If you've come to us, then you've probably already decided that superfine merino is the best choice, but just in case you got here by accident, let's go over why merino outperforms, synthetics and synthetic-merino mixes and other natural fibres.

• Superfine merino will maintain an optimum body climate for you, keeping you warm when it's cold, cool when it's hot.
• Superfine merino will absorb sweat and atmsopheric damp (rain etc) and then allow it to evaporate gradually. As it can absorb over 30% of its own weight before it even begins to feel damp, this maximises your comfort.
• It is believed that it is this gradual release of moisture that helps combat the build up of lactic-acid. Synthetics that pull all moisture away from the body very quickly can dehydrate, causing lactic-acid build-up and muscle cramp.
• Because it is exothermic, merino will still keep you warm even when it is wet, so its slightly slower drying time does not affect its performance.
• Cellulose-based fabrics such as cotton, bamboo and linen absorb and hold on to moisture, so that if you have to stop moving for any reason and the weather's cold, you'll quickly get chilled to the bone.
• Merino is naturally anti-microbial which makes it odour-resistant. In constrast, synthetics provide an ideal breeding ground for the fungus and bacteria that cause it to stink. The smell won't wash out because you can't wash synthetics at a high enough temperature to kill off these nasties. Synthetic clothing manufacturers try to combat this with chemicals like Triclosan. These not only eventually wash out, but are also thought to be carcenogenic - not what you want next to your skin!
• Merino has a naturally high UV protection factor of 40+.
• Merino is a sustainable resource, recyclable and biodegradable. Synthetics end up in land fill where they do not break down. Whilst there are recycling programs, such as that for pet bottles into what is laughably called "fleece", these use more energy to recycle than they do to make in the first place - and still won't break down, so they end up in landfill or incinerators. Neither of these is environmentally friendly.
• It looks better and it feels better than synthetics and synthetic-merino mixes. Mixing synethic with merino simply reduces all the advantages of merino - and sometimes at a higher price!.

However, the problem is how to tell if the merino you're thinking of buying is really the stuff you can wear next to your skin with maximum comfort and performance. There's a lot of, quite frankly, cheap Chinese-made tat out there that's labelled as "ultrafine" and "superfine" and "100% merino" - and very little of it is!

Firstly and most importantly, there's no such thing as "cheap" merino. When you see a baselayer t-shirt selling at under £30 and labelled as "ultrafine" - what does this actually mean? In merino wool terms it should mean that the micron count of the wool fibre used is under 16. Now when a fleece producing this fineness of fibre is selling for NZ$ 300 (~£150), and can potentially only provide enough yarn for 5 garments, ask yourself if what you looking at is really "ultrafine" merino in it's proper sense, or just some term the marketing people think they can get away with using.

The sad fact is that, according to people in the wool producing sector, there is not enough high quality superfine merino yarn to actually produce all the stuff labelled as "superfine" coming out of Chinese yarn and fabric mills. New Zealand's Wool Testing Authority has found merino fabric made in China and labelled "100% merino" that has been bulked out with viscose. If you have a merino top that has started to smell just like a synthetic, it's probably because it isn't pure merino and contains synthetic.

So how do you tell good merino from bad? Here are a few pointers we think you should look for in a good, quality baselayer:

• The weight of the fabric used should be clearly stated in terms of grams per square metere (gsm). A quality superfine baselayer garment will not be less than 185 gsm in weight. Anything lighter will not give you the performance or the durability.
• The fabric should be closely knit and smooth and soft to the touch. A looser knit will NOT give you good performance. It's cheaper to make and will simply wear out faster.
• The best type of fabric is "double knit" jersey. "Double knit" does not refer to thickness but is a knitting process that gives stability to the fabric so that the garment does not skew or twist out of shape.
• It won't carry a label saying "wash with denim" to remove 'fluff'. This means it's been made using a cheap yarn containing short fibres that will pill and itch.
• It should be machine washable and line dry.
• If your "100% merino" top smells sweaty after a day's wear, then you can be pretty sure it's NOT 100% merino but has been mixed with synthetic.
• The cut should be simple and clean, with no funny little panels inserted here and there. This is done not for functionality of performance, but to use up left-over scraps of fabric.
• Sleeves should be long enough to not need thumb loops. See here for more info on thumb loops.
• Think twice about buying "merino" made in China. Sorry - but the poor quality stuff coming from there is undermining the good name of New Zealand Merino.
• Country of origin labels aren't legally mandatory in the UK, but if there isn't one, you can bet it's made in China.

For those who have tried other brands of "superfine merino" and found they itched, it is more than likely they were made in China. Apart from adulterating the merino with synthetics, another way of making production cheaper is to include shorter fibres in the fleece to be spun. It's these short fibres that cause the pilling and itching. In addition, Chinese textile dyeing companies use an all-purpose dyeing process known as "hard process". This causes the merino fabric to become brittle, and again the fibres break causing pilling and itching.

New Zealand textile dyers use a special process developed exclusively for merino which does not cause the fabric to become brittle. In addition, the standards our fabric manufacturer sets for it's yarn does not allow short fibres to be included. We wanted the best for our Merino outdoor clothing range, so went to the experts - Designer Textiles, the New Zealand company acknowledged as the world's experts in the production of supererfine and fine double-knit merino jersey fabric.

Click here to see some of the style and cut options for choosing a baselayer. Ultimately though, when it comes to cut and style, it's really all about personal taste. However regardless of these factors, if the fabric is poor, then no matter what cut or style you buy, it won't give you the comfort and perfomance.