I have long been a fan of Helly Hansen’s lightweight polypro. A pioneer in the use of this tricky-to-use fibre, the brand endured the generic insult of “Smelly Helly” as bacteria latching onto short polypro fi laments caused, ah, odour. But that changed years ago, and now polypro is softer and less smelly (due to longer chains of fibres): the test top went through many washes before it needed daily rinsing. Polypro is a magic fibre: it is hydrophobic, punching away moisture from the skin and drying very quickly. I always choose polypro for high-exertion days because it keeps me dry. End of story. Of course, for multi-day trips it’s essential to have a wool layer for the evenings while I wash this one… HH is notorious for its Scandinavian cut, so I wear a size larger to avoid a compression fi t (see Odlo). Features include fl at-locked seams, construction variants for diff erent body zones, lots of length for tucking in and funky colourways. A great year-round choice: layering lightweight polypro under midweight wool is the perfect combo for active winter use.