SECURE SHOPPING

Please note that we cannot accept orders from email addresses that use Spam Filter programs requiring manual confirmation by ourselves or our agents.

or pay with your Paypal account

Warning - pure superfine merino is addictive.  

Come to us for a vest and you'll end up wearing merino from head to toe all year round!    

Choosing a Merino Base Layer

What makes a good baselayer for 4-season all-weather conditions?

By far the most important criteria for a good base layer is the fabric. Regardless of design, if the fabric won't perform adequately in keeping you comfortable, then it won't make a good baselayer.

Fabrics used for baselayers

Which fabric makes the best baselayer? These are the alternatives:

1. MERINO - 100% Superfine or Fine merino has been proven in independent research to out-perform any other material. In addition, it has the advantages of being renewable, sustainable and depending on where it's made, the most environmentally-friendly. Whilst it is the most expensive to produce, it can give better service in terms of wearability and durability which outweighs its initial cost.

          In addition to its environmental credentials, 100% merino:

• gives protection in both hot and cold, insulating the wearer from the worst of ambient temperatures.
• has the highest "regain" i.e. the ability to absorb and disperse moisture. It transports 27% more moisture away from the body that polyester fabrics of identical construction.
• has the capacity to absorb up to 35% of it's own weight before wearer starts to feel "clammy".
•  is naturally odour resistant
•  is naturally anti-microbial
•  is naturally flame resistant
•  gives the highest UV protection
•  carries a comparavely low carbon footprint

2.     MERINO-SYNTHETIC MIXES. The addition of synthetics to merino makes it cheaper to produce, but adds little or nothing to performance, other than a slightly faster drying time. However the addition of synthetic will reduce the qualities found in a 100% merino fabric, i.e. its odour-resistance, anti-microbial properties and body-temperature regulation by whatever percent of synthetic has been added. The synthetic addition will also reduce the merino fabric's eco-friendly qualities (see "Synthetic" section below).

3.     MERINO-CELLULOSE MIXES. The cellulose component can be any naturally growing plant-derived substance. These include fibres from cotton, rayon, bamboo-rayon, coconut fibre. As cellulose fibres have a high moisture absorbency rate and low dispersal rate, these will add significantly to drying time. They are not anti-microbial and need washing at high temperatures to successfully remove the build up of odour, which is damaging to the merino(see "Cellulose" section below. The addition of these fibres to merino merely serve to make a cheaper fabric and add nothing to its performance.

4.  SYNTHETICS - whether carrying a cheap or expensive price tag they are invariably oil-based and therefore:

•         non-renewable
•         non-sustainable
•         non-biodegradable
•         high carbon-footprint
•         definitely not environmentally friendly.

In addition, unless Unless treated with chemicals or other environmentally-damaging process synthetics develop a smell that cannot be removed

   They are however cheap to produce and will keep you warm. They just won't keep you cool when it's hot, or be odour-resistant, so will need far more washing than their merino counterpart. They have possibly the highest carbon-footprint of the available fabric choices.

5. VEGETABLE/CELLULOSE FABRICS - cotton, rayon viscose, bamboo viscose, coconut fibre: these fabrics are not suitable at all for baselayers worn for outdoor activities across a range of weather conditions and climates. They absorb moisture and hang on to it, increasing the dangers of the wearer developing hyperthermia in wet, cold conditions. In addition:

•  cotton-growing uses huge amounts of organophosphate fertilisers and pesticides, or if "organic" huge quantities of water which is in short supply in the countries in which it is grown.
• Bamboo cellulose uses vast quantities of chemicals. The US Federal Trade Commission has banned companies from making eco-friendly claims for bamboo-celullose and also claims that it is anti-bacterial, having found no evidence for either claim.
•  They all carry a high carbon footprint due to energy requried to turn into fibre

Cotton, bamboo and coconut may be renewable resources available in massive quantities, but their production in terms of turning into usable yarn is anything but environmentally friendly.

Continued.....