SmartWool NTS Lightweight Bottom - Men's - 2009 BCS

Wearing these is almost sinful. They are so soft and comfy, and on top of that, they perform. They stretch and move well, they stay put when active, they wick sweat, and repel odor. Also, they add at least 15 degrees of warmth when sleeping at night. These are a critical part of my cold weather gear.

Let me start out by stating the obvious, SmartWool has some awesome material. Very, very soft, regulates extremely well (nice and cozy in the cold yet breathe and dry really well when physical exertion and temperature gets the sweat going, maintains both of these characteristics if they happen to get damp via rain/snow/creek splash/etc.) and the NTS light and medium weight shirts I have from them have held up extremely well to repeated machine washing on cold and a good deal of abuse via road cycling/MTB/hiking/skiing/daily wear so far.

This is my first pair of their bottoms and all the above applies to them so far. I'm a little disappointed in the fit however.

I'm 6'2" tall, 185-190lbs, 34.5-35" waist and 32-33" inseam and got the size large to use as a base layer for the coming snow season. Length is good, although I probably should have got the boot cut version as folding the cuffs over to clear my ski/snowboard boots like I normally do w/ my UA bottoms seems to put a bit of uncomfortable pressure on my calves and the stitching at them hem. Waist band fits well and is pretty comfy. The problem is that it seems like the crotch is cut kind of long and baggy, kind of old school long johns style. This leads to a load-in-the droors, semi-motion restricting kind of feeling unless I Erkel them up to just south of my belly button which then induces a semi-awkward, albeit soft and fuzzy wedgie. Jury is still out for me on how annoying the wedgie action winds up being in practice. Just wearing them around the house I kind of got used to it relatively quickly and they seem pretty comfy for lounging around wearing them further towards the hips.

I've yet to try them out on the slopes, but I expect them to be the perfect weight base layer for 80% of the season w/ my very lightly insulated pants. I think I'll stick w/ my UA bottoms under my baggies for sub 20F MTB excursions and 10F and under ski days as I'm not too sure how well the knees would hold up to a stiff bail on the bike and the UA stuff I have seems slightly warmer and does a better job cutting the wind.

Overall I'm giving them 4-4.25 stars at this point. If they re-designed the crotch and butt region for a slightly more athletic cut they'd be 5 stars easy.

If you are looking into getting your first merino baselayer, this is the one. Merino wool is the best baselayer fiber, and Smartwool has been the top brand in wool for quite a while now. This stuff gets even more comfortable through repeated washings, is super durable, and resists stench like a champ.

The Lighweight bottom has a very comfortable elastic waistband, and is skin tight without being uncomfortably constricting. It is critical that your bottoms have good moisture management and anti-stench capabilities, and these are the best at what they do. With these and some softshell pants like the Marmot Scree or the Patagonia Guide, you'll be comfortable in a huge range of weather and temperatures.

Simon

I am all about efficiency with my backpacking gear, and these are part of that kit. These are my must-have layer for over my compression shorts when needed, and under my hiking shorts. I rarely pack pants along, so these are my full-length warmth piece, whether that means at camp at night or in the morning, asleep in my bivy, or on the move the next day. I love the warmth, the temperature regulation, and the insulative properties when damp or even wet. And it just doesn't get any softer than Smartwool, does it? ;-)

SmartWool has never let me down. From socks to hats to baselayer tops and now bottoms. Love this brand. Quality, comfort and fit are all rock solid. I am 6', 180 lbs and the Large fit perfect. If it is on sale, get it. Don't think twice.

if you don't go to sleep with them on it should be the first thing you put on when you get up! Great base layer, very thin so they breath great but being wool still retain a lot of warmth. When the temp drops below freezing it's the first thing i put in my kit!

I got these for winter camping, but it turns out that I am wearing them nearly every day for the comfortable warmth they provide. They fit tight to my skin (size "medium" for my 33" waist) and there is plenty of length for my long legs, so there are no gaps. I have thick thighs and skinny calves, but they seem tighter at the calves, which is odd.

Overall, they are fantastic, and I need another pair to wear while they are in the wash.