Craft Active Extreme 2.0 CN LS

The Craft Active Extreme 2.0 CN LS is an excellent baselayer that manages heat better than almost any I have used. Having worn this in freezing and mid-range conditions, I can testify that not only does it keep you warm, it also has great wicking and breathability.

Craft describes it as a baselayer for 'medium-cold to cold conditions'. This is fairly ambiguous and open to a wide range of interpretations, especially as Craft is a Swedish company, so its medium-cold is probably our hypothermia-inducing. I used it in temperatures varying from -3 to 10 for the duration of the review.

> Find your nearest dealer here

Working within this wide range of temperatures was incredibly useful, because it really showed me the element I was most impressed with – heat management. When you put the baselayer on inside, you wonder how it will ever keep you warm outside, because it doesn't seem to do much indoors. However, when you're out it doesn't really change temperature – it kept me at a comfortable temperature throughout. It meant that I was warm enough at -3 to not freeze, and cool enough at 10 degrees to still get up climbs without boiling.

Craft makes the claim that 'the world's most advanced baselayer once again ups the ante'. This isn't something that I can verify, having not tried every baselayer in the world, but another of Craft's claims is that it is made from 'a thin, lightweight and elastic fabric featuring CoolMax Air, a high-performance fiber that provides superior body-temperature management' – which I can. The fabric used is very lightweight and has a decent amount of stretch (I used this over the Christmas period, so I can verify that). It is this CoolMax Air fabric that makes it so good at heat management, but there are other elements that assist with this.

> Buyer's Guide: How to choose the best cycling baselayer

Chief among them are the vents that sit around the armpits and provide an area where heat quickly escapes. Another is breathability and the use of a quick-drying fabric, which are both exceptional. As an example, as I sit writing this I have the dry baselayer next to me after taking it out of the washing machine 20 minutes ago. When it can shed that much moisture that quickly, you can imagine how quick it is on your back. Similarly, this moisture is quickly moved away from the skin when riding, and the only time I noticed any sweat was when I was repairing a puncture in the freezing cold.

Partly because of its excellent heat management and partly because of the lightweight material used, it is also comfortable to wear for extended periods. This comes from the soft double-layered high neck and lack of labels around the neck.

In terms of value I think it's pretty good too: the baselayer has an RRP of £36, which isn't a bad price for something that works so well in a variety of conditions.

Overall I was really impressed by this baselayer. As a reviewer I always try to find the faults in a product, but with this, try as hard as I could, there was very little not to like. It manages heat incredibly well, dries quickly and wicks sweat impressively. What else could you want in a baselayer? It's available in plain black too, and white.

Verdict

A really strong performing baselayer, perhaps the best at managing heat I've used