storm (and another forecast for later this week) it's likely that snow cover is here to stay at least through February/early March. Depending on the wicking performance, I may take these to the Grand Canyon in early April where anything goes in terms of weather & temperatures. I'll be backpacking and snowshoeing in these and will also report on their performance in normal daily activities like shoveling, walking, etc. - but my focus will be on their performance in the back country. My typical winter layering consists of a base layer, wool pants/socks/shirt, down sweater (Marmot), and fleece vest with wind/waterproof overshell. I'm interested in whether I'll need to modify this to account for potentially improved base layer performance (versus my typical silk layer). What I'll be watching for
Likes/Dislikes So Far My initial impression is that these are comfortable and well made. My only real complaint is that I dress left (and happen to be left-handed as well) but the fly in the bottoms is designed for right-dressers, opening to the right side of the crotch. This is typical of most undergarments but I still wish for a lefty version. (If this comment doesn't make sense, then it probably doesn't apply ;-)
I'd like to thank BackpackGearTest and Duofold for the opportunity to test these base layer garments. Backpacking background Read more reviews of Duofold gear Read more gear reviews by Jim Hatch Reviews > Clothing > Underwear > Duofold Varitherm Midweight > Jim Hatch > Initial Report | |||
