Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is "Superfine" merino?
   Superfine Merino is made from the fleece of the Merino sheep - in our case the New Zealand Merino. To be classed as "superfine" the micron count of the individual fibres must be under 19 microns. Over this count and it is unsuitable for next-to-skin base layer wear. There is an even finer grade - "Ultrafine" - that is less than 17 microns, but this is only suitable for babywear or high fashion where durability is not an issue, or for mixing with other, stronger fibres. These grades of merino are industry standards, and manufacturers should not use the terms "Ultra fine" or Super fine" unless the fabric referred to is made from these grades of Merino. Unfortunately there are a number of brands that describe the wool used as "Ultra fine" or "Super fine" when the clothing in question does not conform to the recognised industry standards. A case of "caveat emptor" we're afraid.

   A micron (µ) is a unit of measure (one millionth of a meter) that describes the average fiber diameter of a staple or lot of wool. During the late 1970s it evolved to be the dominant term used commercially, replacing the yarn or spinning count as a description of wool's fineness. Micron is determined by objective measurement when wool lots are tested for sale or upon processing. Most wool ranges in the 18-40 micron range. The 18µ -24µ range describes what is commercially recognized as Merino wool. Of this, only Merino with a count of 19µ or less can be classed as "Superfine".

   Australian Wool Classing, publisher AWCorp, 1993 states:

   For many people, wool garments feel “prickly” and evoke an allergic reaction. Wool scientists have determined that when the mean fiber diameter is less than 20µ and less than 5% of the fibers have a diameter in excess of 30µ the fabric will have “ reduced prickle intensity to a level which will not be perceived as skin discomfort by most people under normal conditions.”

   The table below shows the relationship between the type of Merino wool, the count or BSC and the approximate fineness in microns(µ).

   DESCRIPTION	Superfine	Fine	Medium	Strong	Extra Strong
   MICRON (µ)	18-19.9m	20m-21m	22m-24m	24m-25m	25m-27m
   COUNT (BSC)	90s, 80s, 74s	70s	64s	60s	58s

2. What's the difference between underwear and baselayer? Or are they the same thing?
   No they are not the same thing - there's a big difference. "Underwear" is exactly that. It's designed specifically to be worn under clothes, never to be seen and therefore it doesn't always look very good and has limited use. We used to stock an underwear range called "Supreme". OK for wearing under shirts and other gear, but you wouldn't want to wear it solo. Baselayer, on the other hand, is deliberately designed for layering and to be multipurpose. We have taken great care with our Taranaki 190 range to ensure that it looks good worn solo.

3. There's a company in New Zealand that claims Icebreaker stuff is "sourced" in New Zealand. Doesn't this mean "made in New Zealand". Are they telling the truth?
   "Sourced" is one of those weasel words. It can mean anything from "made in New Zealand" to "the ancestors of the sheep from which the wool comes from were from New Zealand". Icebreaker clothing is made in China. Their fabric is made in China. Where the wool comes from may indeed be directly from New Zealand, or as some suspect, from sheep exported from New Zealand. We have no way of knowing if the latter is true or not. What you can be sure of is that the carbon footprint of clothing made in China, with all China's environemental pollution, exported to New Zealand, and then exported to the UK is going to be far higher than that making a single journey from New Zealand, with it's stringent environmental laws, to the UK - ours.

4. Won't these new natural fibres, like bamboo, hemp and cellulose-based fabrics do the job just as well?
   In a word - No. Whilst these fibres may be good in hot weather, none of them are a capable of managing moisture in the way Merino does. Nor will they regulate your body temperature, keeping you warm when it's cold, cool when it's hot. Neither will they keep you warm once they get wet. Also, the nature of these fabrics is not "elastic", so a close-fitting base-layer in these fabrics will not move with your body, restricting movement.

   Bamboo clothing – relatively new to the market, can be seen advertised as "thermal". It isn't. It has far higher absorbency even than cotton, the down side of which is that it takes far longer to dry. Bad news if you get wet and it's cold. There's an old saying among people who go out in the mountains: "cotton kills". Bamboo won't do you any favours either.

   In the the USA, it is illegal to promote "bamboo" as a fabric. The US Federal Trade Commission, after checking the facts, ruled that "bamboo" is in fact just another form of "rayon viscose" and must be desceribed as that. Furthermore, they ruled that "bamboo" must not be advertised as "organic" as the process of turning the raw bamboo plant into fabric is anything but "organic". Nor can "bamboo" be advertised as "anti-bacterial" as the processed fabric shows no evidence of this. It's very noticeable that since the FDC's decision, companies like NorthFace, Sprayway and FjãllRãven, seem to have dropped "bamboo" as a baselayer fabric. Quite right - in our opinion any company that promotes bamboo fabric as suitable for serious outdoor acitivity is being downright irresponsible.

   cont'd...