Choosing Merino Wool Base Layers

[mmann8891]

I work outside and I love my minus 33 gear and it seems to be holding up well in the wash

 

[b1c2r3r4]

I have two layers of Marino. A 150 t shirt and a 250 hooded pullover shirt for the top and 150 and 200 bottoms. I then I was planning on my hunting clothes and then a puffy jacket and pants for real cold sitting glassing. Does that sound about right?

 

[5MilesBack]

I have two layers of Marino. A 150 t shirt and a 250 hooded pullover shirt for the top and 150 and 200 bottoms. I then I was planning on my hunting clothes and then a puffy jacket and pants for real cold sitting glassing. Does that sound about right?

For me, the heavier merino as a 2nd layer does nothing to help keep me warm when stationary. A regular fleece is lighter weight and warmer in my experience. But lots of guys seem to like layering up the merino wool. The merino layers also stick to each other, they don't slide around between the two which is also pretty annoying. Feels like a straight jacket looks to me. I like my freedom of movement.

 

[b1c2r3r4]

Thanks 5milesback. I will check on some different second layer clothing and just use the heavier Marino if it is colder outside as my base layer.

 

[Shoes]

I'm thinking about upgrading my pant base layers. I am thinking about zip-off options, likely Kuiu or FL, in the 145 gsm and 200 gsm flavors. Question I'm trying to decide on now, for really cold days use both weights, get something like the Peloton 97 to also wear over the wool or not stack base layers and get something like FL's Furnace 350gsm?

 

[AlleghenyMountain]

I switched to merino this year, Smartwool boxers and the Midway lightweight tops and bottoms. They do a great job with my wool pants, shirt and hunting coat. I got the midweight Black Ovis from Camofire, I'll use that when it's the teens and colder.

I sweat heavily, synthetics had me stinking so bad I could hardly stand myself. Mine have washed well so far.

Sent from my SM-S727VL using Tapatalk

 

[Meridian90]

From my experience of what I have tried, I would go:

FL > Minus33 > Smartwool > Synthetics

There are some other products mentioned here but I don't have any experience with them so I don't feel comfortable commenting. I typically only buy First Lite at this point however.

 

[Stingray]

LLBean is softest and most durable I’ve found and I tried 9-10 brands. WoolX is almost as soft and is the warmest ever. WoolX Runs a little short. But it’s awesome!

 

[SpookySpectre308]

If you haven't pulled the trigger on your base layer set yet, give our Kaibab pieces a look. We have tops and bottoms in both 170 and 300 GSM all backed by a lifetime warranty and VIP sizing policy. Plus, we have an exclusive discount for Rokslide members.

You can check out our merino wool gear here: Merino Wool

Please let us know if we can answer any questions for you. We are here to help and serve you!

Best,
Tim

I've been looking at your base layers all week. Can't bring myself to spend money yet with the job uncertainty. How does one take advantage of the rokslide discount? I doubt your sale goes on forever.

 

[TNKnoxville]

I have light and midweight Merino shirts 2xl tall and bottoms from Midway. So far after 2 years of use still going strong! I also have a Midway synthetic upper and it is nice also. I've found their stuff fits me perfect and seems to be pretty good quality. I wait until they are on sale and save a lot.

 

[Catahoula]

Of course It depends on the fit. I’ve tried most merino wool base layers. I still like the fit of First Lite base layers the best...

 

[Voyageur]

Some really good recommendations in this thread.
I second recommending Smartwool.
I also really like Ibex merino.

 

[Elkslayer67]

I will throw in my two cents in.
First of all let me tell you I am that guy that always wears a white tee shirt and jeans. Cheap,easy, and comfortable. ( pisses the wife off ) A couple of years ago I upgraded my hunting camo to First Lite. Now I am one that believes camo is for hunting not a fashion statement. So I bought a couple of tees in solids to test on a daily basis. Around the house, under my work uniform, general day to day stuff. Worked great loved the feel and after a hard day you don’t stink! So much so that I am transitioning from my white cotton tees to merino tees. ( wife likes the different colors also ) I really like the First Lite shirts but find it hard to spend $65 on tees for daily wear. So I have been trying a lot of “ Cheeper Brands” . Most of them are a Blend and you feel it. Rough and scratchy like a cheap polyester shirt. Found a 100% merino tee on Amazon for $36 and loved it. But of course it no longer exists. Tried the Amazon brand. It is a Blend and feels like one. I found a company out of Seattle called Woolly Clothing Co. that puts out 100% merino that I really like. Their tees and boxers have that buttery feel and are a few dollars cheaper. So far they have held up really well. So I am transitioning to all wool tees and boxers. They also have a very comfortable polo shirt when the wife says I need to dress up.
Sorry for the long winded response. ( self isolation ) The down and dirty response is. For camouflage I go with First Lite hands down. If it doesn’t need to be camo save a few bucks and try Woolly Clothing Co. both top rate products.

 

[skregear]

I've been looking at your base layers all week. Can't bring myself to spend money yet with the job uncertainty. How does one take advantage of the rokslide discount? I doubt your sale goes on forever.

Feel free to reach out to us anytime. We will take good care of the RokSlide members. You can email me personally at [email protected]

 

[TxxAgg]

Woolly and Minus33

 

[Hondo]

I've had the best experiences overall with First Lite, Smartwool, and Minus33. My heavier weight Icebreaker stuff has served me well but the lighter weight stuff has been hit & miss.

 

[Venom One]

Some good info here as I'm looking for the same base layer stuff. I'm glad I read this because I was thinking the 100% had to be better also. I like the prices at Camofire and would buy their brand, but I don't like that you can't return it if it's not what you expected.

 

[Timbercrawler]

I'm a vote for minus 33. I work outside and raise some cattle I wear merino 6 months out of the year everyday. It's kind of funny I'm so used to wearing it even when we go to town or meet friends for dinner I still put it on. I've tried many brands, and 33 holds up well for me anyway.

 

[mtwarden]

I've owned several 100% merino pieces, I now own exactly none.

I have found much better performance from a blend of merino and synthetic. Dries quicker and is much sturdier. I've found that in the ballpark of 75% merino and 25% syn is just about perfect.

I've also found that the lighter the fabric, the better for a base layer- not a big surprise, because I've found the exact same with full synthetic. Lighter fabrics simply move moisture better and dry quicker.

 

[Lowg08]

Yea I’m going FL