 Poster: A snowHead
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I need to buy a couple of bits of base layer for this season. I've only used manmade fibres before, but I've seen lots of references to merino wool recently. What are the differences? Is the merino stuff worth paying a bit extra for compared to the items I've bought in Decathlon in the last couple of seasons?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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rob@rar, some people swear by them some swear at them . . . buy, try and give us some feedback. Are you looking at the silver/bio-control type?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Masque wrote: |
| rob@rar, some people swear by them some swear at them . . . buy, try and give us some feedback. Are you looking at the silver/bio-control type? |
Bio-control? Does this give me magical powers over other people?
I'm just looking for something that will be moderately warm, good wicking properties, easy to launder (especially drying quickly when it comes out of the washing machine) and fairly hard-wearing.
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rob@rar, i bought one just to try it out and am a total convert now and now have 4. very warm but best bit is that you can come home all sweaty and they dry out very quickly and dont smell. quick rinse out and they are ready to go for another day.
I tend to wear either a real thin one plus a micro fleece for spring and a thin plus thick for winter under my goretex shell..
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I'm with skimottaret on this. My merino wool stuff (not cheap!) is the best skiing buy I ever made.
I bought two each of a base layer and a mid layer (Icebreaker) - you only need one.
I didn't believe their stuff about being able to wear for a week without getting smelly - I'm a smelly sort of guy
But they are right!
The manmade stuff gets unpleasantly smelly on me after just one day - the Icebreaker stuff is fine for a week
If you do need to wash it, it dries real fast - overnight no problem
Brilliant stuff.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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rob@rar,
It depends what you normally wear...... but they are very warm..
Some people don't like them as they don't like that wool so close to the skin.
I normally wear a micofleece from polartec, a midlayer of around fleece 200 and a shell and that is fine to around -20..... I would add the Icebreaker to this set-up for below 20.
Anyway, they are very warm and it would be like adding another micro fleece to your layers, IMV
the Bio aspect is supposed to mean that it deals with body odours very well...but I just think you'd wash the thing daily....so I don't need the bio extra cost, personally.
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I'm expecting DaveC to pop up in this thread soon
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rob@rar, Awesome mate, but they tend to be prone to moths.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, moths??? Oh crap, I'd better put mine somewhere safe and mothless
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tequilaslammer, I haven't be able to avoid it, i can't be sure it is moths but i can't think of any other reason why just my Merino stuff has little holes everywhere and nothing else does. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, sounds about right mate. If moths get in they'll always go for wool first.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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kiwi1, Should i buy a sheep and put it in the draw with my base layers, would this help?
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hmm, do moths prefer merino or cashmere though...I have an old cashmere jumper that doesn't fit that I don't mind if they eat. Maybe that could distract them from my merino
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You know it makes sense.
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tequilaslammer, Isn't cashmere rabbit or goat or something?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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No. They're hairy/furry not woolly.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| SMALLZOOKEEPER wrote: |
| kiwi1, Should i buy a sheep and put it in the draw with my base layers, would this help? |
I do 
I'm from a sheep farming family from NZ. (I'm the black sheep, all my brothers are sheep farmers) I rember growing up and having the smell of moth balls that mum would only keep in the draws containing our woolen long johns. What a stink.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
I'm from a sheep farming family from NZ.
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I knew that somehow. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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rob@rar, how well the wool works depends on the size of the fibres....
Icebreaker and similar buy a certain "type" of wool....
So the answer is - depends what you buy...
I got some nice stuff just recently for a friend of mine ,(not in my size I'm afraid) at a very good price, over the internet.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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A Swiss mountain guide once told me he always wore wool next to his skin, becaue after a week's touring you smell like a sheep, but if you wore man made fibres, in just one day you smelt like a dead sheep 
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Dypcdiver, excellent - couldn't have put it better myself! 
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| tequilaslammer wrote: |
| I'm expecting DaveC to pop up in this thread soon |
i like merino.
http://www.nznature.co.nz/ - same as icebreaker without the icebreaker logo
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| DaveC wrote: |
| tequilaslammer wrote: |
| I'm expecting DaveC to pop up in this thread soon |
i like merino.
http://www.nznature.co.nz/ - same as icebreaker without the icebreaker logo |
prove it
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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SMALLZOOKEEPER, have you ever considered extending your fitting service to these 
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Helly hansen do a decent merino top that I can wear for a week without annoying everyone within a 5m radius. Got some Ortovox 3/4 merino leggings as well from Facewest
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I've got a lovely merino wool cardigan that I bought this week.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Kramer wrote: |
| I've got a lovely merino wool cardigan that I bought this week. |
For skiing?
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I have some merino-wool socks. They are the best skisocks I ever bought. Warm and comfy.
Do it.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Kramer, do you look like Val Doonican in it? 
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Poster: A snowHead
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(One against the pro-merino flow).
I have a Polartec 100 base layer (incorporating anti-bacterial silver thread) and a couple of Icebreakers. The Polartec is lighter, just as warm and breathes better. It is also more comfortable to the touch (although that's going off as it's starting to pill a bit now) It absorbs about half the amount of sweat the Icebreakers do (based on perception of change of weight after a hard day's skiing). It dries way quicker than the Icebreaker. It smells LESS after 5 days use than the Icebreaker does after 2. The only downside is that when I am sweating too much for the shirt/fleece to let it all through it does get clammier. But then it dries quicker so you suffer that for less time.
I'll be very sad when it eventually does die, as Field and Trek (where I got it from) have also jumped on the Icebreaker bandwagon and (last time I looked) no longer sell this stuff.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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rob@rar, John and I love the stuff. We both use the Icebreaker skin for skiing and layer it up with a heavier weight. It's good stuff, washes in the machine over and over again and is really comfy. I'm not so sure about what it's like in 4-5 days , because we both rinse ours out overnight and it's dry for the morning.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| Kramer wrote: |
| I've got a lovely merino wool cardigan that I bought this week. |
For skiing? |
Maybe for apres.
Charletanefc I wear it with my floral shirt.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I know merino wool is extra soft, but I find with most wools I itch like crazy if they're directly next to my skin. I've got a fashion top - 50% merino wool and 50% acrylic - I can poke up with it for about 4 hours, but then I've got to change it. I don't even think I could do merino wool socks - what are my options (if I ever decide I can afford some decent base layers)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Megamum, me too, I get a dry patch of skin on each shin after wearing my merino wool socks on skiing trips. They are the only ones to keep my feet warm though.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Whats wrong with an old Tee shirt? the older the better. Once it's gaining life of it's own throw it away.
As to the smell anything that keeps snowheads away from me in the bar the better 
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Dwarf Vader,
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Silk vest, thin fleece, goretex shell - sorted. If exceptionally cold, add brushed cotton shirt between vest & fleece. Silk underwear from Patra - cheap, excellent, dries in a trice. And yes, pure silk does wick sweat away.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Hurtle wrote: |
| Silk underwear from Patra - cheap, excellent, dries in a trice. And yes, pure silk does wick sweat away. |
I've got a set of silks, but to be honest I've never really noticed much difference when I wear them even in very cold conditions.
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Yes rob@rar: I found silk pretty useless too.
And Megamum, I also can't stand wool next to my skin. I was very cagey about this merino stuff. But, as the lady in the store assured me: this stuff is different. I've had no itching ever.
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