Smartwool dilemma

[jobob]

I use Ivory Snow powder for woolens. It doesn't seem to have a smell to it, I don't notice one anyhow.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

JoBob- check out the smell of the liquid Ivory Snow next time you pass by it in the supermarket aisle....YUCKO! My DH first complained about it and I thought he was just exaggerating- how bad could it be?- until I washed my things and found he was dead right. And worse, the smell stayed in the wool through days of wearing it afterwards. I could smell it on a base layer right through my other layers! Sort of a sickeningly sweet artificial soapy smell. I bet you're right about the Ivory powder not smelling bad though. But DH and I are happy with the Woolite now, so we'll stick with that. I also find that it doesn't take much soap of any kind to get the merino woolens clean and fresh- less is best.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Knotted- thanks for the warning about the Duofold 100% wool items. I'll steer clear! My DH loves their two-layer wool/cotton blend longjohns and henleys. He recently got some all merino tights and chamois shorts from Woolistic that he loves- they look really well made.

[jobob]

I was in REI yesterday and I saw they had the Smartwool midweight zip-T in stock, so I tried it on im my usual size M, and ... yikes !

That fit of that top is so much different than the fit of the microweight crew neck (which I happened to be wearing at the time).

The midweight top is a much snugger fit, and I looked like a purple sausage in it. I didn't bother trying on the size L, but maybe I will next time I wander thru an REI.

But it looks like I'll be sticking with my beloved microweight Smartwool.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

The SW zip-T's are much more form fitting than the simple crew neck longsleeves. They are tailored in at the waist. I have largish hips but a small waist, so they fit me fine. I still like the crews though- comfy!

[Surlygirl]

I wash my smartwool stuff in and all my biking clothes in cold water on gentle and I use the new Johnsons Lavender scented baby shampoo. It smells wonderful. I try to air dry everything.

[jobob]

Doh, I just remembered, it was the midweight LS crewneck that I tried on, not the zip-T. (REI had both the midweight crewneck and the midweight zip-T in stock).

Gah, I'm getting senile.

So allow me to rephrase ... in my experience, I found that the smartwool LS crewneck in the midweight wool is much more form fitting (as in, purple sausage casing) than the smartwool LS crewneck in the microweight wool.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

And...to further clarify and confuse:

The Smartwool midweight Zip-T (like the one Pooks got) is more tapered in at the waist than the Ibex "Zephyr" zip turtleneck. The Zephyr is straighter shaped in the body and a tiny bit more loose fit. I have both of these in medium so I am able to compare the size and fit of the two brands against each other.
Other than the fit, these two zip turtlenecks are quite similar in weight and feel. They are both nice. I like my zephyr in Persimmon color because it's pretty visible in traffic and is a warm happy kind of color for autumn.