Battle of the base layers!

[Westside 232]

I'm not sure when my attitudes towards base layers shifted since growing up I would play in boxers and that was it. As an adult, I'm not a fan of the feel of elastic/velcro/etc and have been wearing base layers top and bottom for years now. It was a bit of trial and error to find what worked for me and recently I've gone through that process again. Figured I'd make a post about it in case it helps anyone else. 

 

My go-to base layers for the last 5 or 6 years have been made by a company called TSLA (not the cars) on Amazon. I forget who suggested them, but at the time you could buy ventilated tops and bottoms for $25 total. Insane price and they've held up amazingly well! They're not made for hockey so they don't have any rubberized bits to help keep pads in place, but they do breathe well, wick moisture, and are the best bang for your buck. I run hot so ventilation is important to me. The top has vents along the length of the arms and across the entire back. The overall material is on the thinner side, which I appreciate, and then there's the lighter mesh material for ventilation. It's a compression top, but doesn't make you feel like you're in a sausage casing. I think the version that I wear have been discontinued, but this this new version is very similar and under $20. 

No frills with pads on. They keep velcro and all that off your bare skin and help soak up sweat. Basic, but they work

Trying something new, but not wanting to break the bank, I gave Adidas hockey base layer a shot. Price-wise it's under $40 and they use the 3-stripes along the arms to help keep pads in place. This is another compression top which is more form fitting than the TSLA, but could also be due to how worn my old tops are. The entire back is mesh for nice breathability. As my first experience with rubberized elbows, I felt like there should be more stripes or they should have been relocated. Based on the shirt I have, the stripes wrap more on the top of the elbow vs the bottom and don't do much to help keep the pads in place. Getting them to the underside of my elbow causes the sleeve to contort in an unnatural and uncomfortable way. For the price, it's not a bad solution, but I feel it leaves something to be desired. 

For me, the stripes didn't really help keep the pads in place

Next up is a version from Shock Doctor. I've used other items of theirs in the past and am typically impressed by the feel and function of what they offer. The Core Hockey Shirt they offer not only has rubberized texture on the elbow, but the sleeve also folds over itself to further lock pads into place. At less than $60 the price is starting to creep up, but not terribly so. You may sense a theme, but this is another compression top. The overall material is the thickest I've tried so far and definitely helps keep you 'compressed'. I sized up and still felt it was a bit tight, but am hopeful it'll loosen up with more wear. The only ventilation panels are on the armpits. Seeing how thick the material is, I would have really appreciated the back panel to have mesh; especially given how it's constructed (multiple panels instead of a single piece of fabric). On the other hand, it's useful at extremely cold rinks like the one I played at yesterday. The rubberized elbow pieces contour your elbow much better than Adidas' version and the sleeve that slides over the pad does so very easily and holds the pad on exactly as you would expect. When the sleeve is folded over your bare forearm is exposed which I guess kind of helps you cool down a bit.

The sleeve folded over the forearm part of my elbow pads

Last up is a bit of a splurge and that's the TILO Pro Paddlock from Warroad. They also offer rubberized textured patches on the elbow as well as a sleeve that folds over itself similar to the Shock Doctor. Their claim to fame, however, is the cut resistant forearm sleeves. Before I go any further, let me get the elephant out of the room. This top costs $140! Even with the 40% discounts they were running over the holidays, it was still $80. That's a lot of coin for a top seeing as I've previously been happy with something that cost under $20. But now that price is out of the way, let's get into the shirt itself. TILO stands for 'tight and loose' meaning their arms are tight and the body is loose. That's generally not what I look for in a top so I ordered my regular size and a size smaller hoping to get the body a bit more conforming. Unfortunately, the cut resistant sleeves become too tight when sizing down and feel like they're cutting off circulation. Regular size body isn't terribly baggy which is a plus, but it's not as form fitting as I'd like. That said, the entire top is made of a lightweight mesh material. By far my favorite material as it breathes extremely well. The elbows have the most rubberized material compared to any of the other tops I've tried. The folding sleeves are a bit tight/finicky to get on with one hand. You basically have to fold over one side, press it against your chest to hold it in place over your pad, and then fold over the other side. Nowhere near as easy as the Shock Doctor even with the handy loops. However, once they're in place, the elbow pad doesn't move at all. I have to imagine they'll loosen up the more I wear it, but if you wear bulky elbow pads, it'd be a PITA to put on. I've never had my forearms cut, nor seen it happen to anyone in person, but I know it can happen so I suppose the cut resistant sleeve is just another preventative measure. The sleeve fits obviously snug and warm, but the fact the rest of the shirt breathes crazy well doesn't make this too big of a deal. 

With the sleeve folded over you can see the cut protection sleeve underneath 

 

So that's that guys. Options from $20-140 with a variety of different features. I don't feel any of them are perfect, but the Shock Doctor and Warroad are easily my new favorites. I don't see myself using any other tops going forward. If Shock Doctor created a thinner/more breathable top it would be the perfect base layer for what I'm after. I feel their sleeves grip the pads well enough to keep them in place and the fold-over portion is easy to use. I could take or leave the cut resistant sleeve on Warroad so that's not a major selling point for me. If they sold the top for about half the price and offered a slightly more compression version, it would be much closer to what I like to wear as I'm a huge fan of the mesh material. Time will tell if the fold over sleeve will open up and become easier to use. 

I don't plan on trying out anymore tops as my wallet has had enough with these, but if there's a brand I've missed that would check all my boxes, maybe I'll try it out too.

Edited January 4, 2022 by Westside

[VegasHockey 1280]

I think CCM Bulletin makes the best base layer top and bottoms. They breathe nicely, are durable, and have rubber to keep pads in place. Plus they are decently priced. 

[Hills 712]

25 minutes ago, PBH said:

I think CCM Bulletin makes the best base layer top and bottoms. They breathe nicely, are durable, and have rubber to keep pads in place. Plus they are decently priced. 

The only base layer I have seen in stores with the grip nubs to be either falling off from the clothes or have a matte finish which offered 0 grip. The consistency in these was all over the place.

[VegasHockey 1280]

5 hours ago, Hills said:

The only base layer I have seen in stores with the grip nubs to be either falling off from the clothes or have a matte finish which offered 0 grip. The consistency in these was all over the place.

I dunno. We sell a lot of base layers and only brands like Firstar having issues with "grip" separating from the fabric. Never had this issue with CCM/Bulletin or Shock Doctor.

I can't comment about other brands as I dont have a lot of experience with them. 

[caveman27 208]

I just wear a short-sleeve t-shirt on top and thermal waffle, long underwear on bottom. They keep the legs warm to avoid muscle and ligament strains.

Thermal underwear top is too hot unless I'm playing in a very cold rink or outdoors when it is 20 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (-6 to -12 Celsius).

[moonrockticktock 17]

I guess I’m not too picky but I recently picked up Nike running dri-fit pants and shirt base layer at a Nike factory outlet for $30 cad total. Played 2 games in them and it did the job. Before that I had under armour pants and long sleeves with the grips and I wasn’t much of a fan of the grips on the elbow area as I like to slide my elbow pads on. But I’m happy with the Nike dri-fit stuff. 

[BenBreeg 493]

I wear cheap synthetic t-shirts on top and just Shock Doctor short bottoms, that is plenty warm even in cold rinks for me, and I don't like the cold.  A buddy skates with regular cotton sweatpants under everything, I can't imagine how hot that must be...

For the most part, synthetics are going to wick similarly to one another, there ARE ways to weave them that can change this but I would wonder if the higher priced stuff actually incorporates that.

[VegasHockey 1280]

2 hours ago, moonrockticktock said:

I guess I’m not too picky but I recently picked up Nike running dri-fit pants and shirt base layer at a Nike factory outlet for $30 cad total. Played 2 games in them and it did the job. Before that I had under armour pants and long sleeves with the grips and I wasn’t much of a fan of the grips on the elbow area as I like to slide my elbow pads on. But I’m happy with the Nike dri-fit stuff. 

That reminds me! Under Armour outlets sometimes have the really nice base layers that a lot of pros use. I picked up a pair recently since the pants were only $19.99 and the top was $9.99

https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/c/sports/hockey/

I have been very impressed with them

[stick9 891]

4 hours ago, PBH said:

That reminds me! Under Armour outlets sometimes have the really nice base layers that a lot of pros use. I picked up a pair recently since the pants were only $19.99 and the top was $9.99

https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/c/sports/hockey/

I have been very impressed with them

Yeah, same here. Both my shirts are UA and have held up really well. Best part, they are super easy to find.

[Westside 232]

The CCMs look nice, but I can’t seem to find them anywhere. If I ever stumble upon an UA outlet I’ll stop in and see if they have any hockey tops/bottoms

[nystromshairstylist 14]

I'm cheap, but these have held up well for me and can be worn in both summer and winter, and I wear them outdoors and are fine until about 10 degrees.  Then I need another dry-fit shirt underneath.

https://www.amazon.com/Champion-Sleeve-Double-Performance-T-Shirt/dp/B01DAQT17I/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=champion+long+sleeve+shirt+men&qid=1641659747&sprefix=champion+long+sle%2Caps%2C244&sr=8-7

[start_today 770]

I wear the sleeveless Tsla tops. They are definitely tight/compression without feeling restrictive. I don’t think about them at all. They come in lots of colors, which I like. 

I wear Tsla insulated tights for snowboarding. They are at least as warm as nice sweatpants, without being bulky or restrictive. If someone is playing an outdoor game, they would probably be a good option. 

[helmet91 15]

How about... where in the world do I find anything in stock?  Trying to track down Shock Doctor tops and bottoms for my two peewees is next to impossible.  I can't find Youth XL or Adult XS at the normal suspects - and we don't have any local shops with any sort of stock/selection even without supply shortages. 

Pretty frustrating...

[BenBreeg 493]

2 hours ago, helmet91 said:

How about... where in the world do I find anything in stock?  Trying to track down Shock Doctor tops and bottoms for my two peewees is next to impossible.  I can't find Youth XL or Adult XS at the normal suspects - and we don't have any local shops with any sort of stock/selection even without supply shortages. 

Pretty frustrating...

The digital weaving factories are pretty much centered in China and for the most part assembly lines are shared unless you are massive (Under Armour) so it's affecting everyone.

[Sniper9 530]

I've had china knockoffs from Amazon, UA, true, etc. Haven't noticed a huge difference between brands. They all feel and fit slightly diff but. Nothing crazy. I will say that UA is tighter than most brands and offers. Ore compression. I like the ones with grip for the elbow pads and shins though. 

[Westside 232]

If anyone is still watching this topic, I figured I'd post a slight update to this as I've been wearing the new tops for a few months now. 

 

The Warroad has some pilling on the fabric as it gets caught pretty easily on any piece of velcro that comes close to it. No holes or anything yet, but this is concerning for long-term durability.

The Shock Doctor is just too damn hot for me personally. I can feel the sweat dripping whenever I wear it unless I'm in a super cold rink. I ended up finding another another top on sale for about $30 and decided to buy a new TSLA top for $15. Cut the sleeves off of the SD and sewed them onto the TSLA. Have a bye week this week so no games, but I think this might be the perfect base layer for me. The shirt is lightweight, back is all mesh for breathability, and the shock doctor sleeves are easy to use and hold my pads into place. Seeing as I got the components for the project for cheap, it was worth trying and if it sucks I'm not out much money.

 

Back view; the back panel of the TSLA is one giant piece vs 3 on the Shock Doctor, plus it's mesh and lighter weight for much better breathability. I folded it kind of wonky in this photo, but the sleeves do match. 

Blew the crotch out of my go-to base layer bottoms recently and replaced them as well. Back panel is almost all vented mesh for solid breathability. Took some gripper sock paint and made designs to help hold my shins in place. Did this to my old pair and it works surprisingly well.

 

 

Edited February 11, 2022 by Westside