The country that birthed shield maidens, Aquavit and Olympic Gold Medalist Kari Traa has yet another notch on the bedpost of innovation: Brynje of Norway Lady Wool Thermo Mesh Long Sleeve Shirt with Inlay ($94.95) Brynje of Norway Lady Wool Thermo Mesh Longs with Inlay ($99.95).
I first learned about Brynje of Norway in 2010 when my husband—who at the time was active duty military—spent the month of February in Norway on a winter training deployment with the Norwegian Home Guard. He came home with a set of Norwegian Home Guard-issued wool fishnet baselayers. I had never seen anything like it and was instantly fixated on the brilliance of the fishnet design for baselayers.
What I Loved
Lightweight and Extremely Packable
More so than my Smartwool and Ibex. Brynje of Norway’s fishnet mesh design simply uses less fabric. When I ball up the bottoms or tops of the Brynje of Norway and compare to my Smartwool and Ibex tops, the Brynje of Norway are noticeably smaller—which means they are lighter and will take up less space in a backpack.
Bulk-free Fit
The Brynje of Norway Lady Wool Thermo Mesh baselayers go on like a pair of fishnet stockings and form to my body. But they’re not entirely fishnet. They have solid wool panels in the front core, shoulders and knees and fit better under any midlayer and over my bike chamois. More so than my Smartwool and Ibex because, again, there is just less fabric.
Exceptional warmth and moisture-transfer
Wool is the original tech fabric and keeps you warmer, drier and can go much longer in between washes than synthetic fabrics. In theory, you’d think that the fishnet style on the arms, legs and back wouldn’t keep you as warm as a solid-wool design but they do. I found this to be true snowshoeing and fatbiking when the temperatures hovered in the high-teens to low twenties with chilly wind.
When snowshoeing I wore only the Brynje of Norway Lady Wool Thermo Mesh baselayers with a North Face Apex softshell a pair of Ibex snowpants as my outerlayers. On the fatbike my outerlayers were a Pearl Izumi Versa Quilted Hoodie and a pair of Club Ride tights. I was certainly warm enough but what was most noticeable was how much better they managed and transferred moisture than my other wool baselayers. After fatbiking, the Pearl Izumi Versa Quilted Hoodie was soaking wet but my back and core were not.
The logic of the Brynje of Norway Lady Wool Thermo Mesh baselayers is pretty simple. The gaps in the fishnet mesh trap warmth against the skin where you need it but also don’t hold onto moisture because there just isn’t enough fabric to hold it. So sweat passes onto your next layer.
Longterm Durability
I’ve only had my Brynje of Norway Lady Wool Thermo Mesh baselayers fishnets since late December. But remember earlier when I mentioned my husband’s first encounter with them? It was 2011. Nine years later he is still living the dream in them during the winter. Plus, they’re made in Europe. As an aside, my husband always washed his in Woolite on the gentle cycle and air dried them. I intend to do the same to ensure an equally long life.
What I didn’t Like
Nothing. There is nothing that is nit-pickable with Brynje of Norway Lady Wool Thermo Mesh baselayers.
Final Thoughts
Some shoppers might balk at the steep price tag ($95 for a top and $100 for the bottoms) but you do get what you pay for: a quality, long-lasting and durable baselayer that is made in Europe.
