Wool Thermals - Are the Expensive Brands Worth It?

[blacksheep]

Macpac 150gsm is 17.5 Micron, 2 ply and is mercerised. As luxuriously soft as it gets...

[John Sheridan]

Dale is this the shirt you have.

http://www.mainpeak.com.au/outdoor/iceb ... -mens.html

Icebreaker SUPERFINE 150 LITE Tech Tee Men's

Might as well buy one and see if it is non itchy and nice, I don't want to give up on wool just yet, any idea how many Microns the shirt is, 18.5,17.5 ???

Cheers.

/PS Thanks blacksheep, you answered my question as I was asking it, if that shirt and 17.5 Micron don't work, I guess it's polyPro for me, will order a shirt and find out.

Double Cheers.

Last edited by John Sheridan on Sun 17 Jun, 2012 5:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[matagi]

John, try some Macpac stuff - it is on sale at the moment, so good value for money. I even have their merino undies and find them quite comfortable against my *ahem* sensitive parts.

[Miyata610]

Yeah the Macpac stuff is fantastic value right now. I usually wear their merino singlet as my only upper body layer when bushwalking (yes even this time of year) it holds up well to pack wear. But Cam it is too short, make them longer next time.

[Dale]

Dale is this the shirt you have.

http://www.mainpeak.com.au/outdoor/iceb ... -mens.html

Icebreaker SUPERFINE 150 LITE Tech Tee Men's

Might as well buy one and see if it is non itchy and nice, I don't want to give up on wool just yet, any idea how many Microns the shirt is, 18.5,17.5 ???

Cheers.

/PS Thanks blacksheep, you answered my question as I was asking it, if that shirt and 17.5 Micron don't work, I guess it's polyPro for me, will order a shirt and find out.

Double Cheers.

Hi John - yep that's it. Afraid I don't know the microns

You know your other option is to go to Kent St and wander between Macpac and Paddy Pallin (for Icebreaker) and try the shirts on. Could save you collecting Merino gear that you won't use

[John Sheridan]

I am still going to use all my wool stuff, just over the top of some poly Pro, at least have the option, should keep me warm on my suburban outings as well as hikes.

Where would be the cheapest place to get some Icebreaker gear at the moment ??

Cheers,

[mylesau]

I don't think it is just the diameter (microns) or the weight (g/m^2) of Merino wool that causes irritation - some people are allergic to lanolin, some wool has more 'scales' and some processes used don't get rid of the 'scales'. Some of us are just more sensitive?

I've been wearing Wundies and Thermals from MerinoCountry for a little while now - an all Australian brand which gives a quick overview of the wool and process they use - Merino Country Fabric Information. They aren't cheap!

My take on these is that the Wundies material, at 175g/m^2, dries much quicker than cotton (dries while walking/riding), can be worn for days without smelling, is cool in summer and warm in winter.

The material they make their thermals out of, at 260g/m^2, does take a long time to dry relative to other materials, but it is warm. However it has the same properties as above and if you are going from warm to cold, handles the change in temperature much better in regard to sweating. Unless I fall in a creek or something, I'm not likely to get these wet, and because they don't smell, I don't need to wash them much, so can pick a time when I know they'll have time to dry after a wash.

Neither of the materials above are itchy for me and I've had no issues with shrinkage with washing these as normal i.e. put in with everything else. Though we tend not to use a drier. MerinoCountry state that the material doesn't shrink after washing - no mention of drying, but the tag states they can be tumble dried on low heat setting?

That's my take - I'd prefer to be able to wear something longer between washes than wear something that smells and needs regular washing to stay fresh. If it's cold I don't want to be stripping down to change

I'm not fixated on Merino, I'd like to try some of the Polyester thermals coming out now that seem to be getting great reviews, but I won't be doing that until I need a new set.

Last edited by mylesau on Sun 17 Jun, 2012 6:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[John Sheridan]

One thing I can say about wool, it don't bother my feet, been wearing wool socks, none stop for months and they feel fine, Wilderness Wear Australian socks, I wish my upper body was as tough as my feet, or do I wish that

Cheers.

[Dale]

Where would be the cheapest place to get some Icebreaker gear at the moment ??

Cheers,

Good question. I bought mine at Prolite Gear on sale for about $30 / shirt. I checked their website and they're back to $60 / shirt.

You could try a search on Google products which will give you an aggregate of all the online stores selling the product you search on.

[John Sheridan]

blacksheep can you link to that shirt your talking about

Cheers.

[Dale]

Where would be the cheapest place to get some Icebreaker gear at the moment ??Cheers,

Here you go - Backcountry gear

[blacksheep]

blacksheep can you link to that shirt your talking about

Cheers.

Any merino light, 150 is made to that spec mate.

[John Sheridan]

So this one will not itch 100% guaranteed or you pay for it

Merino 150 S/S Tee "Trees" Men's 12468

http://www.macpac.com.au/shop/en_au/gea ... ree-m.html

If this itches, I guess Poly pro is the go, at least i don't have to pay for it :p



Cheers.

[blacksheep]

So this one will not itch 100% guaranteed or you pay for it

Merino 150 S/S Tee "Trees" Men's 12468

http://www.macpac.com.au/shop/en_au/gea ... ree-m.html

If this itches, I guess Poly pro is the go, at least i don't have to pay for it :p



Cheers.

This is a fine and and soft a finish as you'll find John, of that you can be assured.

[byrnesy8]

I have the macpac boxers and I wear them most of the time as they are very comfortable. Their keep their shape even after regular washing - which some merino products don't.

[John Sheridan]

So what your saying byrnesy8, your meat and two veg aint itchy.

Cheers.

[John Sheridan]

Merino 150 S/S Tee "Trees" Men's on the way, plus a few other things due next week, going to be a busy postie week for em

Cheers.

[north-north-west]

... get some polypropylene or polyester. Wool is real nice to wear if you can tolerate it and if you don't plan to get wet but you don't have to join the club.

Odd. Merino doesn't bother me. I've worn it 24 hours a day for a fortnight without trouble. Without any smell, either.
Polyprop, on the other hand, sends me crazy within 2 hours. *shudder* Horrible stuff.

[slparker]

Yeah merino doesn't bother me either... Seems to bother John though. I quite like it when it's cold and I'm not working too hard. I find it cold and heavy for highly aerobic activities though. Te ultra light stuff is quite good ad I agree about the handle and smell resistance. I like the heavy weight stuff for casual wear but would never wear it for an outdoor activity.

[Mountain Rocket]

I just got my first set of wilderness wear thermals. To put it simply, I will not be buying anything else ever again (so long as I can keep buying WW).

[John Sheridan]

Wilderness wear make thermals other than socks, I NEVER, where can i get some, how good are they Micron and softness wise ??

Cheers.

[Ent]

Hi

Wilderness Wear normally sell through independent bushwalking shops. They from memory have a website. My thermals are looser fitting style with good wear resistance but not necessary the finest micron count. I like them very much.

As others have mentioned try of the ultra fine Icebreaker. If you can not wear them then I doubt if other brands will be any better. Might just be you and wool go not get on.

Cheers

[blacksheep]

Hi


As others have mentioned try of the ultra fine Icebreaker. If you can not wear them then I doubt if other brands will be any better. Might just be you and wool go not get on.

Cheers

Ours will be less itchy as we also mercerise the yarn. John I look forward to your report.

[Mountain Rocket]

Wilderness Wear normally sell through independent bushwalking shops. They from memory have a website. My thermals are looser fitting style with good wear resistance but not necessary the finest micron count. I like them very much.

I just buy all of my stuff from them directly through their webstore: http://www.wildernesswear.com.au/Shopping-Site.aspx
The website is a bit clunky but they have good info on sizing, the fabrics they use, their values, etc. Also they are very happy to accept items that do not fit/you are not content with upon receiving them.

I actually find the WW thermals to have quite a slim cut. I would say they are very similar to Icebreaker in that respect. It is worth noting that I do fit into 'small' though. Furthermore, all of their merino stuff that I have got from them is 18.5 microns, which from my understanding is the average accepted count for next to skin applications (with anything <17 being considered 'ultra-fine'). It is also Australian merino. At least check them out

[RSD]

I've just ordered the Macpac merino boxers and the Brubeck merino thermals - will report back with my thoughts once I've tried them out.

[John Sheridan]

How long does it take Macpac to send your gear it's been three days and nothing

If their gear is the best wool gear I would expect they are busy and will get my stuff shortly, but would like it soon

Cheers.

[blacksheep]

:cry: How long does it take Macpac to send your gear it's been three days and nothing

If their gear is the best wool gear I would expect they are busy and will get my stuff shortly, but would like it soon

Cheers.

John, the web store cannot despatch on the weekend...so you'll need to be a tad patient...bummer I know

[John Sheridan]

I got my shirt,wore it to work today, will let you know how it worked out when i get home.

Ok I am home and here it is, the shirt is a fantastic fit, and looks like a quality shirt and just hangs on you in all the right places, it does prickle and itch a little, but NO where near those crap ones like Sherpa and smart wool stuff I have, those are prickly like @&*@&*&*@&*@, but As I said I wore it to work today and must so I could keep wearing it without problems, I will probably get more and have some for my casual use as well, they just fir so damn good

I think if i wash it it should loose it's prickle as it only has to lo loose just a little to be perfect I think, blacksheep what do you recommend in washing the shirt, I have heard Conditioner and or Vinegar or Glycerin and wash it in a tub or bucket rather than a washing machine, I don't want to screw the shirt up if it's the only one brand I can wear

Cheers.

/Ps when I was complaining about not getting the shirt I went down stairs to work and there it was in the mailbox, damn postie pushed it thought he mail slot, BAD BAD BAD postie :p


Thanks for the shirt.

[RSD]

I've just ordered the Macpac merino boxers and the Brubeck merino thermals - will report back with my thoughts once I've tried them out.

Well I thought I ordered the Macpac boxers - no idea what happened but the money never came out of my account and the boxers haven't shown up! The Brubeck thermals from Globewalker that I ordered a few minutes after the Macpac order arrived fine though.

Blacksheep - do they have the same specials prices in store?

[blacksheep]

John, sorry I just saw your question...I do nothing special wash wise, just regular cold water washing..RSD did you get an order confirmation? Maybe it didn't go through? But, yes the same pricing is in store ( plus some additional items not on the web store), are you near Perth? We are opening a big new store in a few weeks in Hay st...