The temperature has really dropped now, with dark nights drawing in and frosty ground greeting us as soon as we step outside. It’s definitely a good time to snuggle up with blankets and hot water bottles, but what about the best clothing to wear for guaranteeing added warmth?
Layering up is key, whether you prefer popping a vest, T-shirt or long-sleeved top under a fleece, jumper or jacket. A bodysuit can keep you cosy too, as there’s no gap between your top and trousers for the cold to get in. On the trouser front, fleece-lined leggings work well, either worn alone or underneath jeans on a crisp winter walk.
Thermal clothing helps ensure you stay warm, without sweating – so it tends to be breathable and lightweight, while insulating your body. Because of this composition, thermal pieces are used as base layers and offer a secret warming weapon for both outdoor activities and time indoors. This means you can easily pop a thermal base layer under an everyday outfit to keep cosy. They’ll be just the ticket should you be heading off to colder climes anytime soon, too.
But they needn’t be a boring buy, and there’s a huge selection of practical and stylish thermal base layers to try. Spanning across sleeveless, polo neck, fleecy, mesh, sheer and even sparkly options, our expert shopping team here at IndyBest has sourced some layering winter go-tos.
We’ve trialled a few different thermal layers, so you can explore the right fit for your cold-weather clothing requirements.
How we tested
We put the following pieces through their paces over several weeks of testing. We wore the trousers, tops and socks during walks on cold days and while keeping cosy in the house. We looked at how well the items layered up with other clothing, and the amount of warmth they provided. Read on for our pick of the best thermal clothing and base layers, for all price points.
The best base layers and thermal clothing for 2022 are:
- Best overall thermal layer – ACAI Outdoorwear thermal skinny outdoor trousers, black: £99, Acaioutdoorwear.com
- Best thermal polo-neck layer – Pour Moi second skin thermal roll-neck top, glitter black: £24, Pourmoi.co.uk
- Best shapewear thermal layer – Skims essential crew neck long-sleeve bodysuit, onyx: £76, Skims.com
- Best thermal leggings – Tommy Hilfiger high-waisted reflective thermal leggings, navy: £80, Very.co.uk
- Best sleeveless thermal layer – Sloggi ever cosy turtleneck: £35, Sloggi.com
- Best thermal base layer set – Helly Hansen women’s comfort lightweight base layer set: £65, Hellyhansen.com
- Best thermal T-shirt – This Is Silk silk/merino wool short-sleeve top, grey: £40, Thisissilk.com
- Best affordable thermal base layer – M&S heatgen thermal long-sleeve tops, two pack: £25, Marksandspencer.com
- Best thermal socks – Totes chunky thermal wool blend socks: £18, Very.co.uk