OK, I knit on occasion, so I have a semi-decent familiarity with various types of fibers. I know that merino wools are pretty kickass, but I’d really only seen them over the years in your “traditional” workups, such as sweaters and other non-very-fine-gauge items.
Well, there are folks smarter than myself out there who have taken it to a new level - very fine gauge merinos for sports/activewear. I’d first seen it with Icebreakers and they have some SERIOUSLY nice stuff, but it’s pricey. However, I’ve talked to folks who have used it and they have said it’s worth every penny, and even better than the synthetics out there, and from the pieces I’d seen/touched/drooled on, I could tell it was good stuff.
Tonight, I picked up a “Smartwool“ tank from REI - another fine gauge merino, just a branding I’d not run into yet. It’s a little less expensive than the Icebreaker items I’ve seen, but I was decidedly intrigued from what I’d seen so far, and I had a gift card!
I wore it out in lieu of “traditional” undergarments this evening under this Columbia sweater (the color on the site is even the color I picked up today!), and it was absolutely perfect. Not once was I too hot or too cold, and I was indulging in some adult beverages, and that can seriously muck with your body temps.
I’ve gotten to be the queen of layering lately and this is the BEST underlayer I’ve run into in my life. It is ever so slightly scratchy when you first put it on, but not “OMG, must take all my skin off with my nails” scratchy, just more of a feeling that this isn’t something you’ve worn before. Give it 5 minutes and you’re over it. (Unless you have some sort of wool allergy, then you shouldn’t be near any of this anyway.)
So, if you ever find yourself eying some sort of fine gauge merino product and hemming and hawing over the cost - it’s worth it.
And I will say, the “Smartwool” had what I consider to be “plain” tanks, it just has a small embroidered logo down by the waist, whereas the Icebreaker tanks I’d seen mainly had embroidery and/or some design on them, which is nice, but I prefer plain.
