Merino wool is a brilliant fiber. Merino T-shirts one way or the other handle to be snug in 95-degree Fahrenheit warmth, and merino hoodies hold you heat properly under freezing. Not like artificial fibers derived from petroleum, merino wool is pure and renewable.
One sheep can produce 4 to five kilos of wool per 12 months. That is as a result of the sheep that make merino wool drink solely the purest alpine waters and examine the artwork of consolation underneath the tutelage of these stuck-up Pashmina goats, who, let’s face it, would possibly know a factor or two about splendidly, pillowy softness. Simply kidding. Merino sheep do have thinner, softer wool, which has advanced to maintain them snug throughout a variety of temperatures and is snug to put on subsequent to your pores and skin. It is unclear whether or not the the sheep discovered to do that from Pashmina goats, however I do know that merino wool is a exceptional cloth that is grow to be the cornerstone of my wardrobe.
Sure, even in summer time. I’ve worn merino T-shirts on 100-degree days and felt tremendous, although that is much less true in the event you throw excessive humidity into the combo—merino sheep don’t trip within the tropics, apparently. Regardless of the case, the wool’s versatility means there is a bewildering array of blends and choices to select from. Listed here are our favourite merino wool merchandise that we have examined.
Up to date February 2024: Adrienne and I’ve added a couple of new T-shirt choices, a number of jackets we love, a number of new bras and underwear, and up to date hyperlinks and costs all through.
Particular provide for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This contains limitless entry to WIRED.com and our print journal (in the event you’d like). Subscriptions assist fund the work we do every single day.
What Does GSM Imply?
Merino wool is available in completely different weights, which you’ll often see listed as “200 GSM” or one thing comparable. (The GSM refers to grams per sq. meter.) What’s essential is the dimensions and the place your garment falls on it. On the low finish, you’ve gotten T-shirts and underwear, that are sometimes 150 GSM, although now we have seen some as little as 120 GSM. Typically, something under 200 gsm can be a superb base layer. From 200 to 300 GSM are your mid-layers, and something above 300 is a heavier garment.
Begin With a Hoodie
Merino wool is flexible, however I would nonetheless argue that the very best use case for it’s as a light-weight mid-layer, like a hoodie. It is heat sufficient for cool days by itself, surprisingly wind-resistant, and may pair with an outer shell to type an important light-weight day-hiking layering system. It is also a superb go-to for the gymnasium or round city.
An Icebreaker hoodie was my introduction to merino wool, and it stays my favourite jacket I’ve ever owned. Alas, after about 10 years, mine had a run-in with moths (see our care information under) and needed to be retired. Mine was not the precise fashion pictured, however very near it. This jacket is one hundred pc merino and extremely heat, regardless of not being all that thick. That makes it an important choice for days when the climate might fluctuate significantly–it is heat sufficient for a chilly morning however will not be a burden in your pack the remainder of the day. That is on the tight-fitting aspect, so if that is not your factor (and it isn’t mine), get the subsequent measurement up.
When you do not need to go one hundred pc merino in your first buy, that is OK. There’s now a ton of blended attire in the marketplace that will get a lot of the advantage of merino, with sufficient cotton or polyester to retain the softness many people are used to. This hoodie from Ten Thousand is an efficient instance. It is 76 % polyester, 18 % merino, and 6 % elastane, which provides it a smooth, stretchy really feel that makes it perfect for figuring out, mountaineering, or every other out of doors exercise the place you want your jacket to flex and stretch with you.
Options
Ibex Males’s Indie Hoodie ($170): WIRED’s commerce director, Martin Cizmar, examined this midweight wool hoodie and says it is now “considered one of my absolute favorite items of clothes.” See what good wool does for you? Makes you a fan. The reduce on this one is sporty however not too tight which you can’t layer underneath it. The thumb loops, zippable tall neck, and hood make it much more versatile than a typical wool long-sleeve shirt. Cizmar says it is good for common winter use, whether or not you are doing yardwork, biking, or tossing a soccer round within the park.
A Hoodie for Children
There is a dearth of merino wool for teenagers. Maybe the value for one thing that children might outgrow in a couple of months makes the economics unappealing for producers. Regardless of the case, only a few corporations provide kids-size merino (see under for extra). Actually, this Minus33 hoodie is not obtainable in youngsters’ sizes, however the additional small girls’s match my 10-year-old completely and continues to suit her as an 11-year-old. You will need to verify the match chart on Minus33 in your personal youngsters, but when they do match, this can be a unbelievable hoodie. It is a lot heat (and my daughter is all the time chilly), sturdy sufficient to face as much as child life, climbing bushes, and operating by the woods, and the hand heaters pair properly with mittens on chilly days. Better of all when youngsters are concerned, this one may be machine washed and tumble dried. It will not shrink or lose its form, and the colours will not bleed.
Substitute Fleece With a Mid-Layer
I’ve nothing towards artificial fleece. It has its place, however I not often put on it today. I favor a hoodie just like the one above or the mid-layers under. Merino is best at serving to your physique regulate its temperature, fairly than simply preserving you heat like fleece and different synthetics do.
Kora’s Yardang Jersey is designed as a midweight mid-layer. It’s in all probability essentially the most versatile factor I’ve in my wardrobe. It is a lot by itself on a cool spring day however then skinny sufficient to place one other layer on high of it once you want extra. It is pleasantly breathable and really smooth. The Yardang is a mix of 70 % merino, complemented by 30 % Himalayan yak wool. It is the softest little bit of merino in my assortment. When you like this mix, there’s additionally a hat and neck gaiter within the Yardang line.
You probably have issues about utilizing goose down as an insulation layer, merino wool can be an honest substitute for artificial insulation. Vests are just like the cheat code of layering in the event you prefer to hold your core heat however your arms cell otherwise you need to get an additional soupçon of heat with out including an excessive amount of bulk. I (Adrienne) prefer to layer Ibex’s Wool Aire Vest underneath my common wool coat if I am going out for the evening or on a future.
Base Layers
I’m sufficiently old to recollect when a “base layer” was no matter cotton T-shirt you placed on. When you received chilly in that, you placed on a jacket. When you received scorching in it, you sweated. Do you want a particular shirt to go climbing? No. Simply go climbing. That mentioned, out of doors gear advertising and marketing or not, base layers are a factor. I’ve come to like some merino T-shirts, particularly in spring and fall. They actually do not feel massively completely different from cotton, however they do not odor after you’ve got been sweating in all of them day, which is a big bonus on multiday climbing journeys, or simply journeys to the gymnasium.
We love these long-sleeve Smartwool shirts for the way smooth they’re. An 87 % merino wool mix with nylon means they’re extremely snug. In our base layer information, we are saying this shirt is an “perfect weight,” with heavy seams (learn: sturdier, longer lasting), however not so heavy that they trigger any discomfort—the shirts lie flat and sit off the shoulder, as any half-decent base layer ought to.
Remember your legs! It by no means fails to shock me (Adrienne) how many individuals put a number of layers of insulation on their high half and go away their legs fully naked. Relying on the climate, I’ve a number of completely different weights of leggings that I can swap in. My favorites are the traditional Icebreaker leggings, which have lasted me virtually a decade. Nonetheless, the remainder of my household (my partner and two youngsters) use REI’s in-house merino wool base layers and leggings, that are a fairly priced choice and do not irritate my son’s delicate pores and skin.
Options
Bombas Merino Wool Mix Lengthy-Sleeve Shirts ($74): If you would like a softer shirt, we like these blends, that are 50 % wool and 50 % Tencel, a light-weight eucalyptus fiber. Tencel could be very silky to the contact, which makes this shirt notably versatile—it’s heat once you want it and gives UPF50 safety if you wish to put on it within the solar (simply don’t get the black coloration). I may even say that I, Adrienne, am 5’2″ and located this shirt to be the proper size, which implies that it’s going to in all probability be fairly brief on anybody taller.
Woolies Professional Tech Crew ($115): If you would like a hard-wearing shirt, this one is barely costlier and is manufactured from 85 % merino wool and 15 % nylon. These are constituted of Nuyarn, which is a merino wool-specific know-how whereby merino wool is wrapped round a nylon core for heat, lightness and further sturdiness. It is a actually gentle base layer that I put on for operating and high-aerobic actions when it’s chilly. I do must say that Ibex is no matter passes for a heritage firm on this house; the corporate was based in 1997, and my dad and mom purchased me two units of Ibex base layers in 2001 that I nonetheless put on right now, within the 12 months of our Lord 2024. That bodes very properly for Ibex’s longevity, and I stay up for seeing if these replacements additionally final that lengthy.
A Few Ladies-Particular Choices
And now, a phrase on match. Ladies are usually not the one folks whose our bodies can differ from customary sizing. However I (Adrienne) am 5’2″ and wrestle to seek out clothes choices that can match—particularly ones that are supposed to match subsequent to the pores and skin. As high-quality as the bottom layer is, it will not hold you heat if it rucks up round your waist or sags under your hips.
Most main manufacturers provide a girls’s model of their base layers. Nonetheless, in the event you’re having a number of problem discovering a pair that works, Kari Traa’s leggings have a really excessive waist that helps hold them up. The patterns are additionally fairly, for these of you who object to parading across the lodge in what appears to be like like pajamas.
Extra Nice Choices
Unbound Ladies’s Lengthy Sleeve Merino Crew ($95): This one hundred pc merino shift from Unbound is extremely smooth. It is a versatile shirt that can be utilized as a base layer, nevertheless it additionally works as a T-shirt when it isn’t too chilly. Match runs true to measurement, and if the one you need is bought out, be affected person, Unbound often updates its inventory.
T-Shirts
Wool won’t appear to be a good selection for a summer time T-shirt, however merino is surprisingly snug even when its heat. To some extent anyway. On humid days over about 90 levels, I often go together with cotton or linen, however something underneath 90 and I’m sporting merino. There are much more merino T-shirt choices on the market than we will cowl, however listed here are a few of our favorites.
These are my absolute favourite T-shirts. They’re the softest, best-made, best-fitting T-shirts I’ve ever worn, merino or in any other case. Sure, they’re that good. They’re extremely versatile. I’ve worn them doing all the things from backpacking in the summertime warmth to rolling jiujitsu to sitting across the fireplace on cool autumn evenings. They’re by no means something however cozy. I additionally like that they don’t have any emblem. Unbound’s Energetic Merino T-shirt (males’s $95, girls’s $85), aimed particularly at figuring out, can be fairly good, nevertheless it’s a tighter reduce than the common T-shirt.
Artilect’s mix of merino wool and Tencel (a fiber constituted of eucalyptus) is shockingly light-weight and versatile. This summer time, the Utili-Tee grew to become my (Adrienne) favourite shirt for climbing and backpacking. It was smooth and cozy after I was within the tree shade, after which magically stayed gentle and breathable after I broke by the tree line and the temperature abruptly rose by 15 levels within the daylight. The flat seams didn’t trigger chafing on my shoulders or waist by backpack straps or a harness, and though it’s a flattering slim match, it didn’t constrict the motion of my shoulders or arms in any manner.
These Icebreaker T-shirts have been considered one of my gateways to merino wool. They’re heat, but one way or the other cool, and surprisingly good at stopping the wind. These shirts aren’t nice in humidity; for that, I would in all probability go together with a mix. Observe that a few of Icebreaker’s T-shirts are blends, so verify the main points in your favourite design earlier than you make investments.
Minus33 is aware of a factor or two about preserving you heat. The corporate is in New Hampshire, in spite of everything. This 170-GSM T-shirt is snug, with a free reduce that works properly over a base layer on cool mornings or as a T-shirt throughout hotter components of the day. It is an important all-around selection for all however warmest of summer time days.
Different Nice Choices
- Unbound Ladies’s Merino Muscle Tank ($70): Desire a cooler choice for warm days? This tank high is ideal for hotter, humid climates. It is one hundred pc merino (175 GSM) and would not have any emblem or tag, which we like.
- Paka Males’s Tee ($55): This is not merino, it is a mix of natural cotton and Alpaca wool, nevertheless it’s such a pleasant, cozy T-shirt I am together with it right here. If you wish to go pure fibers, however aren’t positive you possibly can decide to merino, this makes an reasonably priced different.
Socks
Whereas merino wool could be very smooth, most merchandise on this class are blends, often with some type of nylon. Darn Robust socks are a WIRED favourite. They’re nice for snowboarding, climbing, climbing, and absolutely anything else you need to do. These blends fluctuate by weight, however most of them are round 50 % nylon and 50 % merino, which makes them dry a bit sooner than pure merino whereas remaining a lot heat and cozy.
The bizarre factor about socks is that, as a warm-weather lover, properly, I hate socks. Each day with socks is a form of failure. That mentioned, these Carhartts (gifted to me by a pal who was fearful that I wandered about in sockless sandals within the snow) are very nice. They’re extremely heat and smooth, they usually by no means odor. They’re presumably my favourite socks—if I really took the time to select my favourite socks.
Underwear and Bras
The phrase “wool underwear” would possibly conjure pictures of some lumberjack from the 1800s with hair rising by the weaves of his itchy, scorching lengthy johns, however that is not what the merino underwear we have examined is like. Usually these are blends, with some nylon as properly.
As with the corporate’s T-shirts, Unbound’s boxer briefs stood out for simply how smooth and cozy they’re. These are 84 % merino wool, 12 % nylon, and 4 % spandex, so that they do have a little bit of stretch to them. The 180-GSM merino is gentle sufficient for even the warmest of days.
One other nice pair of boxers, these Icebreakers are a really comparable mix (83 % merino, 12 % nylon, 5 % Elastane) to the Unbound above, however lighter weight at 150 GSM. They match true to measurement and are on the shorter aspect when it comes to size. Icebreaker additionally makes a protracted model that I examined as properly. They’re nearly the identical, only a bit longer.
Branwyn makes what they name merino wool efficiency units. I (Adrienne) am a fan of Branwyn’s garments, all of that are Oeko-Tex 100 licensed, which implies each part of the clothes has been independently examined towards an inventory of as much as 350 poisonous chemical substances. This is without doubt one of the most generally identified and revered labels for shopper security. These match true to measurement. (I suppose it’s essential to notice right here that I’m a small-busted girl, and that Branwyn makes a Busty Bra ($58) in the event you want extra help.)
The material itself is smooth and easy to the contact, with simply sufficient heft to be supportive. I wouldn’t put on the bralette to go operating—I would like one thing a bit extra compressive for that—nevertheless it’s good for almost every other exercise. It precludes the necessity to change from cotton “on a regular basis” underwear to tight nylon “sport” underwear each time I need to do one thing lively, which is mainly on a regular basis.
Jackets
Once you suppose merino, you in all probability take into consideration heat. That is precisely what these mid-layer and heavier objects are.
Minus33 calls this an expedition-weight base layer, however for these of us not climbing Mt. Washington at daybreak in a windstorm, it is actually extra of a pullover sweatshirt—an insanely heat, cozy pullover sweatshirt. My testing time was restricted. After a month, my spouse stole it and now refers to it as a safety blanket and has mentioned it is the one merchandise of clothes she can’t reside with out.
I did handle to strive it in every single place from the seaside on cool mornings to across the campfire on winter nights, and whilst a base layer underneath a merino jacket when the temps dropped under freezing final winter. In all these conditions I stayed a lot heat. The looser match means it will possibly go over a base layer, however is not so cumbersome you possibly can’t put a jacket over it.
A rising variety of research have proven that there are PFAs—hormone-disrupting chemical substances which might be generally utilized in quite a few plastics—in extraordinary sportswear, like leggings and sports activities bras. When you, like me (Adrienne), are on a quest to exchange your polyester clothes with pure fibers, then Ibex’s one hundred pc merino wool Shak Jacket is the pure candidate to exchange your (my) worn-out Patagonia Higher Sweater ($149).
I took this jacket on a visit this spring to Eire. It’s surprisingly dense and smooth to the contact. It stored me heat on blustery 30-degree days, layered simply underneath my rain jacket and over my tank high, and appeared glossy sufficient to exit to dinner. In western Eire, a minimum of (“I like your jumper!” mentioned many an Irishman). It would not pack down fairly as compactly as an artificial layer would possibly, neither is it as gentle, nevertheless it appears to be like a lot nicer and it will not really feel like slime in your pores and skin when it will get moist.
Sweaters
Wool sweaters can conjure some disagreeable childhood reminiscences, however worry not, these are usually not the itchy scratchy belongings you could not wait to get out of once you have been youthful. These sweaters are smooth, luxurious, and ideal for extra modern events.
This Taylor Sew sweater is not technically merino, nevertheless it’s shut: It is one hundred pc child yak wool (which is definitely the smooth undercoat yak’s shed yearly). It’s kind of extra like cashmere than merino, nevertheless it’s presupposed to be extra sturdy. That is been true in my testing. That is arms down the very best sweater I’ve ever worn. The unlucky factor is that the Lodge Sweater has been discontinued. If there is a measurement that matches you obtainable, snatch it up. I have never tried it, however the subsequent closest factor within the Taylor Sew catalog is the Evans Sweater ($148), a wool-nylon mix.
Tips on how to Take care of Merino Wool
Most merino merchandise can have care directions. More than likely it will likely be to clean chilly and lay flat to dry. The latter is essential, as hanging wool to dry will stretch it out (due to the water weight). Whereas most merino labels will say the garment may be machine washed, my expertise has been that hand-washing merino will prolong its life. That is notably true of very light-weight (150 GSM) merino base layers and T-shirts.
I’ve by no means had an issue storing merino in my closet between wears, however for long-term storage, I like to recommend you’re taking precautions towards moths, that are infamous for consuming holes in wool. I’ve misplaced merino clothes to moths.
