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  1. #26
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
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    monument
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    Airblaster Ninja suit FTW!
    I have two merino + one expedition weight synthetic.

    Merino isn't as durable, but cold wash drip dry keeps them alive for awhile.

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
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    218
    Definitely worth trying some 50/50 blend items. The exact ratio isnt too important. A bit more wool is fine. Blend gives way more durability but with the good qualities of wool.

    Synthetic is certainly more durable.
    By alot really.
    But it's fucking gross.
    It gets the permastank. Stanky MCfuckingStankStank.
    I'm sorry but even with whatever HeiQ or silver filament ir whatever else odor treatment; that shit will wash out before too long and it will STANK.
    I can wear my wool shirts several days running and they don't really smell too much. Wool might not dry quite so fast but is does fine and is warmer when wet IMO, and i just find it overall more comfortable. I'm also happier with a natural fibre due to leftist hippy leanings.
    But that's a different rant.
    Realistically ive got like four apiece of both synthetic and wool blends. Synthetic lasts forever but i dont like it. Wool blends less durable but they're my go to.

  3. #28
    Join Date
    Dec 2020
    Posts
    679
    Quote Originally Posted by HotSchmoo View Post
    Definitely worth trying some 50/50 blend items. The exact ratio isnt too important. A bit more wool is fine. Blend gives way more durability but with the good qualities of wool.
    100% this.

    I love my wool clothing, but it doesn't need to be 100% wool to give you the benefits of wool (mostly the anti odor and insulating). Wool blend garments tend to work very well as long as they're over 40% wool. Side benefit - they're a lot less expensive than some of the $100+ merino base layers out there.

  4. #29
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
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    30,810
    Another good reason to get the 100 weight merino T is they are the cheapest Merino shirt you can buy

    also in my case the 260 weight merino full sleeved shirts bugs my skin while the 100 weight do not
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Shuswap Highlands
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    4,336
    Quote Originally Posted by XXX-er View Post
    Another good reason to get the 100 weight merino T is they are the cheapest Merino shirt you can buy

    also in my case the 260 weight merino full sleeved shirts bugs my skin while the 100 weight do not
    Cheap merino does not equal quality. Wife's Costco merino is half the price and has half the durability of my brand name merino. Full disclosure, I am privileged to not pay retail prices though.

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    3,884
    If you are going to be working hard, use a basic poly/drifit workout shirt. Cheaper the better. Wool will soak up moisture like a sponge and keep that moisture on you. The drifit shirt will evaporate it off of you much quicker. And yes, they will stink. So just wash the shirt and wear a different one tomorrow you smelly hippy!

    If you are in a cold environment, and/or need to re-use the baselayer the next day (ie camping, backpacking, etc) then go with 100% wool. The more synthetic you mix into the wool, the stinkier it becomes. Wool keeps you warmer, and will insulate if wet (not if its windy though).


    When traveling by plane for skiing i bring 2 wool undershirts and 2 pendleton wool button downs. I can wear those on the hill and then out to dinner with no stink for a few days each. Cuts down on needed clothes.

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    11,096
    Yeah I don’t get how a 50/50 wool/poly shirt is gonna stink that much less than a 100% poly one - maybe it takes a few more uses to get to that stinky point - but from then forward it’s gonna stink.

    I still use them though - I just plan for them being smelly after one use. That matters in some situations and not in others.

  8. #33
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
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    Quote Originally Posted by BCMtnHound View Post
    Cheap merino does not equal quality. Wife's Costco merino is half the price and has half the durability of my brand name merino. Full disclosure, I am privileged to not pay retail prices though.
    YMMV but like I said I got like 6-8 brands of merino everything from smartwool to MEC to icebreaker ... all full of holes

    I can post picture of the holy merino if you want
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  9. #34
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Shuswap Highlands
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    Quote Originally Posted by XXX-er View Post
    YMMV but like I said I got like 6-8 brands of merino everything from smartwool to MEC to icebreaker ... all full of holes

    I can post picture of the holy merino if you want
    And I do the same with 10yo shirt with just a sleeve hem starting to unravel..

    Or maybe you are trying too hard
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  10. #35
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    northern BC
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    30,810
    don't need to try, the stuff just falls apart and i am not hard on gear
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  11. #36
    Join Date
    Aug 2018
    Posts
    1,263
    How long are underwear supposed to last? I get a couple years of heavy use out of my ice breaker and call it worth it for days of comfier and stink free use.

  12. #37
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Tahoe-ish
    Posts
    3,139
    I have some OG Ibex merino zip tops that are still usable after about 15 years. I don't wear them as much as I used to--they are for special occasions now. What happened to the newer merino that makes it disposable?

    $120 for a top and I expect it to not spontaneously develop holes until is been worth worn so much that the fabric is just worn thin. People shouldn't tolerate disposable products.
    ride bikes, climb, ski, travel, cook, work to fund former, repeat.

  13. #38
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    11,096
    I have long underwear from North Face that I bought in 1997 that I still wear. And it doesn’t stink. Some sort of magic material.

  14. #39
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Posts
    218
    Quote Originally Posted by bennymac View Post
    I have long underwear from North Face that I bought in 1997 that I still wear. And it doesn’t stink. Some sort of magic material.
    What kind of long chain polymer would that be? Got cancer yet?😈 Every synthetic item ive ever owned ends up stinking to the lowest pit of Hades.

    I totally agree that it sucks to have a expensive but thin AF shirt get all holey. This is why i shoot for the 50/50 more or less blend.

  15. #40
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Posts
    218
    Bennymac

    I dont know why the blended materials dont stink but they just dont seem to, for me anyway. You'd have to talk to a textile materials scientist about all that. Maybe the merino antistink and antimicrobial properties transfer to the synthetic part of the fabric somehow.

    Obviously, big fan of the merino here. But FWIW I kinda find the synthetic baselayers to not be worth the money, even though they're cheaper and more durable. Synthetic is like a necessary evil. Especially for a dirtbag on a budget.

    I do try to only wear a shirt or bottom one day only before washing. But that doesn't work on multiday trips. And it gets expensive owning multiple expensive ass baselayers. Lots of other crap i generally need too 😏

  16. #41
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    2,648
    Quote Originally Posted by bennymac View Post
    I have long underwear from North Face that I bought in 1997 that I still wear. And it doesn’t stink. Some sort of magic material.
    Me too. But I’m pretty sure it’s because I don’t sleep in a tent for a week anymore.

    IMO, everything gets washed after a day in real life so this entire thread could be summed up in day trips vs overnighters.

    And in real life, I’ll buy replaceable merino over 300% markup poly every year.

    But put me in a tent for a week and I’ll straight up invest in an entire, new thermal system just for that one trip alone.


    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

  17. #42
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    3,884
    Quote Originally Posted by gaijin View Post
    And in real life, I’ll buy replaceable merino over 300% markup poly every year.
    [/url]
    What idiot buys 300% markup poly shirts and underwear? just go to target or get it on Eastbay for 2 for $20. All my workout shirts and compression shorts/leggings are +5years old and get worn (and washed) weekly at the gym and MTB/skiing. No holes or busted seams, but numerous shirts have paint splotches or various other home improvement liquid stains. But washing after use in straight up neccessary.

    I also wear pendelton button down wool shirts weekly to work and skiing during the 9 months of winter here in the PNW and have washed those three shirts a combined <5 times in the 5 years ive owned them. YMMV.

  18. #43
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    11,096


    Here they are. Bought in 1997. The tag on the shirt says made in USA. Unclear what alien material these are made from but they don’t stink.

    The bottoms are my favorite as they somehow keep you warm when cold but you don’t overheat if it’s hot out.

    I wore them everyday for two months of landscaping duty at a golf course in 1998. Never overheated. No stink. Still wear them to this day. I call them my magic underwear (said in a Forrest Gump accent)

  19. #44
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Wenatchee
    Posts
    14,543
    Quote Originally Posted by bennymac View Post


    Here they are. Bought in 1997. The tag on the shirt says made in USA. Unclear what alien material these are made from but they don’t stink.

    The bottoms are my favorite as they somehow keep you warm when cold but you don’t overheat if it’s hot out.

    I wore them everyday for two months of landscaping duty at a golf course in 1998. Never overheated. No stink. Still wear them to this day. I call them my magic underwear (said in a Forrest Gump accent)
    Are you Mormon?


    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

  20. #45
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    11,096
    Quote Originally Posted by MagnificentUnicorn View Post
    Are you Mormon?


    Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums
    Ha - if it means I'll get access to more of this magic underwear sign me up.

  21. #46
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    Jan 2009
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    907
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  22. #47
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Europe
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    123
    Quote Originally Posted by lorcar View Post
    I have 2 Smartwool crew long sleeve (one should be 195 and the other 150, but this has some polyester i guess). I never used
    In your shoes I would try those both first. If they don't work - at least you will now that 100% wool is not for you regardless of its weight. If it works - you will save money and mental health)


    My favorite base layer top is a long sleeve Mons Royale Yotei hoody. It's 100% 190gsm merino. I've been using it for the last 4 years all year round. The only hole it has is a result from an mtb crash. Yes, sometimes I can feel a little sweaty in it. But it dries fast, and if it happens during ski tour - it's a good indicator that I'm trying to hard and should slow down.
    I have 3 more different merino pieces - but yotei is used the most. The second favorite is Trew t-shirt with 110 gsm merino blend. it's the best piece for hot summer. 4 years and zero holes.

    While I love merino garments and try to use them as much as I can, next year I'm planning to buy some synthetic garments for mtb enduro racing/bike park riding only because of durability reasons.
    Last edited by Sashka; 11-15-2021 at 11:23 PM.

  23. #48
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Ogden
    Posts
    9,081
    I’ve got midweight capilene that’s so old I’ve downgraded it to lightweight. After this season it may be silkweight.

  24. #49
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Posts
    3,884
    Quote Originally Posted by bennymac View Post


    Here they are. Bought in 1997. The tag on the shirt says made in USA. Unclear what alien material these are made from but they don’t stink.

    The bottoms are my favorite as they somehow keep you warm when cold but you don’t overheat if it’s hot out.

    I wore them everyday for two months of landscaping duty at a golf course in 1998. Never overheated. No stink. Still wear them to this day. I call them my magic underwear (said in a Forrest Gump accent)
    I cant be the only one who cringes at white underwear. TMI?

  25. #50
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    11,096
    I always wear tech boxers underneath my long johns

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