Was going through my ski stuff last week in preparation for a trip in a couple of weeks. Was looking at my base layers and thought I might by some new bottoms. Typically in the past I bought REI's mid-weight in-house stuff and I've been pretty happy with it. But I found a Smartwool top that I vaguely remember buying last year or so when I saw it on sale. I love Smartwool stuff, it's just so damn expensive.

I've got a Amazon gift card to spend and was thinking of buying some Smartwool bottoms, but somewhere I saw a recommendation for Minus33 brand. Supposed to be comparable to Smartwool. Anyone have any experience with it.?

I prefer Minus33 to smartwool. Both are nice.
First Lite is still the best merino I've worn.

I've owned Merino wool base layers from:

- Smartwool
- First Lite
- REI
- Patagonia
- Icebreaker
- Sitka

Its difficult for me to tell a difference in quality across the brands. I've owned First Lite the longest, but I'm not brand loyal to any Merino provider. Cut and fit seems to be more important. If you have a brand that works well for your body shape/size - buy with confidence. If I had to pick a favorite from my list...my Smartwool base layer pants, and my First Lite half zip top are my favorites. The Icebreaker didn't fit me well, so I haven't purchased any more.

Minus33 a bit looser fit for me. You don't want those air pockets/ wrinkles in your boots to create pressure points. I use them mainly for hunting now.
Smartwool has some series with almost no hem around ankle and tighter fit around bottom of the legs. Something to consider if you are purchasing for skiing.

Well, I'm sitting here in an Aircast circulating ice cold water around my torn calf muscle after having just returned from Park City, so I have nothing but time to pontificate. (Snow was literally epic. 51" in 4 days. First injury in 40 years of skiing and it was worth it.)

I use Under Armour's Base Layer and it's good to 20 or so with just a thin ski pant for bottoms and thin fleece top under a jacket for a top. PolarTec's base layer is really good as well. Under Armour's 2.0 works better under 20 degrees. At least for me. Have fun and be safe!!

Smartwool's quality has declined in the last 5-8 years. I now prefer Icebreaker.

For skiing, go with the 3/4 length bottoms. Will eliminate bunching and bulging in your boots.

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Smartwool's quality has declined in the last 5-8 years. I now prefer Icebreaker.

For skiing, go with the 3/4 length bottoms. Will eliminate bunching and bulging in your boots.

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Yeah, getting some 3/4 length ones was really what was driving the new purchase. Back in the day with cotton long johns I used to cut the cuff so I could pull them up out of my boots over my calf.