Merino Wool Vs Synthetic BASE LAYERS

Decided to do a few test to see how merino wool base layers did versus synthetic base layers.

*some links are amazon associate links*

[ernststravoblofeld]

Here's how this works.

Cotton feels great when you sweat at first, then it's horrible, because it absorbs up to twenty times its weight in water. So it pulls a little sweat off great, but a lot turns into a suit made of sweat.

Synthetic fibers don't absorb much of anything. Water either flows straight through and drips out, or evaporates and condenses on your outer layers.

Coated synthetics really don't want to let water in. It beads up. They are intended to work entirely by evaporation. Which is why it worked better on you than when you just dripped water on it. Hot sweat vaporized more.

Wool is weird. It's made of microscopic tubes that absorb water inside like cotton, and repel water on the outside of the tube, like synthetic fibers. So it does that initial good absorption like cotton, but only a little, then it does the polyester type wicking action. It will keep you warm even when it's wet, because the water is stuck in those tubes, but that's also why it takes a long time to dry. And wool has serious antibacterial properties to reduce smell and rashes.

Wool blended with synthetic fibers doesn't improve moisture handling properties, but it makes it significantly more durable.

Marino wool is just a very fine wool that feels better, otherwise, wool is wool.

I use wool mostly, but polyester can be better in very specific circumstances, and where the smell doesn't matter much.

[luadiva]

My grandmother, of a vintage Northern European bloodline, yielded this wisdom: For warmth, choose animal (down, wool, cashmere, leather, furs). For respiration, choose plant (cotton, linen, hemp; this is why denim is never warm). For stretching purposes, choose synthetics, but for the love of God, choose this sparingly, in blended fabrics, and only when on clearance.

[paddywashere]

Polypropylene however, is more hydrophobic than polyester meaning that it does not absorb as much water. Since the water cannot be absorbed into the fabric, the water(or sweat) has a tendancy to spread evenly throughout the garment which in turn helps the water to evaporate much quicker than a fabric that absorbs and retains the water. As a quick example, if you cup your hand and put some water in it and continue to hold the water in your hand with your hand still in a cup shape, the water will take a very long time to dry. But, if you uncup your hand and use your other hand to spread the water evenly all over both of your hands, the water will dry in less than 1 tenth of the time.

[osqpnyk]

Merino wool, or any wool, won't "wick moisture away" until there is body heat used to push moisture away from the body. Wool is much more absorbant (like a wick should be) than polyester (plastic fibers), so of course it will take longer for wool to dry when it's sitting out in the cold, not moving, and not allowing air to move through the fibers to carry moisture away (yes, air can get to your base layers while you wear them, that's how you can smell a fart even in rubber waders. And for any hot air that leaves, cold air is drawn in).

The fact that the under armour doesn't absorb moisture, means it doesn't wick. It'll act like a wet suit, keep moisture out, and hold it in. It'll dry faster because it will force your body or your clothes to absorb the moisture.

Wool will absorb your sweat, and body heat will push the moisture away from your skin. It will spread the moisture out amongst it's fibers because the fibers wick. Once the wool and other layers are totally soaked, it will at least absorb as much as it can, plus the fibers will warm up, so even if you're soaked, You'll still be warm.

A proper test would be, layer up, jump in a cold creek, and go for a run, then see how you feel. In the later tests, the crucial factor of a living person was missing from the experiments. So the experiments proved how much better polyester is when It's sitting around, not being a baselayer.

[shushuyu]

i cycle to work and have been using merino wool clothes mainly from icebreaker. my anecdotes only..like you said, they're warmer than synthetics but as a cyclist i get sweaty and from my experience those merino baselayers and hoodies really do a great job in absorbing sweat and spreading them through a wider area of the wool to retain the warmth. they don't smell bad but they smell like some burnt things..most importantly when i get to work i can just leave my merino hoodie in the back of chair to dry and before i take my first break the sucker is already dry and all good to go. for synthetic base layers they might be able to do this as well but they'll probably smell bad though and i wouldn't be confident enough to wear it again. meanwhile for my icebreaker hoodies and sweatshirts...i've wore them constantly and dried them and wore them over and over without washing them for weeks. they still don't smell like my cotton or synthetic made clothes would've if i wore them that much. merino is the shit.

[RowerZ]

Wow thank you for showing us the experiments and doing the research. Really helpful!

[tgood]

Another great video buddy, love that sense of humor!

[TonberryShuffle]

I love Varusteleka's wool options as a competitor to the stuff we normally see in the US. Most of their stuff is made in Europe (they're a Finnish company) and everything I've used, wool or otherwise, has been great quality. Comparable prices as long as you order enough at a time to make the shipping worth it. They go beyond just base layers, too. The downside is their wool isn't available in any camo patterns like Firstlite.

[osqpnyk]

Btw, for those that don't know, wool is sheep hair. It is a living fiber. Synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon, spandex, are petroleum based products like plastic or rubber. Try wearing a garbage bag as a rain coat, it acts similar. It "dries out faster", it keeps moisture out and in, it makes your own sweat condensate and repels it back to you forcing you to absorb it. That's the major difference between fur and plastic.

[bunnedwiener]

Up here in ND is -33 windchill. It’s been that way for a week and a half. I know humidity plays a big part and it’s barely humid but it hurts to be outside in full suit for more than 3 minutes.

[Brandonplus]

I have the Under Armour Cold gear compression shirts and to me they're only good when it gets really cold because whatever they add to it for warmth makes me sweat more. I am always looking for best base layer for winter because I sweat a lot and it makes me cold. Thanks for review.

[brandoncorley]

I wear sythetic sitka base layers that have the squares. And i was explained that the squarea raise up the fabric away from ur body to get more air flow.

[altitudeiseverything]

I spend my winters in Colorado’s high country doing what many consider the most intense aerobic exercise: skate skiing. I can get very sweaty! I also snowshoe, even in single digit temps. No down parka, just base layer, mid layer, and thin, wind resistant outer layer. After trying many materials, I *only* wear 100% merino wool base layers: warm even when damp with sweat; soft, durable, breathable, and odor resistant. 150 weight is great for milder conditions; 250 for bitter cold. Worth every penny, especially since they will outlast synthetics. BTW, your merino base layers should also fit snugly. If the fabric doesn’t make contact with your skin, it can’t wick properly! Sounds like you need to go down a size.

[kellyvandiessen]

Thank you, this is exacly the information i needed to know :) Btw i love your sink!

[kingrider]

For years I called bullshit with under armor. Funny to see the outdoor world come full circle with outdoor garments. You can’t beat wool as an under garment.

[danstar]

If you wanna wear plastic, go synth. Go mountain skiing for a full day is good test...no body smell.

[byrongwarby]

A good rule of thumb would be mild/warm and mostly dry: go merino.

Cold and/or wet: go synthetic

If you’re on long distance treks and you like having a couple pairs and washing often, go synthetic. I like washing every other day, so I go synthetic most of the time.

[SeniorHiker]

I have both the UA and the Merino wool and use either one just for sleeping at a campsite, thanks for your review.

[FDOutdoors]

Great review! "highly scientific" Love it!

[eithieus]

Not a good comparison as the dog hair helped insulate you better.