Gear Guide 2012: Cabelas E.C.W.C.S. Thermal Zone Polartec Power Dry Baselayers
These no-bulk baselayers provide warmth when you need it and breathability where you don't.
[baselayers : heavyweight]
Get warmth without bulk. Cabela’s E.C.W.C.S. Thermal Zone Polartec Power Dry Crew Top and Bottoms use gridded, heavy-weight Polartec Power Dry in the core, paired with mid- and lightweight fabric panels under the arms and around the cuffs to reduce bulk when layered beneath jacket sleeves and glove gauntlets.
The result: “Warmth where you need insulation, breathability where you don’t,” says our tester, who used the layers while climbing Colorado Fourteeners from fall through spring. The Power Dry’s impressive loft makes the core exceptionally warm. And the strategic mapping works equally well in the bottoms, says another tester who used them in the Chilean Andes. Fit is appropriately snug, and there are tall and XXL sizes for big guys. $80-95; 9.6 oz. (XL tall); cabelas.com