5 Women's Base Layer Tops You'll Love

Base layers are an important part of your winter gear quiver. Some are too hot, too thick and restricting, or not warm enough. Whether you're shredding pow or playing in the snow with your dog, here are 5 base layer tops you'll love.

Patagonia Capeline Air

The Capeline Air is an incredibly warm layer, despite it being super lightweight. The waffle-like texture is super soft and does an amazing job of keeping you warm, and because of it's light weave, it dries super fast. Wearing it feels almost like you're wearing a thin sweater. Cozy and comfy, reach for this layer either on colder days in the mountains, or on those mid-season days where it starts to get a little warmer and you won't be adding many layers on top of it. 

Backcountry Spruces Merino Base Layer Crew

Want a lightweight and stretchy merino layer that fits nicely and can double as a sun shirt while hiking in the off-season? Look no further. The Backcountry-branded Spruces Merino Base Layer is a go-to for blue bird days spent touring all season long or spring skiing with a vest. 

Kari Traa Base Layers

You've probably seen this brand start popping up in more and more stores near you. Kari Traa is a former Norwegian Olympic freestyle skier turned women's outdoor apparel CEO. In between competitions, Kari would be found knitting her own ski apparel for herself and friends, and years later her hobby became her business. While we really like the LUS line, all of Kari Traa's base layers fit well, have fun graphics, and have the right amount of breathability and warmth. 

Icebreaker Oasis Crew 200

You can't go wrong with Icebreaker layers. The Oasis Crew 200 is on the thinner side, but is still incredibly warm. Similar to the Backcountry Spruces layer, this is a great one to grab on days where you'll be working a little bit harder to earn your turns. 

Smartwool 250 Quarter Zip Base Layer

For colder days in the mountains, the Smartwool 250 Quarter Zip will be your friend. Simple and not over-thought, this layer is really warm, and we like the quarter zip for added ventilation.

Cover photo courtesy of Kari Traa