GripGrab Freedom Seamless Thermal Base Layer LS

The GripGrab Freedom Seamless Thermal Base Layer LS is one of the softest I've ever worn thanks to the fabric and how it's woven. It's warm and does a great job of wicking sweat away, all the things a good thermal baselayer should do, but then again, it does have a £90 price tag.

• Pros: Very soft fabric next to your skin, regulates temperature well
• Cons: Costly, limited sizing

For the Freedom, GripGrab has used Dryarn fabric, a polypropylene microfibre that we have seen used for arm warmers, leg warmers and knee warmers, such as these from Alé.

From previous use of the material, I've found it to be good at keeping you warm and dry thanks to some decent wicking properties and insulation. That's exactly what you get here. I found it worked well between just above freezing with a softshell jacket, up to about 10°C with a lighter winter jersey on top or thin waterproof jacket.

The key thing about the GripGrab, though, is the way it is made. As you can probably guess from the name, it's pretty much produced in one piece with no seams. Well, there are two: one on the top of each shoulder running just to the top of the arm, although it is very small and barely noticeable.

Now, I've never worn any of my other baselayers and gone, 'I really wish they didn't have any seams.' But the GripGrab does feel better against the skin than most, though a lot of that admittedly is down to the softness of the fabric.

Cleverly, the knit pattern changes throughout the baselayer, being thicker where you are likely to be exposed to the wind and with a more vented style down the sides and underneath the arms, where it is actually a very fine mesh.

The material has a lot of stretch to it too, which means that even though it's so fine in these places there is little chance of it ripping. GripGrab says that if it does get torn it won't run or ladder either.

When it comes to sizing, GripGrab says that the Freedom has a 'next to skin fit' which it might for some but not all because of the fact that it only comes in two sizes, S/M (84-96cm chest) and L/XL (96-110cm chest).

I like a little bit of compression from a baselayer – nothing massive, just a close fit – and being near the bottom end of the L/XL I found it a little loose, especially when on the bike (it's not me in the photos). For me I'd like to see a small, medium, large and extra large, ideally.

There may not be loads of size options but there are a few colour choices: this navy blue, light blue, red or pink.

There is no escaping the price, though. A tag of £90 is pricey for a jersey let alone a layer that you are going to hide underneath it. Yes, the Freedom is very good at its job, but it's up against a lot of tough opposition. The Lusso Bioactive Thermal Polo baselayer costs just £34.99, for example, and scored well. Pactimo's High Grade Wool baselayer also scored well, with a few niggles but not many, and we still felt it was pricey at £70.

> Buyer's Guide: 15 of the best cycling baselayers

Apart from the sizing thing I can't really fault the Freedom, but even if that were sorted I think it would still be a little too rich for my taste; if you can find it at a discount, though, I'd thoroughly recommend it.

Verdict

A very impressive baselayer when it comes to comfort and wicking but it's pricey and size options are limited