So earlier today when wondering what to wear for a longish ride, I remembered that in the summer I had bought a Brynje wife-beater (although they call it mesh) baselayer when someone on here mentioned them going cheap.... upon arrival, my wife promptly told me I was never to be seen wearing it while out with her, and I chucked it in the cupboard for autumn and promptly forgot about it.

Anyway, I found it today and she was out, so on it went under my Paramo Ciclo, and my goodness, what an absolute revelation!

I've always really struggled to stay comfy riding in winter. Last year I took to wearing a Rab Vapourise against the skin which worked quite well, but you had to go fast downhill for a while before stopping otherwise it would feel wet and make you cold.

Today, it was pretty cold, rained on and off and I can honestly say, my core felt an absolute perfect temperature up hill, down hill and stopped admiring the view for a while. For comparison, while I wear my Paramo a lot for commuting, I normally get quite cold in it if I stop because my baselayer is soaked (be it Icebreaker, x-bionics or Decathlon), so I never use it for "proper" biking.

Anyway, I was so shocked at the difference Brynje made, it is honestly worth being disavowed worthwhile. Obviously there is the risk of being arrested for indecent exposure / suspicion of domestic violence if you ever make the mistake of unzipping your jacket in public, but I honestly feel that's a worthwhile risk. One thing I hadn't expected was how much easier it made to do temperature control. Because any form of breeze over the fabric instantly removes heat, I could do minor tweaks to the zips on my jacket to change temperature rather than a wholesale unzipping of everything which I normally resort to on climbs.

Anyway, as I couldn't safely share my joy with my wife when she got back in, I felt I had to share it here.

Is that not just the modern equivalent of a string vest?

fatbikephil wrote: ↑Sat Dec 04, 2021 11:03 pm Is that not just the modern equivalent of a string vest?

Very much so.
They’re fantastic. I have a t-shirt version that I use with a Paramo Velez smock and find the combination to be pretty much perfect once the temperature hits around 10 degrees.

Been using them for years. They work. Who cares what others think.

I’d second all of this.
I discovered them about a year ago and despite the protestations of my wife and kids I would say they are one of the best bits of kit i own. They make such a difference to how comfortable riding in foul weather is. I went out yesterday in a long sleeve one and just a very thin gore wind stopper top. Never cold or too sweaty.

I bought Dee one years ago. I was a little concerned that I'd bought 'bedroom attire' at first but turned out to be really good to wear more generally.

I just googled these things and yes they do look like string vests that men in 1970s saucy postcards wore.

What’s the science of how they keep you warm? They’re full of flipping holes!

arkay wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 11:03 am What’s the science of how they keep you warm? They’re full of flipping holes!

Air insulates.

Still air is the best insulator - all that "insulating" clothing does is provide a means of preventing air from circulating*. In the case of string vests, sorry technical base layers, the mesh leaves a grid of air pockets next to the skin. Ideally the material of the mesh transports any moisture away from you as well so you don't get that clammy feeling and also don't chill so quickly when you stop.

*snow is a brilliant insulator surprisingly, lots of air held in its matrix. Get in a snow cave and you can be 20-30C warmer than the outside temps.

Makes me smile reading this thread. My Mum used to crochet string vests / T-shirts for me when I was a teenager getting into outdoor pursuits. That was over 50 years ago now
Have been wearing similar ever since

psling wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 2:23 pm Makes me smile reading this thread. My Mum used to crochet string vests / T-shirts for me when I was a teenager getting into outdoor pursuits. That was over 50 years ago now
Have been wearing similar ever since

And apparently Tenzing / Edmund Hillary wore the Brynje string vests on Everest too. Nothing like a bit of post-war technology beating the best that expensive outdoor brands can throw at us today!

I have a number of mesh baselayers. Not quite as retro as the string vest look but they work well. I tend to wear them in Summer too as they wick perspiration into my jersey, leaving my skin drier than it would otherwise be

Aye, I have a DHB sleeveless mesh vest base layer.

great bit of a kit

Wearing on its own is a bit of a "look" though:

This is interesting, I'd never have thought that there was a technical side to a string vest. (My mate in probation refers to them as wife-beaters as well)

I might try one out, without letting the wife see it of course. Otherwise she'll think I've got to full-on old-man mode.

The bryjne ones are polypropylene not cotton (like an old on man vest) which is why the wick and dry so well.

whitestone wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 11:58 am . Get in a snow cave and you can be 20-30C warmer than the outside temps.

You'll also be a lot wetter.

If you've not slept in one do try it. You'll be warm. But they are damp fetit things - albeit a lifesaver in the correct conditions.

GregMay wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 7:33 pm

whitestone wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 11:58 am . Get in a snow cave and you can be 20-30C warmer than the outside temps.

You'll also be a lot wetter.

Not if it's 25 below outside

Gutted to be the one dissenting voice, but I've got a Brynje short sleeve that I've used for several months under various insulated and waterproof tops from plain roubaix through polar alpha to a Paramo Velez Light, and I still get wet and cold on my hour commute. I've tried the full spectrum of venting, from fully wrapped to very zip wide open and it's better than pretty much everything else I've used, but not the panacea I'd hoped it would be. I've just resigned myself to the growing realisation that I'm a sweating outlier.

Thanks for sharing Chris... enlightening

Retiredtester wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 9:52 pm Gutted to be the one dissenting voice, but I've got a Brynje short sleeve that I've used for several months under various insulated and waterproof tops from plain roubaix through polar alpha to a Paramo Velez Light, and I still get wet and cold on my hour commute. I've tried the full spectrum of venting, from fully wrapped to very zip wide open and it's better than pretty much everything else I've used, but not the panacea I'd hoped it would be. I've just resigned myself to the growing realisation that I'm a sweating outlier.

I am a "shorts-in-winter" type of warm person. I started off wearing it under a summer jersey with arm warmers and my winter jersey on top but found myself overheating at the start of a hill (so take winter jersey and arm warmers off). I have gone to Brynje, thin UV sleeves and winter jersey with a windproof gilet on top and found this much better.

https://www.nordiclife.co.uk/collection ... with-inlay

Retiredtester wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 9:52 pm Gutted to be the one dissenting voice, but I've got a Brynje short sleeve that I've used for several months under various insulated and waterproof tops from plain roubaix through polar alpha to a Paramo Velez Light, and I still get wet and cold on my hour commute. I've tried the full spectrum of venting, from fully wrapped to very zip wide open and it's better than pretty much everything else I've used, but not the panacea I'd hoped it would be. I've just resigned myself to the growing realisation that I'm a sweating outlier.

I guess everyone is different :(.

It did make me think though - has anyone tried using a Brynje under a drysuit for packrafting or kayaking? I'm always in a state of damp coldness while on whitewater, especially if stopped for a while doing safety. I wonder if Brynje stuff would work there too to keep you drier, or whether its just too much to ask of it under many layers of soaking kit?

Never worn a dry suit but I assume water vapour from sweat has nowhere to go- given that will anything work ?

I've been using Brynje for many years now. Long sleeve and short sleeve. It's excellent apart from one aspect, you can't wear it on its own - it really does look bad. It is probably the single best base layer I have

I had a pretty uncomfortable meal in Chamonix after some mountaineering a few years back. Went for a fondue in a lovely place heated by open fires, was toasty warm in there with each little fondue topping it up. Forgot what I was wearing, we literally came off the mountain and went straight in there, spent the whole evening wearing my softshell jacket over the top of my Brynje because I couldn't wear it on its own and was absolutely boiling.

Retiredtester wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 9:52 pm Gutted to be the one dissenting voice, but I've got a Brynje short sleeve that I've used for several months under various insulated and waterproof tops from plain roubaix through polar alpha to a Paramo Velez Light, and I still get wet and cold on my hour commute. I've tried the full spectrum of venting, from fully wrapped to very zip wide open and it's better than pretty much everything else I've used, but not the panacea I'd hoped it would be. I've just resigned myself to the growing realisation that I'm a sweating outlier.

That is unusual. If you're sweating then i'd argue it's what you're wearing over the top that's causing the problem rather than the Brynje, there's just nowhere in it to get wet. I've worn my kayaking for that purpose, the material doesn't hold onto water and it's mostly air. If you wore nothing on top of the Brynje (modesty aside) then you'd be unlikely to get sweaty, therefore surely it must be the next layer up that's not wicking fast enough. Even something like Alpha wicks quick, but if you're working hard and wearing a couple of layers you'll still be sweating buckets and it won't keep up

Chrisps wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 9:56 am

Retiredtester wrote: ↑Sun Dec 05, 2021 9:52 pm Gutted to be the one dissenting voice, but I've got a Brynje short sleeve that I've used for several months under various insulated and waterproof tops from plain roubaix through polar alpha to a Paramo Velez Light, and I still get wet and cold on my hour commute. I've tried the full spectrum of venting, from fully wrapped to very zip wide open and it's better than pretty much everything else I've used, but not the panacea I'd hoped it would be. I've just resigned myself to the growing realisation that I'm a sweating outlier.

I guess everyone is different :(.

It did make me think though - has anyone tried using a Brynje under a drysuit for packrafting or kayaking? I'm always in a state of damp coldness while on whitewater, especially if stopped for a while doing safety. I wonder if Brynje stuff would work there too to keep you drier, or whether its just too much to ask of it under many layers of soaking kit?

It feels drier because it doesn't hold water against your skin. In the past I'd kayaked with mine under another base layer, the whole lot can get wet and then dry out or wick to the outer layer. When it's been cold or windy I have a windproof over the top, seemed to work OK but hasn't been tested for more than a few days really

Is there a decent UK supplier/retailer?