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Choosing a Merino Base Layer cont'd...

Whilst merino wool is by far the best choice in terms of the environment, not all merino wool or merino fabric will give you the performance required for outdoor activity. Merino fabrics with a gsm weight below 180 are invariably single jersey fabrics, and to get to this low weight, they are very flimsy. This reduces both performance in terms of temperature control for the wearer and durability.

Most of the merino wool fabric made comes from China and is produced for the fashion-trade. It is not a specially developed performance fabric designed for the rigours of outdoor activity. It is this fabric that is being used by the many companies who are jumping on the Merino bandwagon. The result is some very low quality stuff out there.

Companies are also often trading on misleading descriptions of this cheaply-produced Chinese fabric, which do not meet the criteria set down by the world's industry leaders in New Zealand and Australia.

Grades of Merino Wool

Merino fleece comes in several grades, listed as:

   "Ultra fine" (under 16.9 micron)

   "Superfine" (17 micron to 18.9 micron)

   "Fine" (19 micron to 21.9 micron)

   "Medium" (22 micron to 23 micron)

   "Strong" (24 micron and 25 micron)

Of these only "Superfine" is acceptable for all-round Base Layer use due to their very low "itch" factor. "Fine" is generally used for Mid layers, socks and knitwear, although having said that, many people find that they can wear our Fine merino Midlayers next to the skin without problem. There an "Ultrafine" Grade but this dopes not give the durability of Superfine and is mostly used for high-fashion or babywear where durability is not required, or for mixing with other fibres.

Fabric Weights

Merino fabric is categorised by weight in grams per square metre. As a standard baselayer fabric needs not only to be smooth, but also dense and closely knitted to give maximum performance, there are weights below which durability and performance can be lost. The average weight of a good Baselayer fabric using Superfine fibre is 185-200 gsm. Weights below this using Superfine fibre have to be much less densely knitted, thereby losing both durability and performance. The larger "holes" created by the loser knit do not add to perfomance in any way. They are simply the result of a cheaply made fabric.

There are brands that label their fabric as "Ultra Fine" referring to the weight of fabric rather than the micron count of the yarn. However 21 micron (Fine), which is what most of them really use, is too coarse a fibre for ultra fine fabric. Normally "Ultra fine" refers to a 150gsm fabric using a 17 to 18 micron fibre in a singles yarn compared to our 195gsm knitted from an 19.5 micron doubled yarn. It is this specific combination of yarn and knit that gives our fabric is smooth, soft and very even appearance.

For those who have tried other brands of "ultra fine" and "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.

Merino/synthetic mixes

Manufacturers also disguise the poor quality of the fabric by adding elastane. A high quality merino fibre has absolutely loads of "crimp" - that's what gives it natural elasticity. It also has high tensile strength, meaning it won't break easily. Lower quality fibres don't have the elasticity or tensile strength, so elastane or other synthetics have to be added to cover the short-comings.

Processing

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.

Caveat emptor - Buyer beware!

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 fabric for Base Layers is 185-195gsm knitted from an 18 to 19 micron doubled yarn. This gives stability and smoothness 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 coarse fibres that will 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. Remember when looking at labels that Chinese factories will happily put on any label the commissioning company asks for - so they can be utterly meaningless.

On the following page are 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 performance.  Continued.....

Layering Design - style or function? Multi-climate merino

Technical Characteristics of Merino

Judging quality magnification images of merino fabric Electron Microscope images of merino fibre

Processing Wool

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