UKH

In Scottish winter I generally use a warm baselayer, the warmest ones I have are a Rab AL (I think) and a newer Sprayway Dornie. I wear a Rab Vapour-Rise Guide jacket over these. Being old & weedy I tend to feel the cold more so if it's bad I use an old polartec t-shirt over the baselayer. I'd like to get another warm t-shirt/short zip item for this purpose but I can't see many advertised. Any recommendations? I could go with a gilet but I don't really want the extra weight of zips, pockets etc.

In reply to Duncan Beard:

 Not being facetious, but could you just cut the arms off a long sleeved polartec 100 zip neck?

In reply to Duncan Beard: Pretty much any grid fleece sounds like what you need

In reply to Duncan Beard:

I also have a vapour rise guide jacket and also get freeze dried to the core in a gentle breeze any time outside of mid summer. 

If I'm walking then I just have a base layer under the VRG and put a hard shell on top if it gets nasty, the hard shell over it adds quite a lot of warmth and can come on and off easily so you're not overheating. If I'm climbing (i.e. not moving fast) then I'll put an old vapour rise trail smock in between and hard shell and belay jacket in the sack.

In reply to Sharp:

I love the snug feel of the VRG & also it's very useful pockets but it doesn't seem to be as warm as you might expect. I wore it on a hilly walk near Stocksbridge yesterday with a thin baselayer & light t-shirt, was ok all day carrying 8kg, temp about 5C.

When I'm climbing, usually the belay jacket goes on at the first belay then stays on! If it's blowy & snowy then the hard shell goes on earlier.

I have been considering putting my VR Alpine Light under the guide, it does fit.

In reply to wbo2:

This, a light grid fleece like the ME Lumiko or Montane Protium seems like what you're after.

In reply to midgen: They look similar to the Sprayway Dornie but twice the cost! Maybe I should buy another Dornie & cut the sleeves off. Or wear a thin merino baselayer under the one I have?

In reply to Duncan Beard:

The Dornie half zip in medium is £14.99 at Gaynors. You might be able to repurpose the sleeves as ballet-style leg warmers (I have no formal qualifications in fashion).

In reply to Duncan Beard:

How about a heavyweight (200+) merino t-shirt?

In reply to Toerag:

An excellent idea. Looking at Wiggle they have sleeved, T & long sleeved in 150gsm & 200gsm. Just what I want I think.

In reply to Thugitty Jugitty:

Wow, I thought the Dornie was good value at £30, what I paid a year ago (Castle Mountaineering).

I tried a comparison of a thin merino under the Dornie & it felt colder than the Dornie alone, presumably because it blocked the waffles from working as well as when next to skin.