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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
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    134

    merino 250/heavy merino for skiing

    i see many people like heavy merino for snow activity. I have a Smartwool 195 long sleeve, and i dont use it since it remains soaked. Bought a 150 long sleeve (with a bit of synthetic) and will give it a try. Hope it dries faster. Othat than that, i love merino.
    How can people use a 250 merino base layer since i guess it dries even more slowly than my 195? does any of you use heavy Merino baselayers?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
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    Wasatch
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    Have 400 pants. I get cold easy. They stay dry and I stay warm


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    I need to go to Utah.
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Rossland BC
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    Depends how warm you run, and how much you sweat. I use Icebreaker 250 weight for lounging around, 150 t-shirts for mountain biking, and after trying many combinations have settled on 200 weight as ideal (for me) for day to day skiing. Note that the heavier weights seem more durable.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Sun Valley, ID
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    2,527
    200 as a base layer. No complaints. I don’t do anything super active in merino as like you I find it soggy. I tour in an ultralight poly under a r1. I like to hike in a 150 merino.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
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    1,173
    I use Kask onesie 320 for colder days touring and have no complains. When it's not that cold, I'm good with Kask 180g. Both pure merino

    Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Tahoe-ish
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    3,141
    If you're sweating that much, perhaps your overall outfit is too heavy.... Try wearing less, or wearing more breathable outer layers. I only wear a hard shell if it's absolutely nuking or extremely windy. Bring a puffy vest to throw on when you stop moving.

    That said, when I get it a little wrong and wear too much and then wet my shirt, I agree that merino dries slowly. I'm also totally over how fragile it is. $90 for a shirt or bottom that spontaneously develops holes after 5 outings? Not acceptable for me anymore. The 150 weight stuff is especially weak.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T707A using TGR Forums mobile app
    ride bikes, climb, ski, travel, cook, work to fund former, repeat.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
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    SoCal
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    6,749
    Big fan of the Klim Teton 1/4 Zip, the merino is "fleeced" so it's warm without being heavy. It's also cut for sledders, which is much more complimentary than the heroin-chic, skin-tight Icebreaker fit.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
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    I use the lightest merino t-shirts against the skin to deal with stink and everything else can be poly , the stuff is expensive and doesnt hold up, I got 5 brands of merino with holes in them, they will get a hole if you look at it funny ... merino just doesnt stand up

    I am a special flower so the heavier weights of wool bother my skin

    IME if you will be near the washing machine save yer money and buy poly

    BTW I have worn Merino in the tropics and I don't think merino is warmer than poly
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Posts
    134
    Quote Originally Posted by CaliBrit View Post
    I tour in an ultralight poly under a r1.
    no stink issues? i understand materials are now more advanced than my old Capilene

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Posts
    134
    Quote Originally Posted by XXX-er View Post
    IME if you will be near the washing machine save yer money and buy poly
    any brand you recommend that doesn't stink?

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    central sierra
    Posts
    571
    I've had much better luck with merino than many here. I've got 150 weight shirts that I've worn hard for ten years without holes. The only holes I've gotten in merino are a couple of extremely lightweight Patagonia short sleeve shirts I bought years ago. The 250 weight wears like I'll have it forever. I usually use 150-200 weight skiing bc in the Sierra Nevada. It doesn't dry as fast as poly, but that's not an issue for me because it keeps me very warm and comfortable even when damp. I try to skin at a pace that I'm not sweating profusely. I wear merino year round because I like the feel of it and it has a broader temperature range for me than poly. Of course poly lasts longer; it lasts longer than anything this side of nuclear waste.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    Wasatch
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    RIP Ibex. That shit was made in Vermont and lasted for ages!

    Smart wool is the worst in terms of durability.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Posts
    291
    I use 260 bottom and 200 top merino base layers, and they have lasted several years. The ones that have developed holes for me have been the thinner ones, like 150, after several uses.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
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    central sierra
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    Quote Originally Posted by jmedslc View Post
    RIP Ibex. That shit was made in Vermont and lasted for ages!

    Smart wool is the worst in terms of durability.
    Ibex is back, although with a very limited selection. All my old Ibex is still in great shape.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    Wasatch
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    Quote Originally Posted by hopelesslyadolescent View Post
    Ibex is back, although with a very limited selection. All my old Ibex is still in great shape.
    Hmm not sure what to think about “Ibex is back”.

    Is it like cloudveil is back?

  16. #16
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    Aug 2007
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    Bottom feeding
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    Quote Originally Posted by jmedslc View Post
    Hmm not sure what to think about “Ibex is back”.

    Is it like cloudveil is back?
    Kinda. Completely different ownership group and the names of the products are the same but the fit is basically different. They really don’t do pure wool anymore it’s all got the Lycra mix (which is better for durability), but it’s just a completely different company. They just kept the name the same.
    Well maybe I'm the faggot America
    I'm not a part of a redneck agenda

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
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    Wasatch
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    Quote Originally Posted by plugboots View Post
    Kinda. Completely different ownership group and the names of the products are the same but the fit is basically different. They really don’t do pure wool anymore it’s all got the Lycra mix (which is better for durability), but it’s just a completely different company. They just kept the name the same.
    Yeah that does not sound good.

  18. #18
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    Dec 2007
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    central sierra
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    Quote Originally Posted by jmedslc View Post
    Yeah that does not sound good.
    Hopefully it's not as bad as Cloudveil, but I haven't handled any of their current product to see how it stacks up. The old Ibex put out some amazing clothing. If the new stuff is even 80% of the quality of the old, I'll check it out. I think right now the only way to see it is to buy it online and I'm not ready to do that.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by hopelesslyadolescent View Post
    Hopefully it's not as bad as Cloudveil, but I haven't handled any of their current product to see how it stacks up. The old Ibex put out some amazing clothing. If the new stuff is even 80% of the quality of the old, I'll check it out. I think right now the only way to see it is to buy it online and I'm not ready to do that.
    This. I had a pretty long email exchange with the new guy running the place. He’s trying to fix the problems Ibex had that made them go out of biz. I was telling him that they needed more transparency, and he gave examples of how they were indeed transparent with what happened, (and yet here on TGR nobody knows). I told him, “yeah sure”.

    https://ibex.com/pages/our-story

    Nothing there to say it’s a reformed or new or whatever company. Between Mrs. Plug and I we must have 20 pieces of old Ibex.
    Well maybe I'm the faggot America
    I'm not a part of a redneck agenda

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    8,963
    i'm currently a fan of icebreaker, but that's partially because their former rep lives in my town and had sample sales. even though he no longer reps for them, he claims that icebreaker uses better quality wool than smartwool (wool sheered from a different part of the same sheep), which results in drastically better durability of their fabrics. since he's no longer the rep, we're weaning ourselves... i have a few icebreaker base layer (less than 200-weight) garments that are several years old that are hole-free. my smartwool base layers of similar thickness are holey or thoroughly into the stage of developing holes. i've also bought wool shirts through rivendale, including a very light weight tanktop purchased on 2009. i don't know if they still carry the same sourced garments, but that rivendale tank has seen thousands of hours of sweaty use without showing many signs of wear. the few holes in it are from branches snagged on trail rides.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
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    I must have 6 or 7 brands of merino and its all full of holes, my latest Ibex T has a hole right up inbetween my shoulder blades how the fuck did that ever get there ?

    i had a watch band wear a hole in an around town long sleeve that never went anywhere more extreme than the pub

    some of it I inherited from my 84 yr old father who did nothing more extreme than sit around his condo watching tv

    some " compromised " smart wool
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    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  22. #22
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    Aug 2007
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    Bottom feeding
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    Quote Originally Posted by XXX-er View Post
    I must have 6 or 7 brands of merino and its all full of holes, my latest Ibex T has a hole right up inbetween my shoulder blades how the fuck did that ever get there ?
    Pulling it off over your head while you’re sweaty and it’s kinda stuck to your skin. Yes, that’s how mine tore.

    I like wool and I put up with the fact that it kind of doesn’t last ‘cause I like the feel of it. The really thin stuff especially.
    Well maybe I'm the faggot America
    I'm not a part of a redneck agenda

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
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    it so delicate it can't take being put on ... awesume

    IME if I wear thin t-shirts under poly its cheap, it solves the stink problem and the holes get covered
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Fraggle Rock, CO
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    I've gotten a couple of the new ibex pieces and have liked them. The cut is less slim than before but the fabric appears to be top quality. Bought em at Sierra trading Post. I still prefer my icebreaker stuff to my smartwool stuff but I think that may have more to do with the slimmer fit that icebreaker has more than overall quality.

    If you want a little heavier and more durable wool then check out stuff made with polartec powerwool. I think they have a couple of different fabric weights available for brands to use but I had a good experience with some of the heavier weight stuff.
    Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
    Cletus: Duly noted.

  25. #25
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    Aug 2007
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    Bottom feeding
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cruiser View Post
    I've gotten a couple of the new ibex pieces and have liked them. The cut is less slim than before but the fabric appears to be top quality. Bought em at Sierra trading Post. I still prefer my icebreaker stuff to my smartwool stuff but I think that may have more to do with the slimmer fit that icebreaker has more than overall quality.

    If you want a little heavier and more durable wool then check out stuff made with polartec powerwool. I think they have a couple of different fabric weights available for brands to use but I had a good experience with some of the heavier weight stuff.
    Yes, I think there are some good pieces that I may buy sometime, thanks for the STP heads-up. It's just not Ibex anymore. I kinda switched all my wool purchases to Icebreaker anyway, as I used to drive by the outlet in OR and... yada yada
    Well maybe I'm the faggot America
    I'm not a part of a redneck agenda

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