 Poster: A snowHead
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I remember reading somes ones post recently about merino base layers, so seen as I've found some at a decent price base layers <£30 for top and a bit cheaper for bottoms at Mountainwarehouse.com with a 20% discount today meaning top and bottoms come in at <£50 delivered God merino socks on there too and other outdoor type stuff.
discount code 2DAY2009
Hope some one finds it useful...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I definitely recommend Smartwool kit (better that Icebreaker etc IMO). Currently many lines half price at Cotswold Outdoor chain. Grab a bargain while you can! You won't regret it!
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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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Or Aldi merino at £14.99 in the current round of specials
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Embers Merino is good stuff. Sold direct. Normally a few sale lines on their website.
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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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Just because the wool comes from a merino sheep does not make it all the same.... check the micron sizes of the wool that went into the fabric... "lambswool" on a label here(and most of our sheep that go for wool are merino) means "scratchy as crap" merino comes in a variety of grades depending on mictron sizes in the mix.... sadly I do not think these are standardised around the world... just check the microns
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| little tiger wrote: |
| just check the microns |
How would I do that?
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No micron size on the Aldi stuff but it does have a woolmark label with "merino extrafine" if anyone knows what that means
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davkt, no micron size on expensive Icebreaker either (that I can see).
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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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davkt, extrafine is a grade... superfine ditto... you want these finer grades(smaller micron sizes).... sadly grades not standardised worldwide AFAIK
maggi, Icebreaker (for example) have a section on their website where they explain they only take merino with a micron size in a certain range...
Here we have some underwear made by an Italian firm from Australian wool - it is so smooth it feels like silk and very very fine...
THere are special superfine merino sheep - they live indoors and can only go out with a coat on.... they have fleeces worth a LOT of money... their little houses have special floors that dirt falls through so their expensive fleece stays clean... When William was born his gift from Australia was a shawl made from these sheep. It was huge and could be drawn through a wedding ring...
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as a base layer a finer micron size will hold water off your skin and feel less scratchy... in fact the number of larger sizes in a mix will determine the "scratchiness"
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Right getting a bit clearer thanks! Have found micron size on a removable woolmark label, says the average fibre diameter is 19.5 micron or less. It is very smooth to the touch, not quite silk but certainly way more silk like than wool like to the touch and certainly no scratchiness felt just trying on.
Woolmark certainly tries to imply it is an international quality mark, at least in the marketing I've seen in the UK over the years and what the woolmark label implies.
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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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davkt, AFAIK Woolmark is the mark of the australian wool board(maybe renamed now I have not seen that name for a bit but I know they still exist)... This means it is pure wool and not recycled....(used to anyway - recycled wool was not so good)
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Right, its certainly been kicking around the UK since I was a kid and guess most of our wool comes from down under.
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks for the Marino wool discount heads up....Marino wool is my lifesaver when its cold!!!!!
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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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davkt, I think we are the biggest exporter of the damn stuff... sheep every where(and cows and rabbits and foxes)... and many many times the size of Kiwiland which has more sheep for the area but much much smaller land mass...
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Poster: A snowHead
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these guys always have decent icebreaker deals on clicky along wiht embers and finisttre
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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papasmurf, that seems expensive to me... I can get Icebreaker for around that in US dollars... have you checked what the online price direct from NZ is?
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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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| little tiger wrote: |
| sheep every where(and cows and rabbits and foxes)... and many many times the size of Kiwiland which has more sheep for the area but much much smaller land mass... |
LOL!! Read a climate change paper somewhere in which the Ozzie and Kiwi crowd were claiming they couldn't meet greenhouse gas targets due to the methane output of their four legged wool and milk producing population!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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davkt, too true actually... plus for us we also use a heap of energy digging up stuff like uranium so other folks can have "clean" energy - how should we account for that? Ditto our metal and natural gas production (for "clean gas" for others) There is quite a bit of stuff we are a major world supplier for... We are an export based economy - not banking etc...
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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 currently wearing one of the Aldi tops. Going off to watch footie this afternoon, and it gets bloody cold once the sun is down.
I'll report back on how it held up.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yip, just popped to Aldi and bought a shorth sleeve Merino. Actually they have some really cheap roll kneck (97% cotton) ski tops and some other stuff like gloves, salls, jackets, fleeces, sun glasses (£3.99 with 3 lenses !!), kids goggles, ski socks etc etc
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Only XL size short sleeved in either of the Aldis I normally frequent but the kids picked up some microfleece balaclavas that will go under their helmets and fleece earwarmer headbands today. Also got myself one of the adult ski fleeces, seem rather nicer than similar price Decathlon ones I normally wear.
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rayscoops, I don't understand how 97% cotton tops can be described as ski wear, as cotton just doesn't work for any active sportswear.
I've just come back from a week in Austria, and on most days found my Salomon merino top plus jacket was all that was needed to keep warm. But my previous experience of merino is that it just doesn't last that long: so I reserve judgement until they have survived quite a few more weeks skiing yet.
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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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RobW, no idea and I would never use one as a base layer, maybe the other 3 per cent is a super duper dry enhancing material 
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Well, in the pub before hand, I was roasting. At the match I was nice and toasty, until half time. Then I started to get cold. Very cold. Mind you, all I was wearing was the Aldi base layer, and cheap decathlon fleece, and a cheap soft shell.
And before anyone tried to crack wise, I was wearing trousers.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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RobW, I think it is just the styling. Cotton roll neck tops have been sold for many years as ski tops. I think there were commonly used before man-made fibres became so good. I had a couple. They were nice tops, but not for skiing.
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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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DaddyLouLou, Very limited physical activity on the terraces at a guess, whatever tshirt I dig out of the draw, cheap decathlon fleece and Aldi soft shell and I've usually got the shell unzipped after 10 min or so at the snowdome so add a base layer of any sort and I'd be way too hot
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Some friends swear by Under Armour cold gear - anybody used these? How do you rate them?
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You know it makes sense.
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tillywhim, was wearing them today. Not too hot and not too cold
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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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tillywhim, I've got one top, bought and used once. Much prefer merino as I have found it more comfortable and warmer, when its cold.
I certainly wouldnt buy any more and at the moment its stuck in a drawer somewhere.
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Poster: A snowHead
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tillywhim, wear mine either as a sole baselayer if it's warm or under my icebreaker if it's cool, with a microfleece/gillet on top if it's baltic. Merino doesn't wick or breathe anything like as well as artificial fibres. What it does do very well is keep you warm, even when damp.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Used merino base layers last year for 1st time (mixture of Aldi & some form TKMaxx but can't remember what brand) and was very impressed. They kept me warm when I did lot of standing around with beginners in ski school on a school trip - I reckon better than what I used the previous year. Also good when skiing in much warmer weather at Easter when skiing hard & getting pretty warm as seemed to wick well & didn't get smelly. As a result have been back to Aldi this week & bought more
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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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I wear Lidls merino thermals - they are a bit 'fluffy' but are toasty warm and only about £6 per item.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I had a look at Lidl's thermals in the last set of winter clothing. They didn't have any merino ones, just 50/50 cotton/polyester mix.
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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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limawhiskey, They did have them in mine, but they were a little removed in where they sat in the display from the other types, mind you for staying warm the Lidl compression tops and bottoms are also excellent
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Basically you get what you pay for - the better the merino or other baselayer - the more expensive it is, and if it is made in Italy you will pay more still but it will feel fantastic perform well and not shrink when washed - try Mico Italian baselayers the best ever
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| Quote: |
you get what you pay for - the better the merino or other baselayer - the more expensive it is, and if it is made in Italy you will pay more still but it will feel fantastic perform well and not shrink when washed - try Mico Italian baselayers the best ever
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I'm afraid I just can't agree with that. I both scuba dive and ski, and have a range of base layers, both natural and synthetic in a range of warmths, from a range of manufacturers from top end to bargain.
I can honestly say that I couldn't tell the difference between, for example, my North Face base layers and my cheap version from an outdoors shop in London somewhere which cost a fraction of the price. So, unless you are expert enough to be able to tell if that the North Face version really is 4 times better and therefore worth paying 4 times as much for, I really wouldn't bother - save your money for something else, like decent boot fitting 
In this spirit, I went to Aldi and bought some of their Merino at the weekend. We're off to Andorra in less than 2 weeks, so I'll give it a try then 
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Between myself and MrsS we have bought a variety of (heavily discounted) merino baselayers over the last few years and they are by no means all equal:
Icebreaker - excellent, warm, comfortable, no shrinkage or stretching - look as if they will last a long time.
Smartwool - as for Icebreaker, no discernible difference in quality.
Craghoppers - warm and comfortable, but have shrunk substantially even with a 30c wash.
North Face - very fine, comfortable material, but it stretches when it gets wet. No shrinkage, does not seem as durable as Icebreaker or Smartwool.
When we need to get any more will probably only look at Icebreaker or Smartwool.
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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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| Monium wrote: |
We're off to Andorra in less than 2 weeks
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Me too. 10 sleeps to go, and best of all, only today and tomorrow morning at work.
And I will also be trying out my Aldi merino stuff.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Wed 30-12-09 12:14; edited 1 time in total
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| RobinS wrote: |
Between myself and MrsS we have bought a variety of (heavily discounted) merino baselayers over the last few years and they are by no means all equal:
Icebreaker - excellent, warm, comfortable, no shrinkage or stretching - look as if they will last a long time.
Smartwool - as for Icebreaker, no discernible difference in quality.
Craghoppers - warm and comfortable, but have shrunk substantially even with a 30c wash.
North Face - very fine, comfortable material, but it stretches when it gets wet. No shrinkage, does not seem as durable as Icebreaker or Smartwool.
When we need to get any more will probably only look at Icebreaker or Smartwool. |
Shrinkage not good but thats a plus of Aldi for me, even though they are a bargain basement pile it high sell it cheap outfit I'd rank them and Lidl as about the easiest on the high street to deal with if something goes wrong. Never had a problem returning anything that has turned out faulty even if its been towards the end of its warranty and I wouldn't expect any problem taking the thermals back if I follow the wash instructions and they shrink!
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