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Sell me on merino wool base layer

raisins said:
Blah....I'll talk you out of it.

1. lower quality merino can be itchy, especially if wet/sweaty or you are an itchy kind of person
2. you have to baby it (versus synthetic you just wash like normal) and let it air dry (versus synthetic goes right in the dryer)
3. the anti-stink properties are good, but the anti-stink treated synthetic is excellent AND you can easily wash/dry it which stops stink also
4. it's too expensive, i can buy and have clean 3 sets of antistink synthetics for the same price (and have a clean pair every day)
5. it's not as durable as synthetics in general
6. i don't want my heat to be in my base layers, that's for comfort and moving moisture away from my body, I don't want to walk in and climb with super warm stuff on (I instead put goose down mid layers on once in the tree)
7. merino stores moisture better but synthetic wicks it better
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A pro-merino rebuttal:
1. I second the meriwool brand referenced already, relatively inexpensive. Likely the "cheap" brands you find itchy are merino/other wool blends
2. I haven't babies mine and it's doing great two seasons in. Yes you don't dry it, but hang it over the shower curtain bar or on a hanger overnight and it's dry the next day.
3. Seems like a wash (see what I did there ;) )
4. Not my experience, particularly buying meriwool on sale. I wouldn't go super cheap-sometimes what is advertised as merino is a blend (see #1)
5. I haven't really considered durability for underlayers so far. That said, haven't work them out at all from what I can tell. My smartwool top has a few holes from a damn mouse, but that's a different issue.
6. Agreed, sometimes I hike/climb without it and add the base layer when in the tree
7. I seem to sweat a bit more than average, even if I get real sweety hiking around in it, I've been warmer in sweet drenched merino than I was in same conditions in sweet drenched cotton. Not a ton of synthetic experience to counterpoint this one. The super winter mountaineer types usually reccomend synthetic under merino double base layer for extreme colds I think.

8. I am 6'2, 200-220 lbs, and find the large meriwool sizes to be a good fit, not too tight, but also not loose. The tall sizes are real tall, I made the mistake of ordering bottoms for one of my 200g sets in LT, still use them but there's definitely too much leg there (generally I wear a 34 inseam pant). Also fan of darn tough socks. Particularly the hikers. Wool blends vary throughout their lineup
 
There is a difference between good quality and cheap merino (notice I didn't say expensive and cheap). I bought one pair of 'bargain' merino base layers on sale at bass pro. They were itchy and fell apart fairly quickly. Also, a lot of cheap 'merino' socks have very little merino in them. I have seen socks advertised as merino that contain as less than 10% merino.

I wear merino socks every day all year long, hot or cold. I could never go back to cotton. As far as base layers Meriwool has been the best value I have found by far.
 
HuumanCreed said:
I have tried merino wool sock and honestly am not a fan. They feel a lot more....in your face then cotton socks....if that make any sense? Like I like the feeling of nothingness when I wear socks. if I don't even realized I'm wearing the socks, that is a good sock. but with Merino wool its very noticeable, like they activate my sense receptors a lot more. I'm not sure I'm making sense, but yeah. I'm not sure I want to wear merino wool as a base layer. But to be fair it was generic Amazon merino wool socks, might not even be real for all I know.

Is there a real difference between high quality merino clothes compared to just clothes MADE of merino wool?

This is for saddle hunting for early archery season. wore by itself then maybe as base layer once it get cooler.
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Try darn tough and get different cusion types. I wear the thinnest ones every day and that have lasted 3 years without a hole. I wear the heavier cusion versions for later in the season. As for base layers, firstlite seems to make the most durable ones yet. Blackovis is scratchy buy wears in ok and holds up as well as firstlite. Meriwool, smartwool, and wooly brand all fall apart sooner but are as comfortable as firstlite.

I've also noticed that heavy cusions socks, especially in mucks tend to get hard worn in spots after walking a few miles through steep terrain so maybe the thinner ones would be better
 
BTaylor said:
Curious about your experience with it that turned you off on it?
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I've yet to find a single Merino sock or base layer that is comfortable against my skin. I've tried Sitkas heavyweight and lightweight Merino tops. Kuius 120, and the FL Wick and Furnace. The worst by far was Sitkas.
I've settled on Kuius Peloton 118. It's extremely comfortable and is the fastest-drying fabric I've ever used. There are times I've gotten soaked before I got on stand and was bone dry not an hr later. Merino is hydrophilic and takes forever to dry. Baselayers are not meant to have any insulating property. It's to get moisture off your skin and dry extremely fast. Which Merino sucks at. All I use are Buffalo wool socks. Way softer against the skin, and even faster drying.
 
I love ultra fine merino wool. Silky soft, warm, odor free and I’ve found that it takes a beating pretty well. I just throw mine in the washing machine and then hang it to air dry. I have also found that when your mother drys it on the blue jean setting in the dryer a size large will now be perfectly sized for a 5 year old.
 
It’s worth it. I found the First lite Furnance series to be comfortable and a huge benefit. I’m sure other brands make good stuff as well. I will say as far as my “high” end camo. I’ve yet to pay full price for any of it. Patients and I’ve even bought some used stuff.
I plan on adding into my warm weather stuff because it’s doesn’t hold moisture like Cotton or what not.
 
Listen to us old men with poor circulation, nothing beats good quality merino as a base layer. I have found a lightweight (125-200) merino paired with a polartech layer is the berries for cold weather. I used to get colder wearing a heavy base layer. Don't ask me why, it just works for me.
 
Still Kicking said:
. I used to get colder wearing a heavy base layer. Don't ask me why, it just works for me.
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Sometimes too much insulation is a bad thing. If it makes you sweat walking in as soon as you quit moving that sweat freezes you. It's why you hear a lot of guys don't put everything on till they get to their stand.
 
I’ll throw a bit of different information in the ring. Since it was from Amazon I’ll bet yours was a blend. Many manufacturers do this to try and either lower the cost or get the best of both worlds from a garment such as properties of merino plus properties of synthetic.
Merino is best for cooler weather, so think maybe early to mid season when the weather might be a touch cool but also may warm up. It also excels at start stop activities such as hiking, skiing, mountain hunting, spot and stalk, etc. It’s not so well suited for stand hunting or similar. Sure it’ll help you wick that sweat but after that if it’s 20 degrees outside you best have an excellent mid layer and probably outer layer. Also it’s not very durable and you kinda hafta baby it.
Its for the reasons above I stopped wearing it. I kept tearing my baselayers and once it teared it would unravel. I found in mid season they were great for helping thermo regulate as long as the temps were in the sweet spot but once they dropped down below 50 they weren’t much use to me in the stand; I’m not a clothes hog, I don’t like three sets of clothes for every phase of the season.
Not to say they suck, not at all. I just think they’re more appropriate for a certain type of hunting and to my mind stand hunting ain’t it.
If you want to play around with a set I’d recommend minus 33. They don’t look like hunting clothes, they’re good quality(100% merino) and they won’t break the bank. You could still wear them around the house or hiking or something if you didn’t like them. Or return them. Or just flip them, minus 33 has pretty good resale value.
 
For me, socks are thinsulate/wool blend.
I use good Merino bottoms and tops for a base layer.
I like the Merino so much, I have some pieces I just wear as normal clothing around the house.
 
2Sloe said:
I love ultra fine merino wool. Silky soft, warm, odor free and I’ve found that it takes a beating pretty well. I just throw mine in the washing machine and then hang it to air dry. I have also found that when your mother drys it on the blue jean setting in the dryer a size large will now be perfectly sized for a 5 year old.
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If your wife or significant other shrinks your merino wool so they can wear it, try soaking it in tepid water with a lot of cheap hair conditioner. Pull it slowly back into shape and let it air dry. I am still wearing shrunken Pendleton & Filson shirts, pants and vests purchased cheap at thrift stores years ago. After all, it is hair. Give it a try before discarding.
 
For those who don't know:

Early archery season in MD is hot. I can send a picture of me hunting in MD in mid-October with my pants around my boots it was such a boil. But lets not go there, just trust me.

It won't matter how Merino is at -33 when it's early season archery in MD.
 
bigmike23 said:
I've yet to find a single Merino sock or base layer that is comfortable against my skin. I've tried Sitkas heavyweight and lightweight Merino tops. Kuius 120, and the FL Wick and Furnace. The worst by far was Sitkas.
I've settled on Kuius Peloton 118. It's extremely comfortable and is the fastest-drying fabric I've ever used. There are times I've gotten soaked before I got on stand and was bone dry not an hr later. Merino is hydrophilic and takes forever to dry. Baselayers are not meant to have any insulating property. It's to get moisture off your skin and dry extremely fast. Which Merino sucks at. All I use are Buffalo wool socks. Way softer against the skin, and even faster drying.
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It sounds like you just have wool heebie jeebies, lol. I'm sure it's a thing, like people who taste cilantro like armpit.

I'm curious about the Peleton 118 now. Kuiu founder Jason Hairston was an strong advocate for Nuyarn (used in the Merino120) for warm weather hunts, while he had no illusions that merino could be top choice for cold weather. He advocated strongly for synthetics when thermometers dipped.

Too bad the 118 is sold out until September. Must be popular for a reason.
 
Plebe said:
It sounds like you just have wool heebie jeebies, lol. I'm sure it's a thing, like people who taste cilantro like armpit.

I'm curious about the Peleton 118 now. Kuiu founder Jason Hairston was an strong advocate for Nuyarn (used in the Merino120) for warm weather hunts, while he had no illusions that merino could be top choice for cold weather. He advocated strongly for synthetics when thermometers dipped.

Too bad the 118 is sold out until September. Must be popular for a reason.
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? It's fully restocked in every colorScreenshot_20230627_203000_Chrome.jpg
 
Jammintree said:
Darn Tough sock have a lifetime guarantee.
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My darn tough hunting socks have held up, but the brand has soured a bit for me from their running line. Complete garbage. You need the warranty as you'll go through each pair inside a couple months. My smartwool running socks have been going strong for almost two years now. Id rather no lifetime warranty, and put the money towards a higher quality product that lasts
 
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