Smartwool dilemma

[Bad JuJu]

Guess that's one way to avoid the crowds on the beach, eh?

Well, even with its bad digestive habits, I ordered the sweater anyway--in that delicious blue. I'll post a report when I get it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Guess that's one way to avoid the crowds on the beach, eh?

Well, even with its bad digestive habits, I ordered the sweater anyway--in that delicious blue. I'll post a report when I get it.

Maybe it has a high fiber content, contributing to it's "airiness".

Let us know how you like it! I'm tempted by the Ibex turtlenecks on sale myself....

[jobob]

I bought myself a black Smartwool Microweight long sleeve crew (from TE of course!) and it's now my most favorite article of clothing. It's silky-soft and cozy, but not heavy. It folds up tiny and weighs next-to-nothing so it's easy to travel with, and it doesn't wrinkle. It washes easily, dries quickly, it didn't shrink when I washed it (maybe a tiny bit but that was OK), and it looks really good on me (if I may say so myself). The sizing is pretty much perfect for me, I'm a run-of-the mill medium with no chest to speak of, and it's not loose, not tight. And there seems to be more room in the chest area for those better endowed than I.

I took it with me on our trip to Solvang and Big Sur. It was nice enough to wear out to dinner in Solvang, and it was a perfect base layer for camping in Big Sur.

While in Big Sur we took our bikes out on a fairly warm day on Highway 1 and then down to Pfeiffer State Beach, and then back up, up and up some more to the restaurant at the Ventana Inn which is on an overlook with a lovely view of the Pacific. While we were having lunch on the terrace the fog rolled in, so I changed from my sleeveless jersey to my Smartwool crew which I had very wisely taken along with me, even though Lee said it was going to be too warm. I was so glad I had it because for the descent back to camp I wore my sleeveless jersey over the crew and my bolero on top of that. My teeth were still chattering on the descent down Highway 1 back to the campground but thanks to my trusty Smartwool at least I didn't get hypothermia

Amazingly, I've worn it off and on for the last 6 days, almost continously for the last 3, and it doesn't stink. OK, that might be TMI ...

[KnottedYet]

I love that wool can be worn multiple times without stinking.

Won't give any details of my Ibex wool boxers, but to say that I luuuuuuuv them! (who'da thunk wool would make great underwear?)

[pooks]

Well, yeah! I've worn this smartwool zip-t several times all day and am doing laundry and looking at it and it LOOKS okay and I sniffed the underarms and it smells faintly of deodorant -- fresh, not stinky. And I know it should be washed, but I'm hesitating because I've never laundered it before and does it really need it.... Haven't decided yet!

The other thing I figured out (doh!) is that one reason it looked so bad when I tried it on the first time is I was wearing a bra that gives no support. Yesterday with my sports bra on, I caught a glimpse of myself and it didn't look as bad. Not that it looked GREAT but I'm not gonna look great in anything that clingy. But it looked MUCH better. Which I should have realized when I first tried it on -- try it on with the foundation garment you'll be wearing under it!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Hey Pooks, my DH and I both have several of those thin merino layering tops that we use not only for cycling but also as a base layer in cold weather just everyday. I often wear the SW crew long sleeve underneath their Zip-T and it's so toasty and nice feeling.
It amazing how I don't get any underarm odors at all wearing merino several times! I only wash mine after maybe 4 wearings, and like you, only because it will take on my deoderant odor, not because it smells "bad". (maybe I should use less deoderant now!) I actually wind up doing far fewer laundry loads since wearing merino base layers.
We save up quite a few merino/wool tops and socks and longjohns, and then do a small machine wash of them on GENTLE with Woolite and cold water. I fluff them a little bit in the dryer on LOW for only about 15 minutes (gets the cat hairs off for one thing!), then I just lay them or hang them out to dry.
Woolite is easier on the wool fibers than a harsh detergent like Tide. We tried Ivory Snow liquid, which was recommended by the Woolistic brand merino manufacturers, but we hated the smell of that stuff and went back to Woolite.
If I take good care of my real wool stuff I hope it will last almost forever. (it sure ain't cheap!)

[KnottedYet]

Cheap wool warning:

I've gotten a couple Duofold woolies (2 shirts, 2 pr long underwear bottoms) from Sierra Trading Post. Cheap price. Crappy quality.

I'm constantly sewing holes, rips, poor seams, and spontaneous discombobulations on those things.

My Ibex stuff is much much better quality. As is my Icebreaker.

For the price difference, I would go for the expensive stuff.

BTW: I've never had a problem with Duofold two-layer stuff. The cotton/wool double layer that they are known for is great. It's their 100% wool single layer that is just not up to par.