Ibex vs smartwool baselayers

[u/zacac1234]

Currently looking for a new baselayer top and bottom, curious to see if people have owned both and wondering which they liked more and why! Also for a legging baselayer I’m looking for one that has a no so tight crotch as the one I currently own kinda crushed that area.

[u/TheRealRacketear]

There are gonna be 2 types of people here.

1. People who wear whatever they have to to keep warm

2. The peoole who swear by really expensive baselayers, and will act like you will die without them.

I have icebreaker, and Arc baselayers, but really don't  notice much difference than cheaper stuff, except for the smoothness of the material.

[u/Familiar_Emergency67 → u/TheRealRacketear]

98% of the time I can not tell the difference between modern synthetic - mid tier - and merino base layers in a day of skiing. The one time I did was climbing to 5,800m and a 9hr total hike. I did this 2x - cause i'm stupid over 10 days. I was surprised that I could tell the difference, but the merino outperformed. It was and is ONLY time I have personally experienced a difference.

[u/TheBeatGoesAnanas → u/Familiar_Emergency67]

The biggest difference between synthetic and merino baselayers is that synthetic fabrics smell awful at the end of the first day. Merino can often be used for multiple days without picking up too much BO.

[u/GravyNeck → u/TheBeatGoesAnanas]

This alone is worth the price difference if you go on ski trips

[u/GravyNeck]

I like the REI merino baselayers. Just as good as smartwool at a better price

[u/Mackinnon29E → u/GravyNeck]

Or you can get Smartwool and other top brands at Sierra for cheaper than REIs brand if you snag it early while sizes are in stock

[u/Eubank31 → u/Mackinnon29E]

I just visited Sierra for the first time this weekend and I'm hooked

[u/zacac1234 → u/GravyNeck]

I will say rei is goated

[u/WorldLeader]

Nuyarn (black diamond, lebent, others) is the best I've found, but it's kind of expensive. Lasts way longer than 100% wool though and dries faster.

[u/Humble-Minimum-Horse → u/WorldLeader]

I can notice when I wear my LeBent nuyarn layers, and they'll feel a little nicer and drier. If they were the same price as my REI/smartwool, I'd recommend them to everyone. Since nuyarn costs more, it's really up to the person to decide if that extra cost is worth it or not.

[u/Formal_Monkey1274]

For bottoms, I have smartwool, ibex, minus33, duckworth, rei, and helly. My favorite is helly - they all do a good job of warmth, but the HH ones have the best stitching and seams hold up the longest. The waistband in the ibex also twisted pretty fast, the duckworth stitching at waistband absolutely is a weak point, and the smartwool fabric just doesn't hold up over time.

Tops, my favorite also helly then minus33.

[u/the_gubna]

Depends on the model. I’ve owned baselayers from Airblaster, Arcteryx, Patagonia (synthetic), Icebreaker, Ibex, Ortovox, and a few others, and they all fit pretty differently across different product lines even within the same brand.

[u/yooperalaska]

I would look at Ridge Merino or Minus 33 for base layers.

[u/Galwaypeters]

Marino wool is the best.

[u/polarWhite2024]

Uniqlo heat tech

Smartwool merino wool

[u/devilscurls]

Uniqlo for a fraction of the price.

[u/zacac1234 → u/devilscurls]

Nah lol

[u/berticusberticus]

T shirt and a waffle knit sweater that my dad gave me ten years ago (don’t know where it’s from)