Talus women's thermals

Cheap and cheerful baselayers for extreme conditions

Product

Talus women’s baselayer zip neck top and thermal pants.

Promise

Mountain Warehouse specialises in camping equipment, travel accessories and hiking gear. Their Talus women’s baselayer top and pants are specifically intended for an active life. The products promise maximum comfort and warmth in the most demanding outdoor conditions.

Performance

This product was tested on a week-long hitchhiking trip that took WideWorld from England to Germany. The weather was windy and snowy, with temperatures as low as -10 degrees. Talus baselayer top and pants are both warm and soft. The top has a convenient zip neck which makes it comfortable to put on and doesn’t choke you like many other baselayers do. That was unfortunately also its biggest flaw: as the zip neck moved loosely around, it irritated the skin and by the end of the week I started to develop a rash. The problem was solved when I put another shirt on underneath the top.

Both the pants and the shirt are made of technical thermal fabric that allows moisture to move rapidly away from the body. After dragging around my heavy backpack for the entire day, the underwear did seem to dry extremely fast and even after a long, unwashed week, it didn’t start to smell or feel dirty.

The other good thing about the underwear is the lightness. It takes up little room in your bag and the weight-to-warmth ratio is superb. The underwear itself is not very attractive, though it does come in three different colours: black, bright pink and purple. That said, it doesn’t fit too snugly around the body and almost feels like it was designed to have another baselayer underneath.

Verdict

The underwear was comfortable and dried quickly. For £19.99, it is a good bargain but if there is an extra 20 quid in your pocket to spend you might find something more reliable, better looking and convenient.