Do you like exercising, hiking, or playing outdoors in the cooler months? How about working in the yard or going for walks?
Do you do fieldwork, fish, or hunt? Or maybe you enjoy engaging in outdoor sports or playing in the snow?
Chances are good there’s some outdoor activity you do in the winter months.
And if so, you’ll probably find a set of comfortable, functional base layers—lightweight pieces of clothing to wear under sweaters, jackets, or pants—to be a worthwhile investment.
We sent 13 testers out in the winter to hike, ski, shovel snow, and run, and we found a variety of styles, fabrics, and cuts to keep all types of bodies warm.
We have picks that will take you from city to trail, picks for hiking and backpacking, and picks for fishing and hunting—or even for skiing and snowboarding.
We also have ideal options for getting muddy at sports practice or for layering under your civilian clothing. And, of course, we have a budget option.
In the title of this guide, we call these layers “thermal underwear” because that’s what most people search for when they’re looking for something to be active in. And that’s what base layers are—a clothing layer that regulates body heat while you work up a sweat. If you’re looking for loungewear or pajamas, we have a guide to those, too.
