Gear Review: Minus33 Merino Wool

After talking with Minus33 a few times about their products, I ended up with a Merino Wool Kodiak Expedition Full Zip Hoody and a set of their Merino Wool Day Hiker Socks. Here is a link to the review I wrote:




After testing the hoody and being very impressed with it, I became interested in the possibility of using merino wool as my primary insulation layer. I am moving to New England, where it is wet and humid. Despite being much heavier than down, I like the idea of merino because it still insulates when wet and sweat does not degrade it.

What are your thoughts on Wool v. Down v. Systhetics as an insulation layer? Other than weight and "compressibility," are their other reasons to not use merino?

I live in the northeast and I haven't found anything better than merino wool. I have long sleeve shirts for the base layer and wear wool socks all of the time. Keeps you warm, wicks moisture, and doesn't get smelly. Great when it is damp out, or all year. I wear my lighter wool socks in the summer too, I don't get as many blisters with the wool socks either since my feet stay dryer. I highly recommend wool over synthetics. Down is nice in my sleeping bag, but puffy in a jacket and I can't wear it as a base layer. So between wool and synthetic, I like wool. Synthetic materials now are made lighter and Oder free and with all the qualities you find in wool but it's not simple or natural or flame retardant like wool. Wool is much safer to wear around the camp fire, just watch some videos of wool vs synthetic when it's exposed to flames.

Here is a review on the Section Hiker blog. The author hikes in New Hampshire's White Mountains year around.

Although you do disclose this on your web site at the tail end of your review, it would really be the right thing to also include this disclaimer when you post a sponsored review here:

thanks for the input everyone.