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Base layers are the under appreciated heroes of a typical layering system. Their role is to traditionally to provide some combination of wicking and insulation hopefully leading to that all important next to skin comfort. Thrudark’s Oryon Delta Long Sleeve is an active t-shirt constructed from innovative Polartec® Delta™ cooling fabric.
Polartec® Delta™ is a new fabric from Polartec® aimed at providing enhanced controlled cooling in hot environments whether that be your local gym or the dune day in the MdS! A knit pattern that produces a raised diamond grid pattern maintains an air gap and reduces wet cling enhancing the feeling of dryness and maintaining breathability. The fabric itself is a bi-component knit, which in Delta’s case is a synthetic fibre and a natural fibre, have been knitted together in a matrix to provide two different functions. The natural lyocell fibre yarns absorb and distribute your sweat around the fabric so your skin can benefit from evaporative cooling as the sweat dries. The synthetic fibre yarns resist absorbing water so they create zones of dryness interspersed within the fabric to promote maximum breathability and a comfortable dry time. So this is not a wicking base layer but a layer specifically designed to cool the wearer by maintaining a breathable but moist layer close to the skin providing evaporative cooling whilst at the same time avoiding wet cling so enhancing wearer comfort. This is definitely a hot weather, high exertion material.
The Oryon Delta Long Sleeve itself is a half zip long sleeve t-shirt with two zipped Napoleon chest pockets. The cut is fairly close fitting or ‘athletic’ as Thrudark classify it which works well for active hot weather use. I personally find really skin tight garments unpleasant in extreme heat even if their technical properties are supposed to keep me comfortable. The cut of the Oryon Delta Long Sleeve is close enough that it works for climbing and trail running yet fine for hiking and just kicking around camp or town. Sleeve length is generous and can easily be rolled up to the elbows. The half zip and the mesh lined pockets give multiple ventilation options. I’m not the biggest fan of pockets for ventilation as it means that you can’t use them as pockets so you have to find a new home for the compass/car key/credit card etc. usually followed by a panic when you forget that you’ve placed them elsewhere and think they’re lost! To be honest the deep half zip makes the pocket ventilation obsolete anyway so best just regard them as storage pockets light items such as top/map/compass etc. Unlike many next to skin layers the Oryon Delta is not flat locked stitched so the seams create slight ridges but in my usage these are unnoticeable and caused no discomfort. The construction has resulted in some pulling at the chest and pocket seams which is purely (un)aesthetic but I’m sure Patrick would have words on the Great British Sewing Bee 😉
Out on the hill I found the Oryon Delta long Sleeve a great single layer to go from valley to summit including some very warm late in the day glacier crossings. The long sleeves give some extra sun protection, especially important above the snow line or on a glacier, and although the garment is only rated at UPF 15+ I had no issues over several long (10hour plus) days out in the mountains. Another great attribute was how easy the Oryon was to care for. Washing it in streams using a simple biodegradable soap yielded a clean, fresh smelling shirt with the green colour-way looking perfectly presentable even at the end of a month long trip. In terms of cooling I can only give subjective impressions but with high exertion (running up to the Logan Refuge) in humid 35°C temperatures I stayed as comfortable as I think is possible. I’m not likely to run the MdS again but if I did this is the type of long sleeve top I’d choose. On longer days higher up my experience was the same and the Oryon Delta long sleeve worked particularly well for hot approach hikes followed by mutli-pitch routes. The raised grid certainly makes you feel drier than the dampness of the fabric would suggest. It’s not magic but a nuanced improvement cooling wise over conventional wicking layers.
Pros
- A bit cooler and still dry
- Comfortable across a range of activities
- Functional construction
- Easy to care for on the road/trip
Cons
- Some unaesthetic puckering of fabric
SRP £110
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