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Sell me on merino wool base layer

bigmike23 said:
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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You run in uncomfortable socks? Or are they the Coolmax synthetic ones?
 
bigmike23 said:
Coolmax and merino. complete junk. Merino dont bother my foot. Just my lower leg with socks
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Wow. I've never worn through a running sock. Not even cotton. And I've done a lot of running through the years.

I've been skiing in Darn Tough for a few years and used their socks last year during hunting season (along with some alpaca socks). I also added new boots, so it's hard to know if that's a factor. But they seemed great.

Are your Buffalo socks BuffaloWoolCo?
 
Smartwool w thick footbed, or Woolpower socks. Wash, turn inside out to tumble dry. Should feel real nice and lofty
 
What I like about merino is that I don't notice it. Try different thicknesses for different uses. I find the cheaper brands have a looser weave and can feel funny. I love merino base and middle layers. My socks and tshirts get washed in the regular wash cycle. My middle layers get washed in the regular wash unless I am doing a wool wash and will wash I'd a wool or delicate cycle. Because wool does not get funky smelling like synthetics I do not wash my middle layers every time I wear them.

I thought I would add some feed back on the brands I have

I like Amazon merino.tech lightweight t-shirts, they give you a free pair of socks which are a looser weave and not the best however they come with the shirts. I also like their underwear. Mostly washed in regular wash dry cycles

I initially wore minus33 base layers however I found over time it does not hold up washing them in a regular cycle

Firstlite has very durable base layers which I was in regular wash and dry cycles. You have to be careful with their obsidian pants as they shrink if you run them in regular wash and dry cycles.

BlackOvis mid weight hoody very durable washing and drying in regular cycles.

I have a couple Kuiu Zip T hunting shirts and they are super comfortable however I am not quite sure how durable their Nuyarn is when using regular wash and dry cycles

I have had good luck with Amazon Zealwood athletic ankle socks washing them in regular wash and dry cycles

I also like the amazon meriwool 250 gram base layer bottoms, very durable regular wash and dry cycles. I am going to try some of their other stuff.
 
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For me merino, especially when complemented by foot antiperspirant, is an awesome combo. I like Darn Tough but haven’t really had a merino garment that I don’t like.

Also, while this is a teeensy drip in the bucket, every synthetic garment we buy sheds millions / billions of plastic nano particles. To the extent I can I’m phasing out synthetics and buying natural fibers whenever possible.
 
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