Materials, Construction, Fit

While Paka is known for their alpaca fiber garments, the Everday Baselayer is actually majority Tencel, and most of its performance traits reflect this. Tencel is a brand name variety of lyocell, which is a yarn spun from cellulose harvested in (mostly eucalyptus) wood pulp. Tencel is natural in the sense that no plastics are embedded into the fabric, however, lyocell does not occur in nature and requires industrial processing to create.

As outdoor performance fabrics go, we think Tencel is pretty solid. While it might not dry as quickly or absorb as little water as nylon or polyester, it still outperforms cotton and merino in that regard. It is also breathable, moisture wicking, and of medium warmth/insulation. Add in some royal alpaca and you get the anti bacterial/anti odor properties, an extra hit of warmth and durability, and you have yourself a pretty solid base layer.

That all being said, for hot weather active pursuits, we did find this to be a tad warm and still prefer synthetic alternatives when hot-weather performance is prioritized. Our go-to polyester base layer is about 35% lighter and thinner than this, and feels cooler and more breathable while running and hiking. But as a society, we need to accept a small performance hit to reduce our use of plastic in all things. And for moderate to cool weather adventuring and activity, we have no complaints at all about the warmth level.

Notably, this shirt is not UPF rated, which leaves us a bit concerned for use in high altitude sun exposure. We haven’t tested it on this axis, but it’s nice to have peace of mind in that regard. In general though, even unrated natural fabrics are usually in the UPF 10 range. One other missed opportunity is that this is a long sleeve crew rather than a hoody, which makes it an even harder sell to hikers and backpackers who want full sun protection.

All said and done, this shirt is seriously soft and comfy, with a reasonable amount of stretch and a very fluid drape. It’s pleasant to wear around the house, around town, or during active pursuits like hiking and running in cool to warm (but not hot) temperatures.