The Armaskin Always Dry Base Layer Review.

I’ve had this Armaskin always dry base layer for a while. Due to the Covid-19 Lockdown I haven’t had the chance to try it out until now.

First thing to mention when hiking long distances I like a base layer that is tight firstly to stop any chaffing especially if you’re carrying a heavy load for a distance.

Personally I am built for winter and find that I get really hot during the summer so I find myself mainly hiking in a base layer.

Armaskin Always Dry Base Layer.

The Armaskin always dry base layer is mainly made from merino wool which has amazing moisture wicking properties by itself. It is great at temperature control as it keeps you cool when hot and warm when its cold.

Merino Wool is a type of wool that comes from Merino Sheep and is renowned for its fantastic softness, shine and breathability.

The fibres of Merino wool are softer, finer, and more sensitive than many other fabrics. Common wool types are warm, durable, water repellent, and naturally insulating.

Armaskin have utilised the properties of the merino wool and coated the fabric in the Si Fusion polymer (the same silicone layer as the anti blister socks) to make this base layer even better.

The Si Fusion treatment keeps the moisture away from the skin by a one way moisture transfer and stops abrasions by keeping the garment tight to the skin.

The garment also has a bio static layer to keep the wearer fresh.

Trial wear.

It was a warm day around 15C I had decided to carry a day pack weighing around 6kg and was wearing a fleece as I wanted to be a little warm to see how the base layer would function.

I planned a total of about 5 hours walking in the sun.

The base layer itself I find a little to small fo me but currently this is the biggest size that armaskin produce.

To put the garment on you have to treat it similar to putting on a rash vest. I believe that if you where a little warm and tacky this would be difficult as the Si Fusion coating will stick the clammy skin.

The walk itself was really warm and I was sweating due to the heat, after 2 hours I stopped to asses the base layer.

Taking of my bag a fleece I found the back of the fleece wet and the back of the base layer wet but skin on the inside felt dry.

I must add here that the bag I was wearing is designed too allow air flow to my back and this is a design that I would highly recommend when choosing a rucksack either a large bag or a day pack.

As thought putting the base layer back was difficult as my skin was clammy but with time and treating it like a rash vest I was able to get the base layer back on.