Icebreaker Sprint Legless Pant
Function: Technical Base Layer
Material: 96% Merino Wool, 4% Elastane
Color: Black
Size: Medium
Reviewer: 6’, 160 lbs, waist: 32-34” Inseam: 32”
Days Tested: 20
MSRP: $90
Tech
The Sprint Legless pant is composed primarily of lightweight 200g/m merino wool. Like the Sprint Long Sleeve Shirt and all other pieces in Icebreaker’s Sprint line, the pants use Lycra as a “structural framework,” which Icebreaker says allows for the use of finer merino yarns. This makes for “25% more wool against the skin.” Icebreaker claims this increase in 200g/m merino wool translates to an even faster drying time than a traditional 100% merino wool base layer.
The addition of Lycra also contributes to a snug, athletic fit compared to a traditional 100% Merino wool Icebreaker pieces.
One of the best features of the Sprint Legless pant is its ¾ length, extending down a few inches below the kneecap. This keeps the pant legs from needing to be pulled up and out of a ski/snowboard/mountaineering boot, while also decreasing material in the ski sock/long underwear bunching area.
The pant offers a wide elastic waistband to help keep the upper pant in place without leaving an imprint in your skin for days, and a doubled over, single-seam cuff to keep the lower resting right where it should.
Icebreaker also uses critically placed gussets (small additional pieces of fabric) in the rear waist, crotch, through the thigh, and at the upper calf, along with flatlock stitching for uninhibited range of motion and chafing protection.
Fit
The fit of the Sprint Legless pant is, as Icebreaker states, “trim and athletic.” In other words, I wouldn’t necessarily consider wearing just these pants in public.
I’m usually not a size medium in most clothes or baselayers, but I chose a size medium for the Sprint Legless pant based on Icebreaker’s sizing chart, and I would say the fit is comfortable and consistent in all areas.
The pants are very stretchy and feel like tights, offering a bit of compression. Even with this compression, however, the pants do not feel restricting whatsoever through all ranges of motion.
If you are not into the compression feel that Lycra offers, Icebreaker produces several offering that are 100% merino.
Function
This time of year, I’m usually reaching for a layer like the Sprint Legless when the thermometer plummets (less than 10 degrees F) and I know my usual go-to fleece pants aren’t going to be quite enough for the day on their own.
Still, I don’t expect a drastic increase in warmth in these temperatures, considering the Sprint Legless 200g/m is labeled as “lightweight.” After using the pants for our very cold late December and January, I would say the Sprint pants only offer a slight degree of additional warmth, barely noticeable in fact.
Icebreaker does make heavier-weight base layer pants, however, and I would be very interested to get my hands on the Pursuit 260 Legless pant, or the Bodyfit 260 Legless pant. I have grown to love merino wool for other reasons; I’d just like a little more of it in this product.
In other words, because the winter in Utah has been so cold thus far, I haven’t really been able to use these 200 g/m pants when I think they will shine brightest. That is, when the temperatures are high enough that I don’t want to wear my normal fleece pants but I’d still like a little insulation or at least something under my shell pants, like spring skiing at the resort, or warm-weather touring.
The few times I have used the Sprint Legless under my fleece pants on ~35F days, I have found them to be very breathable, pull moisture away from the skin, and dry incredibly fast. As Icebreaker claims, they do seem to help maintain a consistent internal temperature. These are great attributes, and will be especially nice for resort riding or touring on those super warm spring days.
When I have the opportunity to use the Sprint Legless alone (with a shell covering of course) when the temps finally rise, I will provide feedback.
Bottom Line
I can’t deny after using these products that I have been sold on the performance of merino wool. It does everything Icebreaker claims it does. It’s the most comfortable, most breathable, and fastest drying base layer fabric I’ve used to date.
Because of the light weight of the 200g/m Sprint pant, I’d suggest looking at Icebreaker’s heavier base layers, especially if you live in colder areas or run cold yourself. I suspect that the Sprint pant will be a great choice for spring skiing, warm-weather touring, or anyone who tends to run warm, and I’ll report back once I’ve had them in more warm-weather conditions.
I recently found, upon arriving in Utah on a ski trip, that I had forgotten to pack my base layer pants. I have been using Patagonia capilene pants for the last few years so thought I’d use this circumstance to try something new. I purchased a pair of Icebreaker Sprint Leggings. They are great. I was worried the wool would be itchy or get damp and it did neither. The Icebreakers kept me warm (but not too warm) and dry during a very cold couple of days. What’s more, they did not cause me to overheat a few days later when it warmed up. I’m impressed and am sold on merino wool for a base layer — they are comfortable, breathable, keep you dry, and are relatively odor-free. HOWEVER, the Icebreaker pants I purchased were NOT the legless version reviewed here. The legless version is definitely the way to go for alpine skiing. The problem with the full-length version of the pants is that the bottom cuff is fairly snug. It was not comfortable to pull them up above my ski boots and leaving them inside my ski boots was not an option as the cuff is thick enough to cause discomfort and possibly bruising if left inside the boot. So I agree these are a great base layer with the “legless” version being best for alpine skiing.
I recently got the Icebreaker 200g/m Legless bottoms for Christmas and they have become my new favorite long underwear! During January and February I was skiing in the Squamish/Whistler area of British Columbia and doing a fair amount of touring. My first day out was around 20 degrees and since I usually run on the colder side, I paired them with another thin layer of long underwear under my shell pants. I started cold, but got hot quickly and soon wished I was only wearing my Icebreakers. For all my subsequent tours I wore just the Legless bottoms in temperatures ranging from 20-40 degrees and they worked perfectly. I never got too hot when it was warmer, and even down to 20 degrees they didn’t feel too thin. I would imagine on colder days another layer might be needed, but for most days on the uptrack, I was comfortable wearing just the Legless bottoms.