Redmtn, now that's a notable item on a resume. There can't be many people who actually lived at Ocean Falls.
A further thought on synthetic base layers: Even when the skin does not feel cold, the body is losing heat as the wicking material transfers out water. That's good, except in extreme cold or long exposure to cold. It amounts to burning calories to heat outside air, and sooner or later leads to loss of core body temp. I have felt that coming on while wearing a synthetic base and porous outer layer, and added an outer shell to stop the heat loss. That also stops the moisture loss, even with breathables if you are sweating heavy, but wet and warm is better than cold, wet or dry.
It is a classic trade-off. Keeping skin and inner clothing dry aids in keeping warm by not having insulation spaces fill with water and losing their insulation properties. But inner body heat is what drives this engine, cooking off moisture and heat. As long as you can fuel the body enough to lose heat at that rate without a drop on core temp, it works well. It will work well in most climates, especially for short forays.
John Frazer, your idea of reversing the wool to wear as a base layer and the wicking synthetic outside has intersting possibilities. I will have to try that.
