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Apparel & FitnessBase layers: brands AI assistants recommend
Merino and synthetic base layers for cold-weather hiking, skiing and commuting. Below: which brands AI assistants name when Canadian shoppers ask about base layers.
This market is updated monthly, on the third Monday of each month. The results below are from the latest published update, so between updates you see the previous one.
Ranking, Week of Oct 19, 2026
Share is the percentage of sampled answers in which the brand was recommended. Showing the top 15. Change appears once a second update exists.
| # | Brand | Share of answers | Avg. position | OpenAI | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smartwool | 1.9 | 60% | 80% | |
| 2 | Patagonia | 2.8 | 40% | 60% | |
| 3 | Icebreaker | 2.0 | 20% | 60% | |
| 4 | Arc’teryx | 4.0 | 60% | 0% | |
| 5 | Decathlon | 1.0 | 20% | 20% | |
| 6 | Forclaz | 3.0 | 20% | 20% | |
| 7 | MEC | 2.0 | 20% | 0% | |
| 8 | Ortovox | 2.0 | 0% | 20% | |
| 9 | SIMOND | 2.0 | 0% | 20% | |
| 10 | Helly Hansen | 3.0 | 20% | 0% | |
| 11 | Mons Royale | 3.0 | 20% | 0% | |
| 12 | Carhartt | 4.0 | 20% | 0% | |
| 13 | REI Co-op | 4.0 | 0% | 20% | |
| 14 | Woolx | 4.0 | 0% | 20% | |
| 15 | Kari Traa | 5.0 | 0% | 20% |
With 10 answers, one answer moves a brand by about 10 points, so treat gaps of a few points as ties. Position is the order of first mention in an answer (1 is first). Read the methodology.
Sources the assistants cited
Domains cited most often across the answers for this category, by number of citations.
- smartwool.com6
- decathlon.ca4
- na.icebreaker.com4
- amazon.ca3
- gearfortheweekend.com3
- mec.ca3
- rei.com3
- arcteryx.com2
- businessinsider.com2
- patagonia.ca2
The questions we asked
Every month we ask AI assistants these 5 questions, written the way shoppers type them.
- What are the best base layers? Best overall
- best merino base layer under $100 CAD Budget
- best premium merino base layer, $150 CAD or more Premium
- best base layer for skiing and skating in the cold Specific need
- alternatives to Icebreaker base layers Alternative
Cite this
You may quote these figures with a link back to this page. Suggested citation:
Dopbot Index, Base layers, Week of Oct 19, 2026, dopbot.com/ca/index/ca-base-layers
See where your brand stands in base layers
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For brands in this category
Brands that are recommended in the latest update can show a badge on their own site.