November 09, 2009Baselayer Review: Icebreaker Men’s Bodyfit 260 Slalom Zip

I’m a lucky man. You see, I’ve got a new favourite shirt. The Icebreaker Men’s Bodyfit 260 Slalom Zip to be precise.

I wear every chance I get, which is often.

It is simply amazing for when you want to spend significant amounts of time outside when it’s cold. No silly, it’s not waterproof nor windproof and actually isn’t all that warm. But that doesn’t detract it from being an awesome baselayer. Quite the opposite in fact.

This man is looking good and feeling GREAT

First of all you’ve got the merino goodness. There’s no need for me to wax poetic about its breathability, softness, fast drying and awesome smell deterrence since I’ve already done so, with musical accompaniment at that.

Second, I really like the thickness of the Bodyfit 260. Between thin and thick, it’s a got an all-round versatility. You can wear it as a warm base layer or as a thin insulating layer over another base layer.

Third, what I find that really sets the Slalom apart is its extra-long neck. To me, it’s the pièce de résistance. It goes up all the way up here, ie just before the chin. I wish more shirts had collars like that. Protecting your neck in cold weather is essential. The Slalom is awesome in doing that. When you’re heading out and wind and cold will be factors, you’re set. A neck gaitor will protect you from the wind and the Slalom’s long neck will both cut out any drafts and insulate lightly.

What if you’re like my work buddy, Dave, and find such a long collar to be bothersome? Easy, just fold it and voilà, you’ve got a ¼ zip length. Sweet. Speaking of zip, that’s another element I appreciate. Given the choice between a turtleneck and a zip neck, I choose the zip neck, for versatility. Ok, so you have to trade a tiny bit of comfort against the neck and warmth to get the zip. However, that’s more than compensated by the fact that if it gets too hot, you can simply unzip the collar and dump some heat.

I can't guarantee you'll look this cool

And there you have it. Three reasons that explain why I love my Slalom. 1. Merino. 2. Versatile thickness. 3. Great neck.

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