WoolWeenies Club

[mimitabby]

Knot, you need a woolen office sweater!!!

do you have snow yet today?

[KnottedYet]

Yup, we had snow, but it melted.

I'm wearing a wool t-neck and my Switchback and wool long undies and wool socks. Wool on my skin is niiiiice.

Edit: wandering through Terry's sale pages http://www.terrybicycles.com/detail.html?item_no=5134

[Crankin]

OK, you guys are getting to me. When I was in Vermont, I saw my first "Shak" full zip. Not on sale and not my size. I signed up on the Ibex site for the free Shak contest. I've seen a few half zips on sale, but I really didn't feel like spending the $.
Today I went wool crazy. I ordered an Icebreaker sweater, 2 long sleeved wool base layers, and 2 short sleeve base layers from STP. All before 8 AM.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Save some money for when we meet up at the Arcadian Shop next weekend! They have Kates and shaks and Carrie Hoodies and everything!

[Crankin]

Well, I got 10% off of all of the stuff, which was already deeply discounted. Steve got a hooded sweatshirt, and we got free shipping. I think I ended up paying 65.00 for the Icebreaker, which is about half price.

I am coming with all credit cards in hand next Sunday!

[Triskeliongirl]

Well, my last package came today, and I am SO SPOILED BY my Ibex I just finished packing it up and sending it all back.

With that being said, its not awful or anything, I just didn't *LOVE* it. I ordered the sale merino wool t-necks, and I just didn't care for the quality or fit. I didn't like the way the sleeves and bottom are unfinished. I didn't like the way the bottom rolls up when tucked in. On me, the sleeves were a tad short, the overall length a tad long for tucking into normal waisted pants (size S). The machine stitching just didn't look as solid as on my ibex, and I worried how they'd hold up to washing (state dry clean only), and they looked sort of frumpy on me. I was also annoyed that one item shipped in the wrong color just rolled up in a plastic bag like it had just come back from a return. I also thought LLbean had better quality, but maybe that's the bean stuff I still have from a different time. On the plus side, I will say the wool was soft, and while lightweight as described not paper thin.

So, with all my posts what did I end up KEEPING (all Ibex, bought either at my local 50% off sale, uncle dan's or online ibex outlet):

2 full zip shaks, 1 thistle heather and 1 black
4 kates, 2 black and 2 green
1 mulberry ribbie
1 pair knee warmers
1 pair arm warmers

Everything I kept mixes and matches with stuff I have already to give a lot of different looks with a min. number of travel pices, and works well on or off the bike, and can be paired with casual or professional pieces.

I stuck to my promise to only buy ibex on sale, and the damage on return postage wasn't awful with the return mailers both sierra and llbean provide. Well worth it to me to try on all this stuff in the convenience of my own home!

So, now that I've had a chance to see a lot of stuff, I would rank Ibex > Icebreaker > Bean. At this point I think I have enough wool to last a good long time, but if and when I need wool again, its Ibex on sale all the way!

In terms of sizing I would say Ibex runs a tad smaller than Icebreaker and Bean. I would say Ibex's smalls are really 4-6 smalls while the others are more like 6-8 smalls.

[Dianyla]

In terms of sizing I would say Ibex runs a tad smaller than Icebreaker and Bean. I would say Ibex's smalls are really 4-6 smalls while the others are more like 6-8 smalls.

Out of the box, yes. I've found that my Icebreaker pieces do shrink upon first wash/dry, while the Ibex pieces do not shrink (with the notable exception of the Switchback). Also, my only complaint about the various Icebreaker garments I have is that they sometimes shrink irregularly.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I am coming with all credit cards in hand next Sunday!

I heard a rumor that the Arcadian Shop is running a 30% off Ibex sale. We'll just have to see what's happening when we get there!

Trisk- that's amazing will power you have there, sending that whole order back....I'm impressed!

RTW- your Shimano sport shoes post could have been about wool if you had simply added: "I plan to wear some nice thin wool socks under these shoes!".

[Triskeliongirl]

I actually sent two whole orders back, the sierra one and the bean one. All my ibex pieces have washed beautifully, no shrinkage at all.

Have fun shopping! I was wishing it would be when I am in town, but now I am glad its not. No more shopping for me!!

[RTW]

RTW - your Shimano sport shoes post could have been about wool if you had simply added: "I plan to wear some nice thin wool socks under these shoes!".

Oh yes, that's it! Yes, I plan to wear wool socks with my nice new(ish) shoes.

I could add a wool-related question to my newbie post: Now that I have too much wool to count (let alone fit into my drawers), is there any reason to keep a traditional long-sleeved synthetic jersey complete with back pockets and brighter colors? None of my long-sleeved wool tops were designed specifically for biking, so they don't have the pockets. But if you think there's that much advantage to the performance, perhaps it's OK to forgo the pockets and use the wool tops and return the synthetic.

Not being an Ibex owner (in tops at least; I have their Backcountry pants), I don't know personally how their cut compares to Icebreaker. The Icebreaker Chakra top does run small compared to the rest of their items; the Ibex Backcountry pants run rather big in general. I don't think my Icebreaker items have shrunk a lot; well, I've noticed shrinkage in one item right after washing, but it stretches back out after I wear it for a short time.

But Madscot, if you're looking for a wool hoodie, Icebreaker does make two hooded tops. The Nomad (1/4 zip) is actually currently available in XS, S and L in black on Sierra Trading Post, and I have a two-day 20%-off coupon for all women's apparel if you want -- that would bring it down from $85 to $68, compared to a list price of $130. Buy it soon, because it says the the XS is "almost gone." Uncle Dan's also has the Conquest hoodie in XS in black and pink for $124 and free shipping. The differences are that the Nomad is 1/4-zip while the Conquest is a full-zip, and the Nomad is woven in a looser, non-windproof knit while the Conquest is a more wind-resistant knit. I found a post on another (hiking) forum that compares the Nomad, Conquest and Shak from a male backpacker's point of view.

Am I a wool enabler?

[DebW]

I heard a rumor that the Arcadian Shop is running a 30% off Ibex sale. We'll just have to see what's happening when we get there!

If that's true, I may well be spending money rather than just looking next weekend. I definitely want to try on the Ibex bike shorts and knickers and some other things.