Andy Strapz Thermalz

This entry is part 15 of 21 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #42

Top-shelf comfort and durability.

Warm, comfortable around the campsite and designed specifically for riders.

You’ll be reading this towards the end of Australia’s official winter months, and if you’re not already wearing some kind of next-to- the-skin layer designed for warmth, you’re suffering way more than you need to and enjoying your riding way less than you could.

I’ve been wearing Andy Strapz Thermalz for, I guess, over 10 years. I think the set I just ordered is my third, and I’ve paid for all of them.

Believe it or not, I wear Thermalz all year round, in all types of terrain.

Fit bit

I originally bought the first set of Thermalz to help deal with the cold.

I’ve had several sets of synthetic compression gear and they worked well, but the design of Andy’s Thermalz caught my attention. The top is long and has a tail so when I lean forward it doesn’t ride up and leave me with frozen kidneys.

The bottom half has a fly. That may sound a little basic, but my synthetic gear didn’t have a fly, and it makes things awkward. You can figure it out. I’m not going to show pics.

On top of all that, Thermalz are made here in Australia.

The marketing material said because Thermalz were made from not only superfine merino wool, but Australian superfine merino wool, it wouldn’t stink, even if I wore it for days on end.

Lord knows, the synthetic gear became very manky very quickly. Even I couldn’t stand myself after about the second day.

As a huge bonus which I didn’t know about until the first set arrived, Thermalz are a really light and a loose fit, and that was way more comfortable for me than the feeling of being in a sausage skin which I had with the compression gear.

That’s a key difference between synthetic thermal gear and natural-fibre apparel, by the way. Synthetics are at their best with a fit close to the body, while natural fibres are better with a little leeway.

Surprise

When I started wearing the Thermalz to help deal with cold the result was immediate. I could instantly handle lower temperatures with less stress. I don’t know that the natural fibre kept me any warmer than the synthetics, but the comfort was a big and instantly noticeable factor. Even stopping for a pee was a far less challenging episode, and as promised, I could wear the gear for days at a time and still keep it in the room or tent each night instead of leaving it outside and worrying about it possibly crawling away. So all that was good.

The real surprise for me was when I decided to start wearing the Thermalz in summer.

Thermalz Topz

• Aussie-made, top quality ultrafine,no-itch merino-wool
• Half-polo neck
• Double front
• Extra body length
• Longer arms and cuffs
• Care instructions in side seams
• Shirt-tail back
• Available in sizes XS to XXL
• Rec retail $86

Thermalz Pantz

• Aussie-made, top-quality, ultrafine, no-itch merino-wool
• Warm and comfy
• Designed for the posture, position and varying activity level needed while riding
• Lightweight
• Wicks moisture away from the body
• Integrates well with modern fabrics that are waterproof but breathable
• Adjusts to temperature, warm even when wet
• Have boxer shorts sewn in for extra support and warmth
• The waistband is broad, comfy and high-backed
• Long cuffs from ankle to mid-calf reduce bulk of boots and socks
• Male Pantz have a generous fly
• Ladies-cut Pantz without the fly are available
• Available in sizes S to XL
• Rec retail $86

This was some years ago, and I can’t even remember when, but I do remember my reasoning and it still holds today.

By the time I pull on knee guards, boots and pushbike pants – or whatever the correct name of those shorts is – there’s very little air actually gets to my legs, especially when I’m sitting on the bike for big distances. I’d tried all kinds of long socks and knee tubes and could never really get happy. They’d always fall down, bunch up or twist so they ended up bloody uncomfortable one way or the other, and the knee guards would go with them. I thought if I wore the Thermalz duds, they’d stay in place, and it wouldn’t matter because not much air gets to my legs anyway.

It turned out to be one of the smartest things I’ve done.

The woollen weave of the Thermalz, integral in holding body heat, allowed whatever air was coming through the venting in my pants to get through to my skin, and the legs and knee guards stayed put. No riding up or down or being otherwise troublesome.

It was a revelation.

Set

These days I wear the Thermalz pants as part of my regular riding apparel, irrespective of which suit I’m using or the external temperature. The top I wear in temperatures up to about 30 degrees because I found it has the same properties.

If I open the venting on the external suit, the air flows around the Thermalz top nicely. If I get a bit sweaty the Thermalz top seems to deal with it somehow – the marketing material says it ‘wicks it away’, but where it wicks it away to, I have no idea – and it still doesn’t get smelly or uncomfortable to wear.

In the cold it’s a lifesaver – literally, sometimes. In low and extreme-low temperatures it makes a huge difference to the effectiveness of a windproof suit and allows, I believe, one less layer than it would take to cope without Thermalz. If I don’t start the day wearing the top, it’s always in my pack ready to slip on if I need it.

Highly recommended

For me, the Andy Strapz Thermalz are top-quality, 100-per-cent effective adventure-riding gear, and I can’t recommend them highly enough.

Just to ensure the recommendation isn’t taken out of context,I can’t wear the Thermalz on enduro-type terrain. They hold way too much body heat when things get physical. But for coping with the extreme climate conditions seen by most adventure riders, I’ve found them to be exceptional.

The replacement tops and duds have been because I’m a tad ham-fisted when I take them off, especially the top. I grab the collar to pull it over my melon, and after a few years the collar comes away. The pants are the same. I grab a handful of fabric to heave them up over the rippling calf and thigh muscles – or whatever it is making my legs big – and over time the weave just unravels a tad. If I’m buying a new top anyway, I figure I may as well get new pants.

On a long ride where the pack is tight I’ll often strip off my riding gear at the end of the day and hang around camp in just the Thermalz – an awesome sight for everyone, I’m sure – and then climb into the swag or tent. The Thermals work equally as well for helping hold body heat overnight and mean I can travel with less bedding.

Series Navigation<< Paper ChaseThe Bag Lady with Mike Ferris >>