The Sportful Long Sleeve T High Collar Base Layer is a super-soft, super-comfy and, well, all-round super long-sleeve base layer for cool conditions.
The sign of a good base layer is when it performs its limited but vital job – that is to keep you warm and, normally, wick sweat away from the skin – with little fuss.
This base layer from Sportful does just that. It’s made from a 60 per cent polypropylene, 27 per cent polyamide and 13 per cent polyester mix which is soft and luxurious to touch – and it feels the same against your skin when you put it on.
Being Italian, Sportful’s sizing is typically on the small side and when you pull the base layer from its box it looks tiny, even in our size large test sample (which is a little long in the body but otherwise fits like a glove). The fabric has a remarkable amount of stretch to it, which ensures the base layer hugs your body like no other I’ve tried.
The fact the fabric is so soft helps keep things comfortable, despite the very close fit, and the same goes for the five centimetre collar. I’ve not normally a huge fan of a high collar on a base layer as I usually find it restrictive but the soft and stretchy fabric has the opposite effect and the continuation of the base layer onto your neck gives a little extra protection to an area often exposed to the wind.
So, the fabric feels great, but does it work as a base layer? Thankfully, yes, and it does an excellent job at wicking away sweat from your skin. The fabric is a very fine mesh – so fine it’s not perceptible to the naked eye without stretching the fabric – and that helps move moisture away from your skin.
Sportful describe this particular base layer as being best suited to “moderate winter temperatures” and it ranks as two on their four-level climate control ranking, with four (base layers in the Thermic 250 range) being the highest. This is still a warm piece, though, and I’ve found it ideal for the current temperatures (between six and 14 degrees) when combined with a long sleeve jersey or winter jacket. We haven’t yet experienced temperatures cold enough to see how it performs as a deep-winter base layer.
What can be said, however, is that this is an extremely comfortable long sleeve base layer which performs as well as any I’ve tested.
Price: £40
Sizes: XS, S/M, L, XL, XXL
Colours: black or white
Website: Sportful
UK distributor: C3 Products
