Does smart wool really not itch?

[pteron]

I'm looking for some new thermals and am tempted by the reviews of stuff like smart wool, especially their claim that it doesn't itch. I can't stand ordinary wool (including lambswool) next to my skin so I'm a bit reluctant to shell out loads of money on the smart wool without further recommendation.

So, does anyone use this stuff? Are you normally averse to wearing wool but have found the smart wool type to be OK?

All feedback greatly appreciated...

 

[charliefox]

Hi

Didn't know Smartwool did underwear! I have several pairs of their socks which are wonderful - no itch, good moisture transportation and noticeably less smell than synthetic socks - highly recommended

As far as thermals go, and here I'm going to incur the wrath of the "thou shalt not worship false idols nor shall thou been seen to be wearing / endorsing the clothes of Mr Mears" brigade, Ulfrotte thermals are excellent. No itch, less smell, very warm etc. etc.

There are quite a few threads on thermals. reviews, preferences etc. Try the search engine - I'm sure that will help with your enquiries.

HTH

 

[P Wren]

I'd also be interested in hearing what folk have to say in response to pteron's post.

I may be of to Nepal next year and had Merino Wool base layers recommended. In partucluar those made by 'Icebreaker' seem to have had good reviews. Their stuff is supposed to be very good and itch free - pricey but worth it ?

www.icebreaker.com

PW

 

[Strider]

I recently bought a ''body-fit 200'' t-shirt from the icebreaker range and can only speak well of it. I wore it continuously for 4 days during a recent trek in mongolia, and found it to be superior, regarding insulation, to my berghaus etc counterparts. I didnt find it itchy in the slightest and after the four days it didnt even whiff.
They do, however, take longer to dry once wet, but at least they'll keep you warm whilst they're drying.

 

[BlueTrain]

I recommend Windsor Wear woolen underwear. It is made in Canada. The lightweight tops are positively silky and I would pick them over any alternative. I haven't tried their bottoms because most long underwear bottoms are way too tight for my taste and I have managed to get by wearing pajama bottoms under my pants. But you didn't want to know that. I wish someone made short sleeved woolen underwear tops and with V-necks.

I don't think there are any Smart Wool undies at the moment. I think they only do socks.

I still use some US Army issue long johns that I was issued in 1965, so clearly I don't wear them that often. They are not pure wool but you probably couldn't find them anyway. Personally, you could probably get away with all-cotton long johns (bottoms only) and pile on something else on top.

 

[pteron]

Sorry, should have been clearer!

I see Smartwool as one of the more well known trade names for the new wools coming out of places like New Zealand. There are many names, but they all appear to be a variation on some sort of treated merino wool. Most make the same claim to be non-itchy.

Re the iccebreaker, I was chatting to a guy at my sailing club who has just got back from the Global Challenge - he was on Vaio and said that they all change from Smelly H to Icebreaker and loved it. I didn't twig that it was wool, so negelected to quiz him regarding its itchocity.

I did do a search, but whilst there is lots of info regarding how good it is, I couldn't find anyone who said "I can't wear ordinary lambswool but the merino stuff doesn't make me itch"...

 

[leon-1]

I've been using fox river Merino wool socks for years, yes I do find other types of wool next to the skin itchy untill it has been really broken in (which takes a time).

The Merino Stuff is pretty good, no itch yet and that is about ten years on and off that I have been using them.

 

[Rod]

I've acquired some Ice Breaker boxers & a long-sleeved top late last year and have been very impressed with them. If anything I found them too warm at times. I appreciate that they are pricey - I blagged mine of one of their reps.

I have tried the Smartwool socks - OK for the most part. I still prefer Bridgedale. These are personal observations

 

[arctic hobo]

As far as thermals go, and here I'm going to incur the wrath of the "thou shalt not worship false idols nor shall thou been seen to be wearing / endorsing the clothes of Mr Mears" brigade, Ulfrotte thermals are excellent. No itch, less smell, very warm etc. etc.

Don't worry about it! Ray Mears is only one person recommending Ulfrotte - it's quite an instution in Scandinavia. I too would heartily recommend it, although I've not used it as much as I'd like.
I personally think that itchy wool is fine because the itch soon goes away. I used to avoid it for that reason, then I found that I just didn't notice it - so now I wear loads of wool

 

[addyb]

You see, I'm not totally sold on wool. My current baselayer is Helly Hansen improved polypropylene, which is their new "formula." It's silky soft, and because it's "improved" it simply does not stink. I actually find that my Lifa soaks up less BO than my Malden-Mills polartec long-johns.

My thermal layer used to be a fibre-pile jacket, but I've torn a 6 inch vertical hole in it, so that's $120 dollars down the drain. Like I said in an earlier post, I have a brand new wooly-pooly sweater that I've maybe worn only half a dozen times. I'm thinking of using it in lieu of my pile jacket, just because it's so tough.

So, I have two questions to you fellow gear-heads:

How is wool at moisture management?

Is it true what they say about it being useless because it takes a very long time to dry out?

I'm curious!

A.

 

[Schwert]

I have a SmartWool long-sleeved top and find it superior to any wool undergarment I have ever used. It has a soft and for me completely non-itchy feel and is vastly better at moisture transfer/heat management than any artificial material longjohn top I have ever worn. It feels dry to wear abd does not stink up. I highly recommend this garment.

I have a quality wool top from Filson also but the SmartWool is superior.

 

[BlueTrain]

How could anyone from Seattle not worship Filson?

One writer from a few years ago suggested that one put your long johns on in a cold room to avoid a "shower of perspiration" that otherwise happens. That was not necessarily to avoid an itchy feeling but he said it was always difficult to convert people to wool underwear.

Of course, there is wool and there is wool. But the feel of it is usually an acquired taste, in a manner of speaking.

There is also something called Techno Wool, produced by Woolrich for certain garments but not underwear evidently. Woolrich aren't as wooly as they used to be but I have a pair of their heavy weight wool outdoor pants that are supposed to be washable. Most of their woolen garments still need to be dry cleaned. Pendleton now has some washable wool shirts in their traditional plaid patterns and they are very fine shirts if you don't mind a slightly old-fashioned look.

 

[arctic hobo]

How is wool at moisture management?

Excellent - I have never had a wet woolen garment from body moisture.

Is it true what they say about it being useless because it takes a very long time to dry out?

It does take a long time to dry - but there are two advantages. Firstly, it's very hard to get very wet through, unless it's pouring or you hold it underwater. The wool clothes I have stay dry if I fall in a stream, providing I get up again fairly quickly. Also, it doesn't melt by a fire (not like those fancy plastic fibres!), so it's a lot easier to dry.
Oiled wool, as used on fisherman's jerseys, is an absolute B****** to knit (rips your hands to bits) but makes wonderful jumpers - amazingly waterproof, and I would say outperform every synthetic fibre out there.

 

[Schwert]

This is one of my all time favorite quotes from Alexandra and Garrett Conover's Winter Wilderness Companion

Next time you see a lunch-stop shot in someone’s slide show, you’ll be able to pick out who has what for underwear as if you had X-ray vision. Those flopped comfortably in the snow are probably-wearing layers of wool, and those standing with hunched shoulders and pinched expressions are probably desperately trying to heat up moisture trapped in a layer or two of synthetics.

Each year, news of the latest synthetics is covered exhaustively in outdoor magazines. The outdoor magazine trade is almost entirely funded by advertising contracts with purveyors of synthetics, and few editors are brave enough to offend their backers. Most of what follows concerns the virtues of natural fibers, as they are rapidly being forgotten. A whole generation of outdoor enthusiast has grown up in the age of synthetics and has no way of knowing whether alternatives exist or what they might be.

This has been exactly my feeling about the wonder fabric underwear. The poly stuff does transfer sweat efficiently off my skin but it just lays in a layer on the fabric. My wool tops and especially the SmartWool top just handle the moisture completely differently. The wool does not shimmer in water like poly but holds the damp and keeps it from evaporating so rapidly that it chills me at a rest stop. I used to use the poly tops and bottoms exclusively nordic skiing but changed back to the wool top and have found a real improvement in comfort both when active and when stopped.

I mostly ski in just a long john top then don a windproof and sweater when I stop. The wool top is my hands down favorite. I still wear poly johns under my wool knickers unless it is very cold though. Much less sweat to deal with there but if I owned a SmartWool bottom set I would probably change.

 

[Schwert]

How could anyone from Seattle not worship Filson?

Ahh but I do...their wool underwear is great but SmartWool is just better. Filson coats, vests, shirts, sox, bags, all make the grade...but nice as their underwear is the SmartWool is a cut above.

 

[nzgunnie]

I hate itchy wool, but Icebreaker does not itch at all. It is marino, and for whatever reason is not at all irritating.

It is a bit expensive, but it can't be beaten, so much more comfortable than polypro or normal wool.

 

[addyb]

Well, I think it depends on what you're doing, really, but Schwert, you make a very good case.

I use my Lifa polypropylene simply as a wicking layer. It has next to nothing in the way of warmth, I froze my a** off tonite walking home from work wearing the top.

The whole purpose of a synthetic baselayer is to PASS ON body moisture to the insulation layer (ideally fleece, or fibre pile) where it then moves on to the protection layer, ideally a waterproof/breathable garment such as Ventile or Gore-Tex. It is entirely possible to stay completely dry in a non-breathable garment such as PVC (rubber) rainwear if the proper layering technique is used. This is the whole purpose of synthetic underwear, especially Polypropylene. That is to say:

Synthetic's themselves are plastic, they do not have the ability to 'wick' as cotton and wool do. But, by virtue of the way they are woven, when a human body is working hard, perspiring heavily, it emits out a lot of heat. Synthetic baselayers use this heat to PUSH the moisture away from the body, up towards the other layers, where they then evaporate into the outside air.

If the body is not working hard, there is no heat to move moisture, but because there is no work being done, there is no moisture. As well, synthetics simply do not absorb water. The polymer polypropylene absorbs 0.01% moisture. (Crazy eh?) Polyester absorbs 10% moisture. Compare this to cotton, silk, and wool which can and will absorb 40% water (and more)This makes them heavy, it bogs you down in high-pace activities.

(I asked earlier about how much moisture smartwool absorbs, and I got the answer: "It does take a long time to dry.")

On the negative side, synthetics feel clammy when they are "wicking". Stopping after a high-output activity, your synthetic underwear will feel sticky, but only for a short period of time, a couple minutes at most. As well, they offer little or no insulation value. They have to very thin in order to transfer moisture, so they can't be thick. (But, it is a different case for insulation layers)

Natural's on the other hand, (Well, we all know that using cotton as a baselayer is a surefire way to get hypothermia, so we'll rule out that fabric) such as wool, well....read this thread and decide for yourself!

 

[Ogri the trog]

I remember being told....
...that the old fashioned wool garments itched - in order to bring your blood to the skin surface and keep the wearer warm! I suppose that was before research into the cooling effect of bringing blood to a cold skin causing hypothermia!

Your comments have convinced me to try some Smartwool garments!

Ogri the trog

 

[pteron]

This is one of my all time favorite quotes from Alexandra and Garrett Conover's Winter Wilderness Companion

<snip>

Schwert, I was reading your review of that book and the quote from it yesterday and it triggered my posting re the smartwool!

 

[steven andrews]

Merino is the mutt's nuts.
I initially bought a Howies NBL (natural base layer) 100% Merino Wool long sleeve top to wear as a safe base layer under my firejacket.

They are fantastic and I have not suffered from any itching problems at all.
Howies recently had a sale and I bought two more NBLs for £27.50 each

They only have Small size left now:
Howies NBL