Gear comparative review
80 The Great Outdoors July 2019Helly Hansen
W Lifa Crew
£35 120g (M)fabric perfomance, pricebust-to-armpit seam, odour controlFabric: 10 0% polypropylene
Sizes: XS-XL (men S-X XL)
hellyhansen.com
Helly Hansen features here twice. But after months of testing, I had
an urge to include a 100% polypropylene top because I firmly believe
it is the most efficient fabric for a lightweight base layer. So I’ll keep
it short. Brief background: I have long been a fan of Helly Hansen’s
polypropylene base layers. A pioneer of this tricky-to-use fibre, the
brand endured the generic insult of ‘Smelly Helly’ as bacteria latched
onto short polypro filaments. But that changed many years ago – Lifa
has been updated and improved more than 20 times since it was
invented in the 1970s – and now polypro is softer (once it’s been
washed) and less smelly (due to longer chains of fibres).
Anyway, this top is a classic. It does get smelly fairly quickly, unless
under a merino layer (and HH makes lots of those). It has enough
stretch to properly hug the body, without being too tight (note that
some styles are snugger under the armpits than others; this was
fine). The panelling is simple – front, back, long collar to cuff down
the arm, seam around the armpit (which is why you need to be sure
you have the right size), with a flat-lock line over the top of the bust
which I assume is styling. That seam is my only gripe, because it runs
diagonally into the armpit and clashes with a rucksack harness, on
that soft skin between bra and arm. So: a big thumbs-up to the fabric,
which – due to polypro properties plus skin-hugging fit – snatches
moisture and throws it through for evaporation, providing by far the
best next-to-skin dryness. I’ve less enthusiasm for that seam, but with
a wide choice of Lifa styles it shouldn’t be hard to find one that suits.
Mammut
Go Dry Longsleeve Women£49 118g (M)lightweight, fast-drying, stretchy, odour controlnothingFabric: 93% polyester / 7% spandex
Sizes: XS-XL (XS-X XL)
mammut.comThis is a lovely top to wear: it’s lightweight, stretchy and fast-drying,
and delivers rapid wicking due to its close (not tight) fit. And when I
say rapid wicking... it’s like blotting paper. The fabric is polyester with
a generous dose of Spandex for stretch, woven into thousands of tiny
squares. When moisture touches it, it spreads like wildfire, square to
square to square. So underarm sweat quickly translates into a large
circle; and a fat dollop of water splashed onto my shoulders (from
getting a bit close to a waterfall) spread across my back in less than
a minute. Because the fabric is so light, it dries rapidly; but there is
that moment in time when you’re trying to work out why a large area
suddenly feels damp.
The high percentage of stretch in this fabric allows it to be cut for
a close-to-body fit that is exceptionally comfortable. Seams are flat
with the visible overlock on the outside. This looks quite funky; I like
it. A seamless panel runs from collar to cuff, with other arm panels
placed so the seams don’t run over (and therefore interfere with) the
elbow. There’s plenty of length, which stays in place under a hipbelt.
It claims antimicrobial treatment to counteract odours, which did
work pretty well, and the top stayed fragrant for several days under
my magical merino layering system. As a warm-weather layer it’s one
of my favourites, simply because of weight and fit and (at the risk of
sounding shallow) because I like the styling of the contrast stitching.
Worn as a solo layer in hot weather, that exuberant wicking is good
news; as a primary garment you’ll need to be sure the mid layer can
pass moisture on quickly. It’s definitely among the best in this test.RECOMMENDED RECOMMENDED