ProZero Base Layers

When I first tried on the Craft ProZero long-sleeved crew, I wondered how a shirt that was lighter than a regular T-shirt - the material is only as thick as a handkerchief - was supposed to keep me warm. "Maybe under a sweatshirt and coat," I rationalized. And so it was with quite a bit of skepticism that I headed out for a short walk on pretty easy trail around dusk. The temperature was 27F and there was only a hint of a breeze, but the sun was going down and the temperature was dropping with it.

After about a quarter of a mile, I chucked the coat, sweatshirt, hat and gloves in the backpack. It was a bit chilly, but I wanted to "test" the shirt and see how long it took me to freeze to death. It was remarkable. Everyone else in the group had at least two layers on, and I was tramping around in a handkerchief-shirt, quite comfortable. It was too easy of a hike and too cold to work up much of a sweat, so I rubbed snow on a sleeve, just to see what happened. After a minute, there was no noticeable difference in heat retention, and I rubbed on more snow - same results. On the way back, my legs were colder than my arms, even with basic long underwear under my Carhartts. The only time I became noticeably chilled was when I stopped walking; the shirt lacks wind resistance and wasn't designed to be worn as an only layer or outer layer.

The ProZero crew is an incredible top; uber-lightweight and super-comfortable. Craft uses flat-lock stitching, so there aren't annoying seams anywhere in the garment. That, plus the wonderfully soft ProZero material mean you can wear this next to your skin all day long without a complaint. The fit is perfect for me. The Craft base layers are designed to fit like a second skin, and the ProZero crew really lives up to that promise. Its long enough that you won't bare skin when you bend over or reach up, the sleeves reach all the way to the base of my thumb - neither too long or too short, and the mock neck is never binding. So far, the shirt's mobility has been above par: I can bend and reach in any direction and the shirt never bunches up under my ribs or limits movements, and the cuffs alway stay around my wrists instead of riding up my forearms.

The ProZero fabric is designed to perform according to temperature and exertion levels. Craft recommends wearing it at 55F at low exertion levels to -10F for high exertion activities, though I wore it at 25-30F at a pretty low exertion level and was fine. This shirt would be perfect for rock climbing during cool conditions, either early in the morning or towards the end of the climbing season.

I can imagine this top easily becoming too hot during high exertion level activities at cool temperatures. I might grab it for an easy run at 50F, but I would choose a cooler top for a fast game of frisbee, football or basketball at the same temperature. Likewise, if I was heading out into the mountains either for strenuous skiing, hiking, or snowshoeing on a colder day, between 20 to -10F, I could wear a lighter jacket with wind and water resistance rather than bringing my full down jacket. Heck, I might even get away with just a heavy sweatshirt, depending on conditions. And athough we don't have any reliable ice here in Bozeman yet, this is going to be a great top for playing pick-up games of hockey.

-Randi