[Closed] Merino Wool base layers

I swear by my Icebreaker stuff - have several different weights of layers for different conditions, even a t shirt which I run in in Summer. Wears really well and lasts a long time. Just don't tumble dry! Mine aren't bike specific but work well for anything I do be it running, walking or biking.

worth every penny.

I've got plenty of the stuff (icebreaker). Wear it all the time.

^^ wot they both say. deffo worth it and if you think about it often only actually a £10/15 more than a polly 'technical top'.

Absolutely great, and not always expencsive - got 2 of mine from Fat Face in their sale, think they were less than £15 each for long sleeve!

Also - forgot to say - you can wear merino base layers and then just wool on top. Wool of any description is good IMO.

Got a Rab one with long sleeves half price from Hitch n Hike a bit ago. Brilliant! Usually get too warm and sweaty uphill but it just feels right. And it really doesn't smell, my clothes always stink after a ride but can happily wear it again with no worries, even if it is still a bit damp.
Got a short sleeved on for christmas and think I may well add to them at some point.

Icebreaker and Ground Effect here, used a lot, never beaten by plastic.

Definitely worth it. I rate Patagonia's, especially if you can find them reduced somewhere (like the factory shop in Dublin). Icebreaker also a good fit but very pricey.

Hmm, there's a shop in Ambleside which does Icebreaker (and Patagonia) at very reasonable prices especially for the previous season's stuff. I think it's called Mountain Factor. Most of mine has been bought in sales.

Well worth it, got a few from Ice Breaker, Howies and Ground Effect and mid layers as well. All great. I'm a fan of all things natural but the performance of wool and merino wool over synthetics is quite noticeable plus it needs less washing and lasts well IME.

I absolutely love my long sleeved merino (Howies), am often found wearing it in bed..

I had an Endura one in the autumn. I would have recommended it thoroughly until I found a random hole in the arm two or three weeks ago and noticed that the seams are coming apart. I've only used it about a dozen times maybe.

Quality issues aside, the fabric is great.

I like the stuff from Embers merino - generally less expensive than Howies. And definitely worth the upgrade, still warm even when sweaty.

Try [url= http://www.chocolatefishmerino.co.uk/ ]Cocolate Fish[/url] esp the bargain basement section.

Icebreaker used to make their stuff in NZ but now it's made in India or China or somewhere and is overpriced for what it is IMHO 😕

I have quite a bit of Rapha merino and like it a lot. However, a polypropolene base layer is as warm and wicking. Smells a bit more though.

The Endura BaaBaa was voted product of the year recently in a mag (which I use - very nice. Wear it day to day too)

Anyone use the merino poly mix? Keeps its shape and wicks slightly better

Endura Baa Baa is extremely poor quality compared to the icebreaker stuff, in terms of fit and comfort. The Baa Baa now sits at the back of my drawer and only gets worn as a last gasp. I would pay the extra for the icebreaker stuff every time - it is without doubt the most yummy comfortable stuff ever.

P.S I really dislike the Baa Baa. Cant believe it won a reader award. 😕

Oh and smell - or lack of it - is one huge advantage over manmade fibres

I like the Baa Baa too 🙂

Not tried any of the others, I will admit it's not the best in terms of fit though. But it's certainly toasty warm.

Hmm... Interesting. My Mum bought me a Baa Baa this christmas and I think it is fantastic. Warm, comfy and seems good quality. I won't buy Icebreaker after I sent some of their socks back for a warranty issue and never heard a peep back from them. Yes... They stole my socks!

I noticed that Marks and Spencer have Merino base layers in at the minute too. £29.50 for SS, £35 for LS, think they're B.O.G.O.H.P. at the minute too. Anyone taken the gamble on one? They have the code on the box where you can track where in NZ the wool comes from like Icebreaker do.

Icebreaker LS here. Brilliant, bought November, worn on every ride since I think! Even on super cold night rides, that and my Enduro Stealth is all I need. Great fit, doesn't stink, holds in the warmth not the sweat.

Mine a 200, going to get a SS for early morning commuting when it gets *a bit* warmer. £40 from our local camping shop which I reckon is VFM for what it does.

Got an icebreaker short sleeve and a pair of liner gloves both superb.

I also got a long sleeve merino top from decathlon for £20 (worth a punt I thought) and is not bad at all.

Not tried an icebreaker, but been thinking of another merino so may try one next

I have some Icebreaker and Howies stuff, and while I'm happy with it I don't know if the advantages are that massive compared to synthetic material. Merino is warm when wet but it does tend to hold moisture more than synthetic fabrics, and can get quite chilly on a windy wet day. I was also a bit alarmed when I ripped my mid-weight Icebreaker long johns while putting them on. I think it was me being cack-handed rather than any particular problems with the garment, but it doesn't bode well for their durability. 😐

I bought a merino top from an online place that does just generla thermal underwear, not syscling specific, in fact they seem to push it more for motorcyclists

http://www.thermalshop.co.uk/

Having bought & used many man made fibre base layers in the past, I wouldn't go back to them. The merino is warmer, wicks better, doesn't smell. Everything that I'd been told about the stuff by others (and I'd gone "yeah, right....") is true.

I am going to buck the trend and say that in my experience the advantages (stink factor?) do not outweigh the disadvantages (ie price)

My Icebreaker LS half zip 200? weight top is nothing special compared to my polyprop tops. It definitely holds moisture more than my synthetic tops and as for warmth etc much of a muchness.

Those of you with Howies and Icebreaker, how do they compare for size? I'm a small in Howies and wonder what to go for in Icebreaker.

I'm a bit unconvinced myself, mine (Icebreaker) isn't any better than my Trespass thermal base layer, and it cost about 1/4 as much. If anything it's worse when it gets wet.

I don't tend to wear mine when riding, but afterwards and especially when travelling/ on hols as I can wear fewer of them for longer than cotton t-shirts.

I've got to say I wear mine day to day more than riding. Poly base does the job just as well - in the winter, with a jacket

For summer I like merino too, but it does hold more moisture when sweating alot

I think the 'smell factor' is worth the change to marino. Also one of the great positives is the drying speed of merino wool (yes, shocking though it is, some of us actually wash our merino clothes) - I now use the lightweight marino t-shirst as general wear instead of cotton t-shirts etc as it is so much easier to dry. Wash it in the evening, hang it up in the house and its dry to wear the next morning, even in winter. Excellent. Keeps its shape better than some cotton t-shirts seem to.

Patagucci from TK Maxx if you can find it. So brilliant! I have an Endura BaaBaa as well, very impressed.

Stays warm when wet - I love them (have trek mates, endura and smartwool)and don't have anything else next to my skin wjen riding in the spring/autumn/winter.....super cosy and yes still stylish off the bike too 😀

Howies LS here - think it is a class bit of kit, can usually get away with it and Gore N2S windproof jacket - it does tend to hold the moisture but dries quick and I find it keeps the heat in better than any of the alternatives that i have (2XU, Berghaus, Groundeffect)

Also use Lewiskit merino socks - usually get a year out of them before holes start appearing in the toes but they do keep my feet warm, even when wet

Corroded - Is the Patagonia shop in Dublin off Grafton Street?

Have a couple of Icebreaker tops, love them, comfortable, seem to wear well & don't stink after a day out. Well worth the money

my finisterre baselayer is v.good, softer than my endura, and wearing well, great customer service too but available as a pre order only at the moment...

http://www.finisterreuk.com/sdcms/product.php

Like namastebuzz I go for [url= http://www.chocolatefishmerino.co.uk ]Choccy Fish[/url] stuff. Their baselayer is great and a good weight - light enough to wear all year round and dry fast, heavy enough to give decent wear. Tried IBs 150 weight and it was in holes in less than 6 months. Also just got myself one the new Choc Fish 260 weight hoodies. I wear it over the base and its a decent bit of kit - wear it anywhere.

You get what you pay for. Cheap stuff usually itches and/or is badly cut. Mind you, so is expensive stuff - IB's mostly rubbish now its made in China. Mr Agreeable - if your IB midweight longjohns ripped just by being put on - they realy are rubbish. I've seen posts about this happening on other forums so its not you being cack-handed.

Strangely I've found that my Embers shortsleeved jersey brings me out in pretty bad rash if I wear it under a couple of layers when it's cold - I think it's a bit rough and rubs the skin when damp... No problem with it when it's used as a single layer.

Strangely I've found that my Embers shortsleeved jersey brings me out in pretty bad rash if I wear it under a couple of layers when it's cold - I think it's a bit rough and rubs the skin when damp... No problem with it when it's used as a single layer.

I generally wear a poly/merino mix material called Sportwool -Rapha make a really good one, their lightweight short sleeve Jersey - I combine this with Rapha winter jersey and bib shorts - unless it's really cold (like today - 3deg and a strong wind) then I use an IB 200g baselayer - plenty warm enough and bone dry when I got home.

It's not that it's rougher when damp but rather that your skin gets softer so I reckon any movement of the jersey over the skin seems to end up rubbing badly enough to leave scabs as it heals.

Now admittedly that was wearing bib shorts over the top and a waterproof jacket so not the most breatheble combo but this never happens with normal jerseys.

For those of you with large budgets and the need for a bit of exclusivity look no further than http://www.untouchedworld.com/ - apparently is fantastic quality (although should be at those prices) and made in New Zealand.

Merino definitely stays warm when wet - I wore my BaaBaa under a wetsuit off the Welsh coast on Sunday - everyone else was definitely feeling the cold more than me and I'm normally the first to complain!

Another Icebreaker fan.....have really put their prices up though, I think £50 or more now for a zipped long sleeve?

I bought a 3 pack of Rapha merino base for £100 in Dec. Gave one to a very happy mate for Xmas. Are very thin, maybe a bit fragile but really lovely. Look the nuts too......off white very nice.

http://www.rapha.cc/base-layer-3-pack

....bit of homo-eroticism for you all.....

Choc Fish stuff is also made in New Zealand and less expensive than Untouched World, but the company is UK-based. You have to be careful of buying from outside the EU. Anything valued at more than £18 (and that includes the postage) can have tax and duty added on by UK customs, and the carrier can add on a wacking percentage or fee for "handling". A mate of mine got caught that way. Also if you have to send it back cos it doesn't fit, or you don't like it, you've got even more to shell out. Buy in the EU zone - it's safer.