With the current English weather, even in the sunny ‘South’ of the country, seemingly having more in common with a Polar ice cap than global warming, Tri247's resident statistician, John Levison, was pleased to find a base layer claiming to be “very, very warm” for his latest product testing experience. How did it perform?

T.ESS baselayers are offered in two variants – the ‘Megalight’ which is available in long-sleeve, short-sleeve or vest style, or the ‘Platinum’ which is long-sleeve only, but supplied in both men’s and women’s specific designs. We tested the men’s ‘Platinum’ model, which retails at £35.

The T.ESS baselayer is the latest item from Sheffield based equipment company LewisKIT (www.lewiskit.com). Started in 2004 by Stephanie and Julian Lewis (hence the name…), LewisKIT have built a reputation in both the après tri market (quality t-shirts & leisure wear), and increasingly in technical performance clothing & accessories, notably socks and gloves.

The T.ESS products represent something of a departure for the company, in that they are distributors for this German product, rather than manufacturing under their own brand.

Clearly, keeping warm is the primary objective of this product, and we’ll come onto that shortly. Historically, however, baselayers have had known issues – a tendency to become smelly after continued use (despite washing…) and also due to the materials used, I’ve personally found them uncomfortable/itchy. T.EES addresses the aroma-issue with Silverfresh technology. Apparently, minute silver particles are embedded in the fabric to reduce bacteria and avoid unwanted pongs. Techno-speak or not, it certainly works. I’ve been using the garment for all my weekend running and cycling over the past month, and it has bounced back like new after every wash.

It’s also very comfortable and smooth – it’s seamless, and yet appears multi-panelled at the same time, with different textures and thicknesses of fabric across the garment to provide additional warmth where it’s needed. While a base-layer isn’t really purchased for fashion purposes, for me this enhances the look of it too. Fit is very close, almost compression-like. I’m around 6 ft tall and a slim-ish 74kg. Initially I thought I’d need a Large, but Stephanie (Lewis) advised that a Medium, the smallest size they offer, would be appropriate. Initially I was unsure, but this proved correct as soon as I put it to use and never felt restrictive in action. It was also a good length – more than sufficient to keep your lower back warm when cycling, but without leaving masses of excess material to tuck into your bib-tights. Someone has clearly put a lot of thought into the details.

I used the top for several purposes – long steady training runs (accompanied by a lightweight gilet), long bike rides (with just an Assos airJack 851 jacket for company), and also on its own for a running race. On all occasions, temperatures were very low single-digit Celsius or below (damn cold!), and it was noticeable that most of my riding partners were dressed up like Michelin men. One did question “are you going to be OK with just that underneath?”. I was - the T.ESS was flawless.

Tri247 says: A quality baselayer is a great addition to any athletes’ wardrobe. This one fits well, looks good, does what it says it will do and is very fairly priced for such quality. Highly recommended.