Most base layer fleeces ask you to choose between warmth and looking like you’ve given up. A thick, technical grid fleece in safety orange might do a fine job under a shell jacket up a hill, but it has no business being seen in a village pub or a car park after a morning walk. We’ve been looking specifically for fleeces that work as a genuine mid layer without embarrassing themselves when the outer comes off. Fit matters here more than most people expect. A boxy fleece that bunches under a jacket is just as useless as one so slim it cuts off circulation. We’ve focused on pieces that sit close enough to layer well but shaped well enough to stand alone. Fabric quality and collar construction are what separate the ones we’d actually wear from the ones that just photograph nicely. These are base layers that have thought about both jobs and done them properly.