As some of you may recall, back around black Friday I was looking for deals on First lite. Thanks to some of you I did find some pretty decent deals on it. It got me thinking about wool base layers, so like everything I buy I started researching the subject. I ran across Minus33 and I really liked what I saw. First of all their expedition weight garments are heavier than the First Lite pieces and at a cheaper price. I ordered some and it arrived today. This stuff is awesome. Very soft to the touch and very comfortable. You can tell just by the feel that this is a quality garment. It's so comfortable I can see myself wearing it for way more than just hunting purposes. I'm already scoping out more pieces of this stuff to buy. I think First Lite makes more kinds of garments but when it comes to base layers, IMHO this is as good as it gets. Blessings........Pastorjim
thanks for the advice, been looking for some cold weather under gear.. have some Rebok cold weather but wanting a better second layer .. I use this Ice Shield made for ice fisherman but I want something to stop the wind...
I tried it for the first time this year and I couldn't be happier. Kept me warm when I went up Wisconsin. I will be buying more.
I love my minus33! When it's really cold I'll wear a light+medium+expedition weight combo with my Cabelas Wooltimate on top and I'm super cozy with no bulk. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I think their merino is nice quality. I do not like the fit of it very well though, the torso is cut much to big (wide) and the sleeves are to short. For reference I am 6' 160 pounds and purchased mediums.
As a fat white guy I don't mind the extra room in the torso. The sleeves are definitely a little on the short side, but not horrible. I do think any garment marketed as a base layer should have sleeves cut a little longer than usual with thumb holes in them. But of course that would make too much sense, so hardly anyone does it. With that said I've been happy with my Minus33 gear. I hunted in the mid-weight top, ScentLok Alpine Hoodie and ScentLok Covert Fleece suit in temps that were in the mid teens and a 10-12 mph wind without issue. I was snug as a bug in a rug.
I've looked into them, but have yet to give them a try. Scott, to put it this way, if money were no object, would you still rank Minus33 above Sitka in the base layer department?
In my research it seems like nearly all their pieces had the thumb hole sleeves except the crew tops. I am 5'11 and 173 and the large seems like it's perfect for me. I definitely wouldn't want it to shrink though. I'm looking next at their expedition weight hoody and quarter zip top, both of which have the extended sleeves. This was all brought on by the weight loss program that my wife and I have been doing for the past two years. It is a huge problem to keep warm anymore. I liked these so much I ordered her a set. Blessings.........Pastorjim Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
I printed out some Minus33 pages last night amazingly and hope to have the money to spend on a set. Love the idea of low bulk wool baselayers...have to experiment with or without a very thin synthetic wicking layer or not under.
More I look over their stuff the more I'm falling for it...screw getting new out garmets this next year...focusing on the under layers. Hope to catch them having a sale some point before next fall! Also those that have em, they claim "no shrinkage" true?
Well the crew tops are the only ones I consider a "base" layer. Everything with a 1/4 zipper on it constitutes an "insulating" layer in my book. I'm not sure how many people are wearing zippered shirts as the base layer against their skin. And if it's not touching my skin, it's not a base layer. My next purchase will likely be the Explorer crew, which does have the thumb holes.
Sitka only offers one weight where as minus33 gives additional weight choices. The fit of the Sitka is considerably better as the sleeves and torso are longer. As well as the torso is slimmer and the armpits are gusseted. The 1/4 zip zipper on the sitka is nicer, but the minus33's is good enough. So for me the sitka is a better fit. However, minus33's wool quality is just as nice as sitkas. If you are a little wider in the midsection with short arms I would buy minus33 every time over sitka considering the price difference. However, minus33 hates thin people so I have only bought a few of their tops. Minus33's bottoms are great in my experiences.
I always buy 1/4 zip base layers. The Minus33 1/4 zips do not have thumb holes either just like the crew tops.
I love my minus33 base layers. I bought underwear, t-shirts, lightweight long sleeve T, lightweight bottoms, and a medium weight 1/4 zip top for my elk hunting trip two years ago. I'm wearing my bottoms at work right now. I'm hoping to purchase more soon. I wear them all hunting and have found that if I perspire at all I don't get that cold feeling like I did with cotton t- shirts and underwear. Also, tested the smell issue with perspiration. This may sound gross, but I wore the underwear and t-shirt numerous days in a row while training for the elk hunt and the clothing did not smell one bit afterwards. This is one more advantage to the merino wool over synthetic base layers.
Do you wear a t shirt under them or rock it open with a gold chain showing? Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums