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Icebreaker Merino Wool Clothing
Downside: Like drugs, addicting and costly. Rating: ^^^^^ (5 out of 5 peaks) Ideal User: Those who get real hot, real cold, and real uncomfortable in cotton & synthetics.
I've tried many fabrics out there, from natural cotton to petrochemical wonders. Technical explanations of Gore, Polartec, X-Static, Cool-Max and hemp swim through my head each season - while I try my best to push each company's product limits in a barrage of ice, rain, sweat and sun.
I've finally met my match in merino wool. Unlike cotton, it doesn't get cold and clammy when you sweat profusely in the heat (which I do). Unlike synthetics, it doesn't get stinky after hours of hiking or biking. And, unlike any fabric I've worn, it refuses to get uncomfortable or un-stylish. Wool is cool. I was recently introduced to Ibex and Icebreaker, two purveyors of fine merino wool. And while we're waiting to punish some of Ibex's offering, we had a chance to test out a couple pieces from Icebreaker - and were impressed with the goods. Icebreaker is a New Zealand-based company utilizing fibers of their local merino animal from the South Island's Alps. They recently teamed up with well-known clothing company Gramicci to distribute their togs in America, and not a moment too soon. It was getting cold out there! Icebreaker has organized their line of underwear, leggings, shirts and jackets into three categories; Under Layer, Mid Layer and Outer Layer. They also make hats and junior pieces - but mostly produce tops of varying weights and configurations. Within the Under Layer, there is a "skin" category of very fine pieces (200 grams per square meter), and "bodyfit" items at 260g/m2. The Mid Layer features a "superfine" category as well as "sport" items at 190-320g/m2 - while the Outer Layer consists of heavier pieces at 340g/m2. Basically they have the whole range of weights covered, in many colors. Without delving into a full lesson on the advantages of natural merino wool (their website does an outstanding job of doing that), suffice to say that merino wool is soft, cozy, warm and comfortable - and machine washable. It's also very breathable in the heat, yet warm in the cold. I wore a t-shirt as a mountain biking jersey one day, then as a base layer for snowboarding a week later. I tested out two tops by Icebreaker, both from the Mid Layer collection. One was the Tech T ($60) a seemingly normal short-sleeved t-shirt that was anything but. I wore it mountain biking in the heat of Santa Monica's Mountains, and it dried as fast as synthetics without ever stinkin' up the joint. Credit goes to Swobo for re-introducing wool to cycling years ago, but this lightweight T takes it a step further. Then, up in the snowy mountains I layered the T under Icebreaker's long-sleeved Original Zip ($110), which is a heavier weight, and features handy thumb loops. The two layers (along with a Gore-Tex jacket) kept me toasty in 20-degree weather, convincing me of the power of wool. Both pieces were exceedingly comfortable on and off the slopes and, just to test their claims of odor-fighting, I didn't wash either during my weekend in Mammoth. And, amazingly, they smelled fine even after three days - although my socks were another story... This type of luxury doesn't come cheaply, but perhaps you can justify the cost by amortizing it across the years of use you'll get from Icebreaker's clothing. And if that doesn't work, just remind yourself that each Merino can only produce five of these objects per year.
Tech T msrp: US $60
Original Zip: $110 www.icebreakernz.com // 800-814-5000 Special thanks to Mammoth Mountain for hosting the MountainZone testing team for this review. Contact them at 800-MAMMOTH or www.mammoth-mtn.com for your next Sierra visit. — Reviewed & Written by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Gear & News Editor |
