11 Aug Behold the Power of Merino Wool
Behold the power of wool, merino wool that is!
The feel of my childhood wool sweater: scratchy, pins and needles
I know, the first thing that came to my mind when I read about wearing wool was my old, hot, heavy, uncomfortable, scratchy wool sweater my grandmother knitted for me when I was a child. So the idea of wearing wool for outdoor activities–especially in hot, humid Florida–was not really my idea of staying comfortable while riding my bike.
How I was wrong!
Not only do we like our merino wool shirts, bike shorts, and socks for cycling…..We absolutely love them.
They are not heavy nor scratchy; merino wool is one of the finest, softest wool one can find (even for bras) with several qualities that make it an excellent fabric for outdoor activities.
- Merino wool contains lanolin with natural antibacterial properties, which means even after several days of riding long miles, you’ll still be able to wear the same shirt sightseeing without smelling.
- Merino wool is exceptional at regulating body temperature. The wool provides some warmth without overheating the wearer and it wicks moisture away from the skin. Even in hot, humid Florida!
- Wool absorbs water (up to 1/3 its weight). However, unlike cotton, merino wool retains warmth when wet; therefore helping wearers avoid hypothermia after strenuous workouts and when exposed to cooler, wet conditions.
- Even the lowest quality merino wool fabrics provide better UV protection then most UPF clothing advertised
- Merino wool has an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio compared to other wools, in part because the smaller fibers have microscopic shafts that trap air.
Merino wool comes in many different colors and shapes
So needless to say, merino wool is what we mostly wear anymore when commuting to work, hiking, camping, and lounging around. To the surprise of most people here in Florida we even wear the thin long-sleeved shirts to go biking in during the summertime to avoid sunburns, but we never feel hot.
The wool clothing will definitely come with us on long bike tours since we only need a couple of shirts and socks to keep us going for a long way. Also, the shirts look like regular T-shirts, which means we don’t stick out like a “jersey-billboard-tourist” when sightseeing some remote villages in foreign counties.
Some of the companies we have merino wool clothing from are Ibex (great company with most clothing produced in the USA!), SmartWool, Icebreaker, I/O Bio Merino
Finn
Posted at 11:58h, 05 NovemberHi
As of 2016:
Do you have a merino wool company that seemingly rises above the others?
Are any offering products that can be machine washed on delicate cycles?
Many seem to require hand washing?
At 5-10 1506lbs. I have considered if I should jump to a large size to consider future shrinkage or ???
?
Ron
Posted at 16:48h, 07 NovemberHello Finn, no not really. When we buy Merino wool clothing we mostly look for what is on sale because the clothing can be expensive. Shirts we try to only buy 100% Merino wool. Socks and other items that need to stretch we try our best to find a high amount of Merino, but there will need to be some other material like nylon mixed in. This is what gives the garment the stretch; however, remember the higher amount on nylon will cause the garment to stink faster than the 100% merino wool.
Our body builds are very similar, so good luck on the sizing. Yes it’s hard because you and I are right on the border of Medium and Large. I have found that short sleeve in large works good and medium in the long sleeve seems to work best. However, if I find something on sale and it’s a med or large, I will get it.
As for washing, we will wear our cloths for several days before washing them and when we do, it is either by hand or on gentle in a washing machine. Doing so has helped us keep our shirts, socks, and other items a long time before they wear out.
Hope this helps and please if you have any further questions, ask and we’ll do our best to answer you.
Ron