There's been a mission on the MainSail recently to find baselayers that keep you warm but don't smell once the mooring buoy's safely caught and the wine bottle's open. A couple of weeks ago the Icebreaker Skin 200 Oasis Crewe was the main focus of our search. This week another Merino layer falls under the spotlight, and it's one that's new to the UK.
Silkbody is a Kiwi firm, like Icebreaker, but much less established in the European market. In fact, the first Silkbody products were sold in the UK for the first time only last autumn, and you can still only buy them from one UK stockist. That isn't a problem though if you know where to look.
The question is: are they worth the search and also the extra expense that comes along with buying pure Merino wool garments from New Zealand? Silkbody sent us a Long Sleeved Crewe and Leg Liner for our verdict.
The first thing we noted was the feel of the fabric. Unlike the Icebreaker Oasis Crewe, which is made entirely of Merino, the Silkbody baselayers combine it with silk (as you'd expect from the name) and also a touch of cotton. The result is a much softer layer than pure Merino - which in itself is much softer than normal wool - so it's suitable for allergy sufferers. If that isn't a concern for you, it's still nice to have a baselayer that's so soft to the touch.
So far so good. The next concern was warmth - always crucial in a baselayer. The Silkbody Long Sleeved Crewe doesn't immediately give the impression that it will tick this box. In fact, it feels paper thin to the touch, which is a little disconcerting at first, especially when the weather's looking nippy. A day on the water quickly changed that impression though.
The Long Sleeved Crewe turned out to be surprisingly warm, with an excellent warmth to weight ratio. For sailing in a cold wind you'd obviously want several more layers above it, but because it's so fine, and sits close to the skin, it provides a good initial layer of warmth without feeling cumbersome.
When things get too warm and sweaty, it does a good job too. It's a common misconception that Merino is a suitable fabric to wear when exercising because it wicks moisture well. In fact, this isn't the case. Silk and Merino are both natural fibres made of protein, a bit like your skin, and they work in similar ways. Merino can absorb a lot of moisture without losing its insulating properties, unlike a synthetic layer which remains warm by getting rid of moisture quickly, but it's equally effective. Silk, similarly, absorbs moisture and spreads it around the garment, so you don't end up feeling clammy.
Silkbody claims that silk fibres can absorb a third of their own weight in moisture without feeling damp, which is an impressive statistic, although we decided not to take on board quite that much water.
If you're going to be sweating that much, nose-comfort comes into play as well as skin-comfort, so it's worth noting once more that both silk and Merino are anti-bacterial and repel substances like sweat. Hence there's no need to spray the air freshener if you wear them for more than one day.
The other plus point is the fit, which is snug. Like Icebreaker, all Silkbody items come in a women's specific version so they hug women's bodies closely as well as men's. Bear in mind that extra-small Silkbody baselayers really are extra small, which means you avoid cold spots and stay warmer, but it also means that you may need to check the sizing before you buy.
As for the downsides, Silkbody layers include some cotton, which is notoriously bad at handling moisture - once cotton becomes wet, it stays wet. We're only looking at 15% cotton in the Long Sleeved Crewe and Leg Liner though, and it hasn't caused a noticeable downturn in performance as yet.
Durability is the other question mark that hangs over silk layers, and as silk makes up the vast majority of the fabric, that's an issue here too. No problems have emerged yet with our Silkbody gear, although we haven't had it for very long. Innocent until proven guilty - it's just something to keep an eye on.
Finally, the price. At £34.99 a time you could buy a cheaper synthetic baselayer, but you probably wouldn't find one with the anti-odour properties of silk and Merino. If you looked for a pure Merino layer, on the other hand, it would quite likely be even more expensive. So, on the whole, the price isn't bad - it's not that much more expensive than a synthetic thermal and its advantages arguably make it worth the cash.
Silkbody layers are available from Ellis Brigham stores, or you can find more information on the Silkbody website.
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Silkbody is new to the UK market but it's the softest baselayer we've tried as yet - perfect if you're an allergy sufferer and next-to-the-skin comfort is important to you. The Long Sleeved Crewe is only a light baselayer but it's warm for its weight and doesn't feel cumbersome at all. It also resists odour, and retains its insulation properties even when it's wet. The only question marks are the small cotton content (cotton being notoriously bad at dealing with moisture) and the durability, given the large silk content. So far so good though. At the moment, Silkbody impresses as a light, comfortable baselayer for summer sailing or as part of a layering system to keep you warm once the breeze gets up.
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