And what the experts say about Merino in general....
Graham Hoyland, who wore the Mallory replica kit in the IEED tests, is quoted as saying:"I immediately found the [woolen] underclothes warm to put on, whereas the modern polypropylene underwear feels cold and clammy….Like most mountaineers, I am used to synthetic outdoor clothing:
polypropylene underclothes and outer fleeces …They are unforgiving in stretch, and begin to smell unpleasant if worn for more than a couple of days. There is a harsh synthetic sensation next to your skin."
And that was about pretty ordinary wool - not modern superfine Merino!
Sniff my Pits! Article by Alun Davies , Adventure Travel Magazine, Thursday, 07 June 2007.
Alun Davies checks out merino wool.
Are you fed up with smelling like a rotting cabbage after sweating it out on trail? Yeah, me too, so I thought I'd put a merino wool top through it's paces in the only way that counts; the Adventure Travel 'sniff my pits' gear test.
After years of hiking in man made base layers and smelling like a month old bag of groceries the key question was, would I, or more to the point, would my partner survive a five day adventure in the Alps? The test was extreme, not so much for me, the tester, but for the poor old test assistant who had to sniff my pits at regular intervals during the week. It’s a coveted job alright. Oh, and did I say I lived in the thing, 24 hours a day, for five days. I slept, ate, climbed, walked, sipped fine wine (Guinness actually) and partied without taking the thing off for the whole trip. And this is how it went......
The verdict:
Merino wool is freshening up the outdoors. Great stuff.
Read whole article here:
Joel Dobson, author of the highly informative website adirondackjourney.com, says:
"Actually, the best fabric you can buy for hiking is merino wool which keeps you cooler when it's hot and warmer when it's cool, in comparison to synthetics. I know---you're saying that wool is hot, but not merino. It is highly effective at making you comfortable, even when wet. Moreover, merino wool suppresses your manly or womanly odor when you've been wearing that shirt for a day or more. Merino is often not available in your local backpacker store, but if you search for it on the Internet you will find it quickly. It costs more, but it pays dividends."
According to Joel, synthetics come a very distant second, and we have to agree.
Adirondack Journey is a great site for anyone wanting to explore this great wilderness area. It even tells you how to hang a "bear bag". Having been chased by a bear - well ok - it might have been a moose - it was dark at the time, I can recommend Joel's advice.
Sea2Summit Sock Tip
Why Wool? Sea2Summit and Coast Mountain Sports recommend participants in their multidisciplinary adventure race events to use a wool sock as opposed to a cotton or
synthetic sock for outdoor events requiring the level of exertion demanded by adventure racing."
Temperature Regulation: Wool wicks, absorbs and evaporates more efficiently than any other fiber. This means that your
feet stay warm and dry in cool and damp conditions and cool and dry in warmer sweat inducing conditions.
The importance of dry and temperate feet become much more than a comfort issue when participating in any endurance event. As your activity level increases your body's internal
temperature increases and the transfer of oxygen decreases. This means your muscles must work harder and triggers lactic acid production. Lactic acid build up causes fatigue and muscle
pain.
Wool's thermoregulation properties allow the body's internal temperature to increase more slowly
causing less lactic acid build up in the muscles allowing the body to work harder for longer. Your
feet will be dry and comfortable and will also be less fatigued, swollen and sore.
Odor Control:
Wool has natural properties that do not allow odor bacteria to build up on wool fibers. You can
wear the same pair of wool socks for a number of days in a row without washing them and they
will remain fresh and odor free.
Shock Absorption:
Most wool socks maintain their "natural crimp", giving the sock the ability to cushion, reduce
shock and maintain their natural shape for the life of the sock.
In an article for Planet Fear (1.02.04) the climber Andy Kirkpatrick, recognized as a world
authority on climbing equipment, said of a Merino base layer he was asked to test:
"I wore the top for a trip up to Scotland and was immediately
impressed by how comfortable and luxurious it felt. Once in the hills I found that
first of all it seemed that when I was working hard I only felt a dry heat, not the unusual
damp heat when the base layers wicking speed is overwhelmed, making overheating far less uncomfortable.
The top also just seemed far more comfortable and natural than my synthetic base layers, oddly feeling as
if it was part of me. The real test came a few days later when I set out on a run, hoping to link some Munros
without any gear apart from the clothes I was wearing. Halfway round the heavens opened up and I got soaked. To my amazement
the top stayed warmer than any other wet base layer I'd used, keeping me totally comfortable as long as
I was out of the wind. The fabric seemed to be maintaining a constant and comfortable temperature even when sodden.
A second important point was that it didn't seem to stink like my other base layers I'd used and although I wouldn't
claim it was odour free (it did have a wool smell), the smell was natural rather than positively supernatural
(i.e. people fainted when the smell appeared).
more.....
