The TREWth about Product Development/The Birth of our Base Layers

[Gray Lab]

Tripp thanks for the info on the NX. Let me know when the proto is on the way for my wear test. 👍

[trex_9]

i was gonna snap up a beast jacket with their sale price now but i think im gonna wait till the NX fabric is used. tripp will your products have that fabric for 15/16 winter ?

[snuffleupagus]

i was gonna snap up a beast jacket with their sale price now but i think im gonna wait till the NX fabric is used. tripp will your products have that fabric for 15/16 winter ?

All of our shells, both Freeride (TREWth, Cosmic, Stella, Chariot, etc) and the new touring line, will utilize the NX membrane beginning next fall. BUT we are NOT running the Beast next fall, so if you want that jacket, then you best snag it off our site during the final part of our spring 50% sale.

[SupreChicken]

Is any of the new stuff going to have a stupidly long center back length? I like a long fit. I basically want the beast features in a long cut. Is the pow funk still the longest jacket? How long is the center back length?

[BushwackerinPA]

I currently only own FLylow and Strafe technical outwear. Flylow has by far the best venting and their soft shell stuff breathes better than anything else on top of that it is however not water proof....

With that said make black pant or bib with large NON meshed inner thigh vents, and full zip outer vents with the new Doray fabric I ll for sure by one in black and maybe one in colors. Your stuff is bomber and has great feedback from my coworkers who use it.

[snuffleupagus]

Is any of the new stuff going to have a stupidly long center back length? I like a long fit. I basically want the beast features in a long cut. Is the pow funk still the longest jacket? How long is the center back length?

Yes, the Pow Funk is the longest cut. Large is 33.5". It's one inch grading, so medium would be 32.5" and XL would be 34.5". Cosmic will be a bit shorter. The new touring jacket will be similar, or a tad shorter, than the Cosmic.

[snuffleupagus]

I currently only own FLylow and Strafe technical outwear. Flylow has by far the best venting and their soft shell stuff breathes better than anything else on top of that it is however not water proof....

With that said make black pant or bib with large NON meshed inner thigh vents, and full zip outer vents with the new Doray fabric I ll for sure by one in black and maybe one in colors. Your stuff is bomber and has great feedback from my coworkers who use it.

Our new touring pant will have both inner and outer vents withOUT any mesh and it will come in black. this is good feedback on though and we'll consider for the Eagle and TREWth. I too love the cross venting!

[Name Redacted]

Funny thing is, you ask for feedback this time of year and you are going to get everyone asking for venting. Especially this season.

[BushwackerinPA]

Hey I ski in the east, it was cold as balls this year.

[Gray Lab]

This Icebreaker neck has worked well for me: http://www.icebreaker.com/en/mens-ba...ts=001|D46|G80.
I like it because it gives full coverage on cold days, but can be folded over into a mock neck height if full height is too much or even opened all the way and laid flat like a 70s fly collar. Plus, with the collar flat and wide open, you can rock a devastating Magnum P.I. chest hair look. Good for when you stop at Two Elk for your $30 chili or if you want to kick back on the sundeck with your goggles on backward after running spring zipper lines. It seems like most other baselayers use more of a mock neck (including the one shown on your blog), but I would love to see Trew offer this taller neck option. Would also like to see it in a lighter weight than what Icebreaker has.

I also like to wear boxer briefs under the full length baselayer bottoms. If you make these, make sure they have a fly that works well (Patagonia once had a pair with no fly which was brutal) and please make them long so they stay down. Ideally they would come down all the way below the hammies to just above the knee. No one seems to make these long enough to stay put.

[TAFKALVS]

EDIT: One other thought on why folks are not using NX and why many have adopted NeoShell. Beginning about five years ago the big focus became breathability since many hard shells were not that breathable. "Breathability" became the key objective and its trendy. NeoShell achieved great levels of breathability and that sells because that's what hot...but they sacrificed waterproofness to get there. In our eyes, it's about finding the best combination of the waterproofness and breathability. And right now NX is the leader.

As a former employee of an large Goretex brand - I think a big reason Neoshell got good adoption because the all PU membrane did not violate Licensing contracts with Gore. A big reason why companies that use Goretex tend to be all Gore fabrics is because that Gore will drop the hammer on anyone who uses a PTFE/ePTFE membrane that is not from Gore.

[snuffleupagus]

We had a fit session late last week with our fit model. Are the pants a good length or should they be shorter?

this first photo shows our "Chill Pant" aka Hut Pant or heavier weight second layer on the really cold days....

[DougW]

haven't read whole thread to see if covered but with goretex pants just shell when going up chair front of thigh when it gets snow on it , it melts as no air gap. Be nice to have extra insulation on front of thigh or even a mesh just in that area.

[adrenalated]

Shorter. Bottoms should end above boot top.

[Name Redacted]

Why not just looser around the calf area so they could go over your boot tops instead of being tucked into the boot? I've stretched mine out to do this for years and it prevents that little gap.

[Bromontana]

Shorter. Bottoms should end above boot top.

+1. If you're not wearing boots you're inside and don't need that level of warmth anyway. People don't backcountry in high tops.

[MarcusBrody]

I usually cut off my base layers about an inch below where your black bottom section starts. I aim for it to overlap a full length ski sock by about an inch if pulled down.

[JayPowHound]

Shorter. Bottoms should end above boot top.

This. For sure. Socks come up high enough that there won't be any gap.

Bottoms should end above the boot top.

[Name Redacted]

This. For sure. Socks come up high enough that there won't be any gap.

Bottoms should end above the boot top.

To ensure that snow that gets blown into your vents goes directly down your boot?

[Cabinfever]

Put the thumb loop right in the sleeve fabric so the sleeve actually covers the wrist / back of hand. Warmer if you need it and if not just don't use the loop. Loop material should be wider so as not to abrade skin.


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[Gray Lab]

I guess I'm in the minority on this, but I like the length of the lighter weight pants in your bottom photos. Your idea of 7/8ths length allows for that "slinky" action I mentioned above. It let's you pull the pants down to the boot top but have a little extra material that can give (without the need for stretch) when the knee is bent. This keeps the pants from pulling up away from the boot top and creating a gap between the bottom of the pants and the boot top, which can happen with 3/4 length, especially on taller people. The gap area will be covered by the socks, but you can feel the difference on cold days.

Your pictures actually give a good idea of what I mean by the slinky action. In the lower right photo, the left leg isn't pulled all the way down. Instead it is slightly bunched up like it would be at a boot top (though it's a little lower in the photo than it would be for most boot tops). The extra material can expand and contract like a slinky. Perfect.

What the hell is that Chill Pant? Hammer time! I wouldn't wear those things to a shit fight.

[Gray Lab]

Put the thumb loop right in the sleeve fabric so the sleeve actually covers the wrist / back of hand. Warmer if you need it and if not just don't use the loop. Loop material should be wider so as not to abrade skin.

x2. Those thumb loops look uncomfty.

[meter-man]

Tripp, Thanks for the great gear. I have a pair of Trewth bibs and Cosmic shells. I got em from you through Gulotta. Love both.

The new base layers sound great. I now only use wool base layers, so would love more options than Icebreaker, Smartwool, etc.

Shorter. Bottoms should end above boot top.

Thirded.

This Icebreaker neck has worked well for me: http://www.icebreaker.com/en/mens-ba...ts=001|D46|G80.

I also like to wear boxer briefs under the full length baselayer bottoms. If you make these, make sure they have a fly that works well (Patagonia once had a pair with no fly which was brutal) and please make them long so they stay down. Ideally they would come down all the way below the hammies to just above the knee. No one seems to make these long enough to stay put.

I personally would love a lightweight wool hoodie a la the R1, like this one from Icebreaker: http://www.icebreaker.com/en/mens-to...01%7C002%7C301 Make one with a 1/4 zipper and chest pocket, and I will buy two.

Agree on the boxer briefs and on the length. I'd totally get a couple pair of those too.

[snuffleupagus]

Put the thumb loop right in the sleeve fabric so the sleeve actually covers the wrist / back of hand. Warmer if you need it and if not just don't use the loop. Loop material should be wider so as not to abrade skin.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Good thoughts here. Our primary thought about using the loops instead of the thumb hole in the face fabric is that the loop attachments are lower profile and less noticeable than an actual thumb hole in the fabric. But I can see this going both ways and that a sleek design eliminates this.

[snuffleupagus]

I guess I'm in the minority on this, but I like the length of the lighter weight pants in your bottom photos. Your idea of 7/8ths length allows for that "slinky" action I mentioned above. It let's you pull the pants down to the boot top but have a little extra material that can give (without the need for stretch) when the knee is bent. This keeps the pants from pulling up away from the boot top and creating a gap between the bottom of the pants and the boot top, which can happen with 3/4 length, especially on taller people. The gap area will be covered by the socks, but you can feel the difference on cold days.

Your pictures actually give a good idea of what I mean by the slinky action. In the lower right photo, the left leg isn't pulled all the way down. Instead it is slightly bunched up like it would be at a boot top (though it's a little lower in the photo than it would be for most boot tops). The extra material can expand and contract like a slinky. Perfect.

What the hell is that Chill Pant? Hammer time! I wouldn't wear those things to a shit fight.

I think we're on the same page here in terms of length. we're trying to find that balance between too long and too short.

Our "chill pant" is a heavier weight NuYarn layer. It can be used as a mid-layer on cold days instead of fleece pants, for example. It'll be styled in a casual way that also gives the user the ability to wear this piece as outer layer like a pair of sweatpants. This category of pant is popular in the broader outdoor/athletic market and we think this is a unique piece that will resonate with mountain shredders!