Why Layer?
The number one reason to layer correctly for the outdoors is safety. Hypothermia and Hyperthermia occur when either heat loss, or heat gain occur at a faster rate than your body’s natural ability to self regulate. Modern technical clothing and layering techniques allow you to help regulate your body’s core temperature and survive in extreme climates.
Moisture Management Explained
No matter the environment, moisture management should be your main focus when building your layering system. There are two factors to consider when talking about moisture management; perspiration caused by an increase in body temperature and environmental moisture (i.e., Snow, Rain, Mud, etc). In a backpacking scenario, you will likely experience both. During a hike, climb, or ascent, you will expend energy and as a result your core temperature will rise and your body will perspire to cool you down. If that perspiration isn’t wicked away as you become static, or as the temperature drops, that moisture will begin to freeze. As a result, your core temperature will drop and you may become hypothermic. For the same reason, it’s important to pack a shell to protect you from environmental moisture (i.e., Rain, Snow) reaching your skin.
Choosing a Baselayer
Baselayers are the foundation of your layering system. Even the most technical jackets can be negated in function by the wrong baselayer. That said, there are three main considerations when choosing a baselayer; fit, construction, and fabric. Because the purpose of a baselayer is to pull moisture from your skin, you want your baselayers to be relatively form fitting. The more contact the material has with your skin, the more moisture the fabric will be able to wick away. Next, it’s important to consider the construction of your baselayers. Choose a baselayer that has optimized seam placement to avoid chafing when wearing a pack, or harness. Finally and most importantly, you must choose your baselayer fabric. In almost all cases, it’s best to avoid cotton (constant, extreme heat can be an exception). Cotton absorbs moisture, dries extremely slow and loses all of it’s insulation properties when it gets wet. The two main fabrics used for baselayers are wool and synthetics. Wool tends to dry slower than a synthetic, but it retains insulative properties when wet and can be slightly warmer. Synthetics are generally lighter than their wool counterparts and dry significantly faster. For Beyond’s Axios Layering System, we’ve found that the lightweight, fast drying attributes of Polartec PowerDry work best within our system.
Polartec Powerdry
PowerDry is a bi-component knit synthetic that has been optimized for breathability and rapid moisture transport. The next to skin fabric is made up of gridded fleece channels that pull moisture from your skin into the smooth exterior fabric where moisture quickly dissipates and evaporates into the next layer of the system. The result is a fabric that breathes extremely well when you’re hot and insulates when you’re cold. Also, one major advantage to a bi-component construction is that the wicking properties are construction based and don’t rely on chemical fiber treatments. Chemical treatments designed to help the wicking process can wash out and lose their performance attributes.
Aether Baselayers
Our A1 Aether Baselayers are built out of 4-way stretch Polartec PowerDry fabric. They feature antimicrobial underarm gussets to reduce odor, and flat-lock seam construction to increase packability while reducing chafing from a pack or harness. These layers have been optimized for moisture transport and core temperature regulation. In addition, we use Polartec Powerdry, Wind-Pro and Alpha in our A2-A3’s to ensure seamless moisture transport from your next-to-skin all the way out to your shell fabric.
Tags: Beyond Clothing
Beyond makes overexpensive, underperforming garments that are direct clones of the PCU line developed over a decade ago. I love their constant propaganda on SSD. It really just reaffirms my dislike for this company.
Their entire catalog is just clones of existing military surplus designs, marked up to ridiculous boutique prices and sold as some sort of exclusive tactical fashion nonsense. They are a cancerous and parasitic company and probably one of the best examples of how this industry is increasingly catering to people who care more about looking fast and cool than actually being protected from the elements and operating in a variety of austere conditions.
Check out their 80$ T-shirt and 225$ wind shirt! Oh boy! Oh, but it’s a system! A system! You have to wear all of them with some other expensive layer to get the full effect. Oh, and by the way, these are of course better than the PCUs you can find on eBay for a third of the cost.
+100,000,000. I recently purchased both of their PCU 5 and PCU 7 coats…..nothing special enough about them to call for the 300+ dollar price tag for each.
in some cases they are better than older PCUs because of updated materials other times it doesnt matter considering Ebay prices for PCUs can cost just as much as a piece from beyond
Going out on a limb here: If all of the PCU items you have were bought on eBay instead of issued to you, you may not know what you’re talking about.
Didn’t Beyond make components of the PCU under gov contract?
Yes, and still do. Darrel needs to carry a tree around to replace the oxygen he’s using.
I love Beyond. I have several items from them (both issued and commercial purchase) and the quality is consistently top notch.
Wow, man, they actually manufacture PCU for the government as well as other clothing systems.
That stuff you find on eBay for 1/3 the cost? That’s stuff that the government bought and then some guy was issued and wore on his sweaty balls. Then, he sold it when he got out. You really need to get on that! Not only is it cheap but it’s got operator ball sweat in it!
Damn it, Admin. Now all the hero-worshipping teenagers are going to buy up all the Beyond on eBay for the ball sweat. So much for deals.
Love me some tactical operator ball sweat!
I sell mine on a daily basis at the local boutique that sells unicorn tears and panda semen.
Jon, OPT
Panda semen is worth a fortune..
I only buy it if it has the tactical thumb holes on their long sleeves. What is the first thought you have when you shake someones hand and the have their thumb in the sleeve of their shirt? LOW TESTOSTERONE
I think, “man, he must be cold.”
I like the BC line of clothes. I was skitish on cost but after getting some of their stuff I came to the realization that it’s quality stuff and performs as stated.
Ebay is not a place to buy used undies or socks. Just 2 areas of the body that get friggin rank!
m-eh r-EE n-oh
blue..