What are those things

I’ve been looking through old photos and I have been seeing a lot of people wearing odd looking shirts for base layers. They look like is someone loosely crocheted a quilted base layer. I think most of the climbers wearing them are Swiss but I might be mistaken.

I'd guess you're perhaps talking about a fishnet base layer?

I've used them quite a bit when backpacking/skiing in Norway. By using it as your first layer, and then layering wool on top of it you are essentially creating little pockets of warmed air in the gaps in the weave.

How do you manage sun protection with these? Presumably people are still stripping down to their base layer while working hard uphill but if there is snow on the ground isn't your skin getting cooked? Are people applying sunscreen to their whole torso?

Israel R wrote:

How do you manage sun protection with these? Presumably people are still stripping down to their base layer while working hard uphill but if there is snow on the ground isn't your skin getting cooked? Are people applying sunscreen to their whole torso?

You want these when it's actually cold. If you're in just a base layer then you don't need these to stay warm. If you're hot and in the sun just wear a sun hoody

Nah I’m just gonna wear this in full sun cause what an aesthetic:

Ally L wrote:

Nah I’m just gonna wear this in full sun cause what an aesthetic:

… is that samwise gamgee?!

Israel R wrote:

How do you manage sun protection with these?

You climb in Scotland.

Climbing Weasel wrote:

… is that samwise gamgee?!

Didn’t skip leg day!!

Those shirts first became popular in San Francisco BDSM bars in the 70s. Sick mountaineers came out of their dungeons and conquered the world's highest peaks with, Kinkware.

I speak the gospel truth here my friends.