Seeking Knicker Base Layer - Suggestions?

[Bookworm]

On sale:

Eva High Waist Capri - Heat Red

The Kari Traa Eva High Waist Capri is our answer to winter athletes who get cold thighs and butts and want improved warmth. Premium down on the front and backs of legs add supreme insulation.

www.karitraa.com

I have those too. Love them

 

[Bsheresq]

Glad I came upon this post! I’m East Coast based and have mostly skied Vermont, so all my pants are well-insulated. & unfortunately the meno symptoms have ramped up recently and I find myself melting into a puddle about 1000x a day, so I’m thinking I might prefer some cooler options. I’m also going to be in Utah for most of the season, where it appears that the weather might be a touch less brutally cold and unforgiving, so the idea of wearing a shell with some baselayers and even shorts seems like something I should explore. Thanks to everyone for all the ideas and options!

 

[wernerslab]

Thanks to all for the great options for consideration! Y'all are true Sisters on Skis and Divas to boot.

I looked through all the recommendations and I ended up justifying ordering the Stio Ferno insulated knicker anyway. I read about 220 of the Ferno reviews and they hit a sweet spot I didn't know even existed: A knicker midlayer not requiring a base layer in most temps so only one waistband under my shell. Many women reported wearing them for other activities and leisure without anything on top. I will also cut a few of my existing base layers to knicker length and hem them to add on storm skiing windy days. And also one Polartec and not hem that one. I'll compare and report back.

Now drumming my fingers waiting for snow to accumulate.

​

I have the Stio knickers bc my butt and hips got cold on the coldest days. I found them on a sale and they were almost half off the normal price. If you like them, keep your eye out for a sale. I ended up with a 2nd pair on sale bc I liked the first pair a lot. I only wear them to ski but they fit my pear shaped bottom half surprisingly well and are comfortable under my ski.pants.i wear them happily for apres ski. I usu wear a base layer under mine but I really hate feeling cold.

 

[McJoy]

I have those too. Love

On sale:

Eva High Waist Capri - Heat Red

The Kari Traa Eva High Waist Capri is our answer to winter athletes who get cold thighs and butts and want improved warmth. Premium down on the front and backs of legs add supreme insulation.

www.karitraa.com

How’s the sizing on the Kari Traa pants? I have a pair of her ski pants. They’re a stretchy softshell material (kind of the snowga pants style I guess) and I love them for less cold, not wet days (they’re not particularly water resistant) bc the stretch is so comfortable. But I sized up compared to a lot of my other ski clothes.
I’m looking for an insulated layer to go under shell ski pants. Right now I just layer fleece leggings. I’m thinking I’ll wait for Black Friday but some of those Kari traa options are already nicely discounted.

 

[Bookworm]

How’s the sizing on the Kari Traa pants? I have a pair of her ski pants. They’re a stretchy softshell material (kind of the snowga pants style I guess) and I love them for less cold, not wet days (they’re not particularly water resistant) bc the stretch is so comfortable. But I sized up compared to a lot of my other ski clothes.
I’m looking for an insulated layer to go under shell ski pants. Right now I just layer fleece leggings. I’m thinking I’ll wait for Black Friday but some of those Kari traa options are already nicely discounted.

I thought they were true to size

 

[HuntersEmma57]

Glad I came upon this post! I’m East Coast based and have mostly skied Vermont, so all my pants are well-insulated. & unfortunately the meno symptoms have ramped up recently and I find myself melting into a puddle about 1000x a day, so I’m thinking I might prefer some cooler options. I’m also going to be in Utah for most of the season, where it appears that the weather might be a touch less brutally cold and unforgiving, so the idea of wearing a shell with some baselayers and even shorts seems like something I should explore. Thanks to everyone for all the ideas and options!

 

[HuntersEmma57]

Glad I came upon this post! I’m East Coast based and have mostly skied Vermont, so all my pants are well-insulated. & unfortunately the meno symptoms have ramped up recently and I find myself melting into a puddle about 1000x a day, so I’m thinking I might prefer some cooler options. I’m also going to be in Utah for most of the season, where it appears that the weather might be a touch less brutally cold and unforgiving, so the idea of wearing a shell with some baselayers and even shorts seems like something I should explore. Thanks to everyone for all the ideas and options!

Definitely! I run hot and rarely wear insulated ski pants here in the West. That's been my experience here in UT and I storm ski. One caveat, my home mountain is 9000 ft. I've skied Jackson Hole and several I-70 mtns in CO, Fernie and Whistler Blackcomb in Canada and I have never been nearly as cold as I was at Sugar Bush, VT. Not. Even. Close.

 

[GladeDuchess]

Definitely! I run hot and rarely wear insulated ski pants here in the West. That's been my experience here in UT and I storm ski. One caveat, my home mountain is 9000 ft. I've skied Jackson Hole and several I-70 mtns in CO, Fernie and Whistler Blackcomb in Canada and I have never been nearly as cold as I was at Sugar Bush, VT. Not. Even. Close.

Dampness and humidity magnify everything for sure! Like it chills you right down to the bone.

Sort of in that same vein of westerners in the U.S. shrugging at hot temps, stating it is a dry heat, and in the east we find 90 degrees F brutal because of high humidity.

 

[BlizzardBabe]

The coldest I've ever been in my life was at Cannon Mtn. in New Hampshire. It was 5 degrees and windy. One run, go in and warm up. Repeat. This was in the day before boot heaters and hand warmers. One of those days when warming up meant horrible pain as digits began to thaw. I'm not sure we even made five runs.

 

[DebbieSue]

I bought a pair of Marmot Variant Hybrid Capris on sale Spring of 2021 when I switched to shell bibs after 40+ years of insulated ski pants over Duofold or Hot Chilly bottoms in coldest New England skiing. I hate being cold or feeling cold wind thru my outerwear. (I still wear insulated jacket over wool or fleece mid layer even when it’s over 32F.) The first thing I learned was that bibs, even uninsulated, are way warmer than insulated ski pants. I add the insulated capris over the base layer and under the bibs on the coldest or wettest days only, and they help some. That model is no longer made and had only partial insulation. Probably would’ve gotten more bang from Stio knickers, but they were more bucks.

I’ve since found that Duofold bottoms with merino component are great under bibs, for both warmth and for cooling if I get overheated and need to unzip vents. Bottom line, I don’t use the insulated capris as much as I expected to, but I am glad to have them for those bitter cold days.

 

[TNtoTaos]

I have those too. Love them

Wow -- these are nice! just wish they weren't down...

 

[BlizzardBabe]

Wow -- these are nice! just wish they weren't down...

Same here. I try to avoid down for humanitarian reasons (I know . . . and yes, I do eat turkey at Thanksgiving), and I can't tolerate wool next to my skin. I end up wearing a super thin wool layer (Marmot) over top of my Bracelayer or Stoko on those really cold days. It is usually enough even with my uninsulated bibs.

 

[Bookworm]

Wow -- these are nice! just wish they weren't down...

there's very little of it, but I hear ya

 

[TNtoTaos]

there's very little of it, but I hear ya

Yeah, I just find it hard to really believe companies that say their down is humanely sourced.

 

[Bookworm]

Yeah, I just find it hard to really believe companies that say their down is humanely sourced.

Depends on their definition of "humanely". It's kind of not necessary anymore when they have things that can replace down that work pretty well.

 

[TNtoTaos]

Depends on their definition of "humanely". It's kind of not necessary anymore when they have things that can replace down that work pretty well.

Exactly. I won't go into it here, but learning about how most down is obtained was horrific, and even "humanely-sourced" down comes from birds that are factory farmed and ultimately killed for various "uses." So, no...

 

[Bookworm]

Exactly. I won't go into it here, but learning about how most down is obtained was horrific, and even "humanely-sourced" down comes from birds that are factory farmed and ultimately killed for various "uses." So, no...

gross.

 

[HuntersEmma57]

gross.

Food for though from a farm kid and with a Native American spouse and son who are tribal memberss - Lakota from Rosebud Rez in SD: Waste not, Want not. Indigenous peoples honor the sacrifice animals makes to sustain us and give thanks for them to the Great Spirit, and use every bit of the animal they can. If geese and ducks are being raised and slaughtered only for down, that's an affront to the Great Spirit. Obviously the conditions there are raised in matter, too.

 

[Bookworm]

Food for though from a farm kid and with a Native American spouse and son who are tribal memberss - Lakota from Rosebud Rez in SD: Waste not, Want not. Indigenous peoples honor the sacrifice animals makes to sustain us and give thanks for them to the Great Spirit, and use every bit of the animal they can. If geese and ducks are being raised and slaughtered only for down, that's an affront to the Great Spirit. Obviously the conditions there are raised in matter, too.

I'm with you, but I hate factory farming. That's what bothers me