Merino vs synthetic

Having pretty religiously worn merino as a base layer for the last few years, I tried on an old faithful Charlie Manson* recently (25 years old , a different stretchy fabric to the new ones) blimey I’d forgotten how much warmer they are, and dry-feeling.

Merino has it’s place (when you can/won’t wash it that often) but I think the Charlie’s will be getting worn a lot more often.

Anyone else?

*hilarious rhyming slang for Helly Hansen

Yup. Merino holds water horribly.

Both. I love Merino for warmth but Lordy it stinks like a sh*t shovellers Duffel bag when wet.

If it’s a really old HH it’s probably polypropylene, and i think they’re a lot better than the modern polyester ones.

I have several merinos (thanks to daughter’s boyfriend working at Rapha) plus an old HH (horizontal white stripes on sleeves) and a Gill. They all have their place, but I can’t feel warm after a ride until I swap the base layer for a loose cotton T.

I always find my merino is odour free (either Rapha or Vulpine) but the HH is like an ammonia factory if left overnight.

HH have apparently gone back to the older-style polypropylene in their designs. I bought one recently which has polypropylene with merino on the outside. Absolutely lovely – I get a sweat on just wearing it in front of the TV 🙂

After reading all the good things about merino on here a year or two back, I caved-in and bought one just before the mass opinion changed and they were declared as a bit crap (as I found out for myself). I tried older Lifa, worked ok, but didn’t age too well. Moved on to Patagonia, which I felt was an improvement, tried merino and discovered all of it’s good/bad points, and have settled on a synthetic from The Mountain Warehouse, called Talus Parallel,as the best i’ve used. As a bonus, it’s also the cheapest too, about £8 last time I was there.

I’m completely unconvinced by the amount of merino products on the market – just like manuka honey – and the merino tops I’ve had have been nice, but none have been anywhere near as good as good synthetic thermals/ undershirts from assos, sportful, odlo and even decathlon.

Take a look at Brynje.

I recently washed a batch of base layers and when I pulled them out of the washing machine after the spin cycle I noticed my Brynje vest was almost dry, my HH was damp, and my merino was damper.

They both have their place, and there are some things I’ll pick synthetic over merino, but I still love my merino Ts for the wide range of conditions they work in.

Sadly I can’t find anything out there as good as the old HH fabric. I have 3 originals which I treat as the priceless goods that they are.

I really really wish they still did them.

I like merino for socks but all the tops I actually wear are synthetic, even the super-cheap synthetics work better than wool imo.

Yep, Brynje-type merino tops (like string vest) are fantastic. All the warmth of merino with better wicking than most synthetics I’ve tried. My Aclima Woolnet is my go-to base for proper cold weather but sil doesn’t soak through when it gets warmer. Otherwise it’s mostly old Hellys for me.

merino for short stuff like a commute but definitely synthetic for anything serious. Craft is my favourite at the moment.

merino for touring and pootling rides. rab merino/bamboo stuff to be precise.

north face manmade summit stuff for more energetic stuff, not that I do owt energetic nowadays.

Merino for everything apart from water proof breathable tops (and shorts). Yes it gets wet but always stays warm. I have 4 different weights depending on how cold it is. Always buy Howies in the sales. My synthetic gear was always getting thrown out by better half because it stank after a year of use, despite high temperature washing.

Merino tee’s for chilling,easy rides to pub etc

Synthetic for anything else. A lot of the best baselayers seem to be polyamide these days also a lot of good ones coming from factories in turkey.

Get cold quickly in sweaty merino, not quite so bad in bamboo stuff, dirt cheap Decathlon skiing base layer has been my default choice this winter, £5.99, warm, dries quick, not smelly, amazing value

Agree with above. I was in the merino hype for a few years and got some Craft winter baselayers a few months ago – far better for all but gentle pootle rides or repeated wears without washing, like touring weekends