With some interest in this system, this thread is to summarize the system and be a common place to ask about it. Why fishnet baselayer? Simple. moisture management. Fishnet longjohns minimize the moisture at the skin, keeping me warm and toasty when I’d otherwise be cold and clammy.
I use a wool fishnet longjohn top base layer. With it, I then can insulate with any fabric, including cotton flanel. It’s highly effective at moisture management and that is key to staying warm when aerobic activity is involved, especially when stops happen and you cool down. You can test the system with Wiggy’s for $38 (not skin friendly nylon, but his video also explains why fishnet baselayer is superior) https://www.wiggys.com/clothing-outerwear/fishnet-long-underwear/, or the wool version is Brynje https://www.brynjeusa.com. I just got back from a 3.5 hour ride, including an hour plus coffee and pipe at the top, with temps 15˚F down low and about 5˚F up top, with 1,300 feet climbing in 8 miles. Which is to say if I’m dressed to be warm, I’m sweating and I want moisture to easily escape. With this system, it does. My ventile jacket stayed in reserve, and I put my boiled wool sweater on for the time at the top and the ride home. It snowed about 6” total from start of the ride to returning home. Warm and cozy the whole ride, and stop, and inner layers were dry when I took them off at home (I had to shake the crusted snow off my hat and sweater.). Lum then asked a few things. “What between the fishnet and sweater?” Any insulative layer. I tested this in the extreme early on, putting on a soaking wet heavy cotton flanel (Duluth burly flannel I’d just taken ouf the the washer, which doesn’t spin dry welll) and my Ventile jackt and then riding for an hour at -10˚F. I stayed “not cold”, so long as I was moving (didn’t test stopping). Parts of the sleeves were frozen stiff when I got home, but I was fine. My usual: Standard weight cotton flannel: 50˚F down to about 25˚F when climbing (toasty at 50 when climbing, but I just unbutton the shirt a bit and it ventilates well) Heavy weight cotton flannel: 25˚F to 10˚F when climbing 2 weights of sweater: normal (like Riv’s sweaters), and boiled wool (like wearing 4 regular sweaters, but far better. Blocks a lot of wind. I’ve ridden down hill into headwinds at 0˚F.). I will add at the top for cofee/pipe/writing as needed, starting at 50˚F and cloudy. “How do you keep wind from penetrating layers?” Add canvas vest, sweater, or ventile jacket for wind blocking/heat retention as needed. Below 20˚F, this wind layer can be a regular canvas, as all “moisture” is dry snow. However, Ventile does a great job no matter the temperature, so is what I use. “What about pants layers and sox?” Tweed breeks from https://www.spencers-trousers.com. So far I’ve not added anything under or over and only plan on adding fishnet longjohns if needed, below ˚F. I do add single sock as extra warmth and wind block cod piece at 15˚F and below. Socks: Boiled wool extra heavy 3-ply over the knee sock (folded to be under the knee), requires sizing shoe up 2 sizes. I add a second pair 4-ply ankle sock at 15˚F, good down to zero. Below that, I shift to Sorel Caribou boots with 1-2 pair boiled wool socks. I add ventile gaters, to just below the knee, for a wind barrier as needed, but for warmth due to heat retention starting below 20˚F. Mittens: 3 ply boiled wool glomitt down to 20˚F. Add a 4-ply boiled wool mitt below that, and an Empire Canvas chopper mitt as needed for wind block/heat retention. Wool scarf, blocks wind into shirt and keeps neck warm starting around freezing. Hat: Walts wool cycling cap to about 25˚F. Add 2-ply down to 10˚F, 4-ply below that and/or at stops at the top, for descents. Ventile hood if windblock needed, but that doesn’t happen until below zero as the 4-ply blocks wind very well and is 2 or three layers thick around the ears/headband area. The key before fishnet was to wear enough layers to absorb sweat, then change to dry base layers if stopped, or just don’t stop. Since fishnet, the key is to manage moisture, and when things get wet it’s not a big deal because I’ll stay warm even when I stop, and at an extended stop just add more insulative layers and wind block as needed. It allows me to do extended stops at all temperatures, which has opened up my riding. Boiled wool: https://www.sweaterchalet.com/dachstein-woolwear-boiled-wool-sweaters-mitts-socks-caps-gloves/. Rick is great to work with. A note on the boiled wool hats: I’ve added a chin tie to keep them on. People with smaller heads may not have this issue. Basically a leather shoe lace inside the back headband of the hat, pushed through at the front of the ears. When tied, it holds the hat snuggly to the back of my neck and below my ears. Ventile: https://hilltrek.co.uk You can see a number of these layering combos in my coffeeneuring post: https://thegrid.ai/withabandon/coffeeneuring-challenge-2018 and fall color post: https://thegrid.ai/withabandon/gold-trail. With abandon, Patrick www.CredoFamily.org www.MindYourHeadCoop.org -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
