Baselayer Grouptest

[ptc*]

This months review is up here http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/news/baselayers-group-test/0013086/

These have been in daily use for months and and there's some great kit in there. It's not all great for big Munro days or backpacking trips, but there's nothing you'll be wearing to paint the kitchen after it's first day out.
I'm disappointed not to have more women's fit i the review, I did ask for it but the men's equivalents arrived almost every time.

If I can help with more details on the fit, sizing or more, post a comment and I'll do my best to help.
Cheers
PTC

[murwilson]

Pete,

Can I make a wee suggestion? How about a star rating for each product giving us punters an idea, at a glance, of which product(s) best achieved the brief given to the manufacturer's. Can be difficult, I know, what suits you won't necessarily suit me but it's a guide, just a guide.

Mur

[ptc*]

Hi Mur, I've done the star rating when I've done grouptests for Trail and to be honest it does my head in as I know from feedback a lot of folk will not read the full reviews, they'll scan the star rating, read the top ones to see why they're good and the bottom ones to see why they're rubbish.

Most reviews are based a mix of personal opinion and general product assessment and star ratings weight the review too heavily on the side of opinion. So I try to give a sense of what the kit is like in the text and leave it up to folk to decide themselves without saying what's best. You can probably tell what my favourites are but that still doesn't make them the best ones there

But, looking through the review and thinking about it, everything in the review would have got 3 or 4 out of 5. The difficulty is that most gear is "okay", it's just personal preference that makes better or worse than okay unless it's a real dog and no one's yet to send me anything rubbish for on here, Which I would kinda like to be honest! I just need the sole to peel off one of these trail shoes I have on test...

[Gythral]

I agree with it being hard to 'rate' items as they all do more or less what it says on the marketing blurb, but the biggest thing I notice is how few of the established brands provide samples for these tests!

[mikecrockatt]

Hi Pete I know you are probably asked about this regularly but is there any chance you could also review a couple more of the value options available as most of the items reviewed tend to be between 30-60 quid which is quite expensive for a t shirt . I just picked up a wicking t shirt from gooutdoors for 4 pound which had decent reviews on their site but you never know how much abuse they've been given before getting a 5* rating and id be interested to know how the cheaper items compare.

Cheers

Mike.

[ptc*]

but the biggest thing I notice is how few of the established brands provide samples for these tests!

I can think right now of two major UK brands who haven't contributed to past and future reviews on here. One is in the huff because they didn't win in a grouptest I did a while back and the other because they're a man down in PR and they emailed on Friday last week to see if they could still make the baselayer review. Ach.
Elsewhere some stuff hasn't turned up at all, some stuff showed up too late as I actually have to use it to review it and some folk pass on a review because they have nothing new or they don't think their new "hero" product is suitable for Walkhighlands.
I sent out just short of 80 requests to brands and PR companies for the baselayer review and what you see is what turned up in time.
I'm pretty pleased with the response we get for the brands for reviews on here, we're had a few exclusives and a couple of UK and world firsts

[ptc*]

Hi Pete I know you are probably asked about this regularly but is there any chance you could also review a couple more of the value options

I would love to do that. I speak to the budget chainstores and brands who are all very keen on submitting kit for reviews and then don't.
It's incredibly frustrating, ideally I'd have Mountain Warehouse, Decathalon, Trespass, Regatta and GoOutdoors own-brand gear in the reviews, but the best I could do this month is the £12 t-shirt from Alpkit!

[ptc*]

Also listening to what you're saying, so from next month in my last word section I'm going to have more of a winners and losers piece, what was my favourite and why, what I wouldn't pick if I was out buying new kit, that kind of thing.
Next month is trail shoes and never mind my commentson them, wait til you see the colours

[Flo-go]

I would love to do that. I speak to the budget chainstores and brands who are all very keen on submitting kit for reviews and then don't.
It's incredibly frustrating, ideally I'd have Mountain Warehouse, Decathalon, Trespass, Regatta and GoOutdoors own-brand gear in the reviews, but the best I could do this month is the £12 t-shirt from Alpkit!

That's a bummer.

I love my decathlon own brand technical t-shirt (£4 I believe), but would love to see how kit like that actually compares in a group test!

[MountainHare22]

Also listening to what you're saying, so from next month in my last word section I'm going to have more of a winners and losers piece, what was my favourite and why, what I wouldn't pick if I was out buying new kit, that kind of thing.
Next month is trail shoes and never mind my comments on them, wait til you see the colours

That would be great at the end of the review, in the past I have found the best value and star buy tags in reviews on this site useful to get an idea for whether it was worth spending that little bit more money (or not). I can understand why you are avoiding a star system, but it is useful to have an idea of how bits of kit compare to each other.

[teaandpies]

I said I would look out for the review and I've read it with a particular interest in the under shorts. I liked the look of the long legged shorts but like it said in the review a fly is a must for some people and so it is for me. I like long legged shorts because they don't slip up your thighs when walking.

Was these the only long legged shorts you had to review?

[ptc*]

but it is useful to have an idea of how bits of kit compare to each other.

Let me know next month how the wee format tweak works out.

[ptc*]

Was these the only long legged shorts you had to review?

The Alpkit boxers had the longest legs by far but the Smartwool legs are long too which maybe isn't obvious in my photo but is on the Smartwool website and they're cut very well so they don't ride up on my legs at all.
The Smartwool boxers are excellent, the fly is a good design, works really well with stiff fabric softshell trousers, they are definitely my favourites in the test with the Alpkits second. The Alpkits feel like armour! Love those long legs.

[basscadet]

I would love to do that. I speak to the budget chainstores and brands who are all very keen on submitting kit for reviews and then don't.
It's incredibly frustrating, ideally I'd have Mountain Warehouse, Decathalon, Trespass, Regatta and GoOutdoors own-brand gear in the reviews, but the best I could do this month is the £12 t-shirt from Alpkit!

That's a bummer.

I love my decathlon own brand technical t-shirt (£4 I believe), but would love to see how kit like that actually compares in a group test!

Yes that is a bummer.. You would think that they would be knawing your arm off for a good review ptc

I've been using a Mountain Warehouse t-shirt recently - the fit is amazing, but it is a little warmer than other base layers I have..
I only bought it because it took me over the free postage limit online, and was cheaper than the postage (if you know what I mean) now I am looking at getting more colours

[guyincognito]

One is in the huff because they didn't win in a grouptest I did a while back

Does their name start with 'M'?