28 Jun Should Base Layers Be Tight Or Loose?
Base layers are fantastic for sporting enthusiasts or those who enjoy playing a specific sport casually. Whether you decide to wear a base layer for football, rugby, cricket or even whilst you are cycling. Base layers are perfect for sporting activities. They are also ideal for when you decide to go for a long walk with a partner or simply yourself during the colder days.
The reason for this is that base layers regulate your body temperature. This means that you can push your performance to new heights, without necessarily knowing that you are doing so.
Although, a commonly asked question regarding base layers is should base layers be tight or loose? Referring to the possibility of the wearer potentially missing the point of a base layer should it be loose on them.
Let us explore this answer further down:
Should Base Layers Be Tight Or Loose?
Regarding should base layers be tight or loose, you should aim to have your base layer fit as you would with your other items of clothing. Not too tight nor baggy on you. Should you find that your base layer is having a detrimental effect on your mobility – you know that the base layer is too tight.
Although it is worth noting, however, there are different types of base layers available on the market. This is important as they will essentially operate differently as a result of their unique designs. For instance, let us compare the various types:
Thermal Base Layers
Opting for thermal base layers due to their popularity and style – thermals as you might imagine need to be fairly close to your skin to work effectively. This is especially true regarding the cuffs. Should you wear a thermal base layer that is baggy around your torso, this will result in cold air flowing around your body. This may sound nice, although it defeats the purpose of the thermal base layer as the cold air will override the insulated air that had been collected originally.
For these base layers to work most effectively, they need to wick away the perspiration that has been accumulated over some time. How this base layer wicks away your perspiration, however, is done through the close-fitting layers – hence the reason why these thermal layers need to be fairly close to your body.
Should you opt to wear a thermal base layer that is baggy – you will find that all of the moisture that has been collected will start to sit on your body and as such start to cool down rather quickly. Resulting in your body temperature dropping.
Base Layers For Warmer Weather:
It is a common misconception that base layers serve to only keep your body warm, much in the same vein as thermals. This is not the case. In warmer climates, base layers can keep you cool and wick away any sweat that has been accumulated. Therefore, you may have the notion that having a loose-fitting base layer is optimum for these occasions.
Having base layers for warmer weather that is fairly loose will not be as effective whilst attempting to wick moisture away from your body – which will actually make you heavier in sweat as a result.
Various Activities:
Should you be someone who enjoys a variety of sporting activities. Whether it be for competitive reasons or to simply enjoy time with loved ones in an energetic setting. You are likely to be perspired and left feeling heavier as a result.
This will cause your mobility to suffer, especially whilst wearing an ill-fitted base layer. Hence why your mobility is paramount as a result. You want to ensure that your mobility doesn’t suffer, but you also need to ensure that the fit is good enough for the base layer to be as operational as possible.
How Tight Should Your Base Layer Be Concerning Various Parts Of Your Body?
There is also another way in which you can measure how tight your base layer should be. This is regarding the various areas of your body. Let us elaborate further.
Base Layer Tops:
Regulating the core of your body is paramount as this is the area of your body that features all your vital organs. As such, a base layer is the perfect piece of clothing to do this for you. This is also important in the summer days as your body can overheat. By wearing a base layer top, you are able to cool down much quicker.
As for the winter, your base layer should fit comfortably around your body as you experience the benefits of the wicking come into practice. People do tend to wear multiple layers of clothing, should you want to do the same – we recommend that you wear different styles of clothing so that you are still able to breathe and have manoeuvrability.
Base Layer Bottoms:
Despite the fact that the bottom half of your body doesn’t feature any vital organs – they still need to be kept warm and are in fact more susceptible in comparison to your top half. You find that people tend to double up the bottom half of their body, although this isn’t entirely required. This should only be necessary for extreme temperatures as adequate moisture-wicking can be affected by doubling up.
What Size Base Layer Should I Buy?
Regarding what size base layer you should buy, this ultimately depends on the individual. The reason for this is that one size might be ideal for someone but not fit you despite it being the same size.
You also need to consider the different materials for the various base layers. This is in fact a good place to start as you know once you know what base layer style you are after, this can help you to try the various sizes to find the base layer that you prefer – and one that fits perfectly.
More often than not you find that people opt to buy a size up due to the fact that base layers are close-fitting. The reason for this is to allow more mobility in regards to movement.
This is everything that you should know regarding should base layers be tight or loose. Why not keep up to date with our latest blogs from Mizos Apparel.
No Comments