Merino Wool is not Overrated; it is CORRECTLY RATED. Since I bought my first Merino Wool Sweater in 2017, I have replaced all my wardrobe with Merino Wool (T-shirts, Sweaters, Socks, Shirts, Beanies, Gloves, Pants, and Jackets). Merino is expensive, but I spend money for Longevity to save thousands of dollars on clothes and washing. Since all of my wardrobe are of wool, I wash my clothes once every 3 weeks. People say they have had holes in their Merino for 2-3 weeks. That was so wrong. All of my clothes I used for daily activities (working, camping, hiking, and traveling); I only experience 1-2 holes in my T-shirts from hiking due to scratches from trees and bushes. The clothing's durability depends on the owners. If you buy a Toyota Pick-up Truck and never maintain or take care of it, it will break overtime.

Marino all the way for me. I've tried them all in my 49 years of cycling, hiking, running, mountain climbing. Had some good synthetics but nothing ever comes close to Marino for me.

In the Norwegian Army there is a saying that goes something like «flis er for kalde amerikanere» basically “synthetics are for cold Americans” in Norway we use wool(not just merino) and mesh. We’ve been dealing with the cold for hundreds of years before the us was discovered. Synthetics are great, until you fall in a river or get hit with some ice rain. After that you will be begging for some wool. When US marines come to Norway to learn winter survival they usually borrow Norwegian gear after the under ice portion of training.

At 70 and longtime outdoorsman, I feel both fabrics have a niche where they work best. Cold temps from 10 deg to -10 deg without a lot of physical work then wool is your friend as they say here in Colorado. And if your trip, hunt, adventure is shorter term wool has many benefits. In warmer temps ranging to cool and wet, then polyester shines. I've been in a steady rain all day at 45 deg, sopping wet, pulled my poly off, wrung it out, then kept moving to avoid danger. At 95 deg I've cycled across the American west with thin long sleeve 100% poly shirts and stayed cool, they dry in minutes. Sopping wet, 100% poly will dry on your body, you can wash it out at the end of a hose then hang it in a tree. I've even showered with polyester clothes on then dried out in the sun. Make sure your polyester clothes do not have any Spandex, Elastane, or Lycra because these fibers at 8-10% or more of the total will make the poly clothing hot and sticky, plus they dry slower. Nike and UnderArmor clothes often use Spandex, or Lycra for stretch. That is one reason why Patagonia wear is more expensive for their polyester clothing because they don't use stretch additives, they get the stretch from the weaving process. Another positive for wool, however, is the wider temp range that you feel comfortable. You can leave it on longer without peeling a layer, and push it colder without adding a layer. With polyester that wet/hot thing happens faster, and maybe it is a little more fuss with poly to keep your temp dialed. Absolutely agree with you on once wool is sopping wet, you might as well call it quits and head indoors if you can. Nice video, good stuff, happy trails!

Great video thanks for your input. Seems to be a common thing for backpackers to like the synthetics more. I’m new to hunting so I’ll be experimenting with both. So far my merino socks I tried today were amazing.

I noticed my Merino Tech shirt has a hole after just one wear. What synthetic brands do you recommend for base and mid layer for extreme cold?

My merino wool long underwear definitely has a hole or two in em. However I can't handle the sweating with synthetic, at least for right on my skin - so sweaty. Socks are probably the most noticeable. Costco had an 80% merino wool base layer long sleeve shirt last year I picked up a few for 25$. I also like the synthetic sweater they get in the fall. It's 20-25$ and crazy warm - does the same thing as a Patagonia fleece which is almost 200$.

I just got a Merino long sleeve shirt and an Alpaca Sun Hoodie. The hoodie seems to retain a wet dog smell even when dry. Although its pretty stout smell when wet. Have you had any issues with your wool gear smelling like wet dog when you get it wet or sweat?

I've found I need to store my wool in plastic or a bag if I'm not actively wearing it due to closet moths. They just love it! Since I started doing that, the little pin holes have stopped appearing.

If you layer your merino properly and wear some of the high quality brands dry time is superior to synthetics. Also i have never had any problems with durability not even the ones i have been using in the military for years. Would never go to wearing 100 percent synthetics as a baselayer.

The reason synthetic can feel like "wearing a plastic bag" is because it is plastic. Look up what polyester actually is and how it's made. I do get you on the pros and cons, merino is expensive, low on durability and takes long to dry. It's also not as odor resistant as some claim. I need to was a shirt every other day or so, both my 100% and 70% shirts. Merino is more environmental friendly compared to synthetic, has better body heat control and for me feels better on the skin than synthetic. My 70% merino shirts from Decathlon dry quick and feel comfortable. I'm gonna do a bit of a stress test on them to see how long I can wear them without stinking. Hand wash drying is within a day so seems like it's the best of both worlds. I guess we all have to make our decisions weighing our own pros and cons in the matter.

Interesting and valid point from your perspective and experiences. I've used both extensively and and hugely into Merino wool , mostly blends, it just works better for me. I think it's an individual preference and what works best after a fair test of both. I have friends who do much better with their synthetics, more comfortable for them and they have faith in their choice. Same for me and a few friends in the Merino camp. No. one benefit for me is temperature regulation and better when wet, for Merino.. as well as odor. That's huge for me but might not be as important for some. Tks. for the video, your points are valid. I'll stick with my Merino, I save my $$ and know total cost of ownership is more, worth it to me.

Do these socks hold up? You’d think so

I love merino wool, and have most of my base layers in a merino/silk mix. However, I've found I have to wear synthetics most often (we're in northern Sweden. Temps here last week got to minus thirty celsius, so we need to be warm) simply because the wool itches. I don't care how much the marketing claims it's itch free...for those of us with skin that wool seemingly hates, it isn't. Which is a shame as tbh, I don't like using synthetics. But I caved and use them with wool over the top as a mid or outer layer, rather than spend my days scratching like a flea bitten hound. :/

What are your thoughts on an alpaca base layer for posting up in a treestand for whitetail in November?

What about cotton and hemp?

You guys with holes are you using wool safe detergents, and the prescribed amount? Excessive detergent literally eats fabrics within months of weekly washes. I also think there’s a lot to be said regarding the type of garments we are comparing. Thin under clothes vs light sweater. The famous timeless classic fisherman sweater is what I am head over heals for. I have a few and accumulate more as quality ones surface. Synthetic base layer undershirts and pants, with merino wool sweater and pants. You won’t ever need anything else outdoors. .

Unbound Merino Wool is the best. I inves5ed in the Unbound Merino Wool Women's Capsule Wardrobe and I have invested in different pieces from Unbound Merino Wool. They carry alof of Men's clothes.

I think it is a bit overrated but it's still better, particularly for comfort and lack of smell. Just being able to wear the same clothes for days without reeking makes it worthwhile. Not sure what the hardcore mountaineer uses but for the casual hiker and motorbike tourer it's easily merino. Just watch out for moths in your closet.

Could it be you have holes in the wool because of moths? Maybe you should try using mothballs.

It's great when the kids start voicing their _uninformed_ opinions. *"In wool garments, keratin acts as insulation for your body. Wool also continues to keep you warm even if it gets wet. Wool can soak up to 30% of its weight in moisture without feeling damp. This means that wool can keep you warm even in the harshest climates."* Many synthetics retain some loft when wet but not as well as wool. Synthetics also allow bacteria to grow, so sweat and body oils, which build up inside synthetic fabrics will cause a literal stink. Now... go outside and play, kid.

Synthetic is pretty awesome in the heat, keeping cool, wicking water away. I do hate how it amplifies B.O., but washes and dries FAST. Biggest fear is being caught in a house fire and now I have plastic melted into my flesh. Thanks for that synthetic recommendation that decreases odor.

I find synthetic layers best for when I'm carrying a pack and actually hiking. Take them off when camp is setup so they can dry and put on my merino layers for camp wear.

I like that people like polyester it’s supports the oil patch, made with petroleum

Synthetic and wool same difference. I like the wool because it doesn’t stink as much. I use a synthetic next to my skin and a mid weight wool base layer on top, sometimes the other way around. I rather be wet with synthetics in the short term because wool takes forever to dry. Key is the wicking action of whatever material is closest to your skin as well as allowing that water vapor to escape . Wool is good for long static operations, synthetic for intense activity, knowing you’ll change them out at the end of the day.

I like how it doesnt smell and is a bit fire retardant. Polyester just melts. Wools only downfall is it being a bit fragile and maybe the weight. As a base layer its a must for me. Socks, long johns, longsleeve, liner gloves, buff and watch cap are all wool in my lineup.

150 for a shirt? Gotta go decathlon or something else brother. I bought a Chinese base layer for 30. Pretty darn good. But skill/knowledge trumps materials. I learned with someone to use one shirt under a windbreaker while sweating, and swap it out when I get to camp. One dry one sweaty shirt. Windbreaker/raincoat dries really quick. I think I learned this from Justin Outdoors? Changed my outdoors experience though. No puffy while exercising. Gotta be cold at first and exercise warms us up. Otherwise we sweat a lot, then remove a layer and we’re the sweat over-cools us, so we put it back on. Exhausting. Temps here don’t go bellow -5C, but I have gotten away with that technique so far.

Merino or wool (for outer shirts and pants, jackets... are awesome. Some holes can be caused by cloth moth larvae or carpet beetle larvae. I forgot to wash and put in a drawer and found multiple holes next season !!(ugh).. Synthetic feels icky to me and can smell me 10' away.

How did you know lol that’s the brand I bought.

I wore a merino top for the whole of the coved lockdown and I have 20 year old merino tops still as good as new so its clear all merino is not equal. The cheapest stuff Ive bought is still going strong after 20 years

I worked outside all my life and I never understood everyone's infatuation with wicking sweat. If you're sweating, you're doing it wrong. I always wore coveralls where I can open the side legs and let the air come in.. and I can even take off my coat and let my top breathe that way. Set a pace to what matches your clothing- and change your layers to match your pace. It's not difficult. You might feel like you're taking things off and on a lot-- but it works much better than being overdressed and sweating and then hoping that your space age clothing is going to fix your mistake and wick it away. It's just a strange concept to me... Another thing that really helps with regulating temperature and sweating, etc.. is a Neck Warmer.. basically just an open top beanie cap that you can slip down over your neck; as you get too hot, you can slip it up onto your head just like a normal beanie covering your ears, etc. and as that gets too hot, you can slip it back down to the neck: letting your head air out so that it doesn't sweat. Just learning to adjust your clothing along the way is the key; and because of that, I can make just about any material work as long as it doesn't feel like a trash bag and not breathing. So because of that, I tend to avoid polyester completely if I can; I'd rather have cotton and just make sure I watch my pace and never sweat-- and strip down as I said, when needed. I have some heavy sheepskin coats and also some old gortex coat that seems to do well........... but if you MUST go with all this fancy stuff-- get it on sale or from t3mu or aIixbpr3zz and you can get this stuff for nearly nothing.. I grabbed several 85% merino wool socks for under three dollars per pair... You dont' have to spend twenty five per pair and eighty dollar shirts to get good stuff.

Synthetics win every time if your goal is not to avoid aerosal and transdermal toxins and carcinogens

Thank you.very thorough. If I have to wear synthetic, i wear merino underneath or especially Silk!![ Think Hawaiian shirts], just because it feels SO good, better on the skin! I can still thrift brand new wool and even cashmere on the cheap, becuz NoOne Knows!!!! Moreover, I'm just now learning that wool/ poly blends are the ticket!! By the click bait I thought this would be merino hate.😂 My raincoat is synthetic

I like this video. I don't agree with the conclusion but the points are fair and you bring up great points that I didn't consider. Excellent work!!

the key isn't the word merino but how much wool is in it. I prefer wool.

Outstanding

All I care about is what will keep me the warmest. I don't sweat much but I'm very cold-natured. Haven't been able to find the answer to this question yet.

Synthetic holds body odor.

Every synthetic i own/owned has burn holes and it wasnt from a big cherry or something. They just melted away into a huge hole. The smell is a bigger issue than you touched on, they flat out stink after just one outing!

I like normal wool more then merino but for a base layer merino is better just because it's softer on the skin. Synthetics are good but they stink if you need to wear them long term without washing and they melt and burn easily when near fires.

I listen to people on the internet about how great merino wool is, so I bought two merino wool t-shirts from different companies. Felt good and comfortable and it was expensive. After a year my $160 dollar t-shirts self destructed with holes and the shirts were then of no use. Looking for something new in the way of low maintenance shirts for my trips.

Merino socks are the only kind I wear now, if you have sweaty feet try them

You got me with drum vs sheep 🐑 intro

For me personally I love to use alpaca wool. But I use the wool as a base layer or a mid layer. But I never order 100 percent wool, I like the combination of 80/20 tencel 20% and wool 80% or nylon 40% and wool 60%. Companies I recommend is Paka and Appalachian Gear company.

Not only is it over rated. It actually sucks. The price to performance isn’t there. The material itself is the soy boy of clothing material. I had a base layer tear a hole after 3 wears and all I do is tuck it in. Stop over paying for something that is obsolete and also well known for having bad practices when it comes to the animals themselves. Glad someone finally said it. Merino sucks!!!! Was starting to think every KZfaqr was being paid to glow about it.

if those old wool shirts are just going to rott in your closer, im not ashamed to make my main goto clothes old used stretched out old clothes. send em my way, and ill give them another 4-5 years of use.

Merino wool saves my butt on longer trips, synthetic materials make my arm hairs itch and my face itch catching on the stubble, also actually gets smell free when I wash it. If synthetic works for you great but I simply can't do it. No reason for anyone to ever limit themselves to "the best material" use what suits yourself.

In the cold trekking, arctic condition synthetic and cotton is useless. Only wool.

All valid points. I still prefer merino though. I'm someone who has trouble with body temperature regulation, and merino definitely helps with that. Synthetics can make me overheat really easily. You also missed one important downside of synthetic underwear, which is that they can make you infertile. Something about the static electricity they generate zapping your swimmers. I know that sounds made up but it's real. There have been multiple studies on it. And another downside to synthetics is the fact that you're wearing a petroleum product/plastic, which to me just feels wrong. I think there's something to be said for how a piece of clothing affects you psychologically - how it makes you feel about yourself and your impact on the world.

Moths or poor washing habits caused the holes, not the fabric. I used one pair of 100% merino wool boxers almost every day for an entire year and washed them every 2-3 days (I use a bidet), trained in them, hiked in them, played sports in them and there wasn't a single tear in them. Don't have any reference as to how synthetics perform, but the 95% cotton ones that I used to wear before all got the hole down the middle after a year and that's maybe after 25 wears.

It is absolutely not overrated.. best hunting stuff Iv ever used by a mile.

Beyond the expense , merino wool is worth every penny. Weather Wool, Duckworth to name a few have quality products that will never let you down. Weather Wools Anorak is the holy grail. Rain, sleet or snow and it will keep you comfy. Even in you fall into a lake. The Merino wool keeps me warm and doesn’t let me over heat. I do not find synthetics as versatile. So to each his own. But Merino wool is worth every penny.

Linen on your skin, wool on top of that. You can thank me later. 😉

Marino wool is the best Dress shirts Underwear Pants Dress socks T shirts Spring , summer, fall , winter. All year around I guess you don’t use it as a dress up items My wardrobe cost about 7,000 for my out fits not counting my suits

Rambouillet wool, on a jacquard loom, is top dog, start with that fabric and go from there.

The stuff you have was made in a different time, the 90's are the best times. Companies made stuff to last.

Synthetic is just gummy as a base layer. And it is stanky. And I’m not a smelly feller.

Couldn't disagree more. Pushed hard with many different tops over a lot of years and merino is my pick everytime.

Some good points, 100% agree on durability/cost of merino when it comes to base layer bottoms. My tops last forever though. I buy new long Johns basically every year. Just bought 2 new pairs from MEC on sale 55% off. I personally don’t care about the weight thing, but to each their own. I prefer wool, and I think you missed a huge benefit of wool being how wide a temp range it seems to be comfortable in. A wool sweater doesn’t cook you out inside sitting by the fire or leave you cold when outside in the cold, synthetics don’t regulate your temp anywhere near as good.

i rather wear cotton than plastic. i hate the feeling of poly. you feel warm yet cold, its the most unnatural feeling ever.

Did you know that Marino Wool 🦙 absorbs More than 30% of his own Weight on moisture 💦 Dit you know that Merino wool is the most absorbing 🧽 fabric of all the fabrics ? Fact. And last but not least did you know that when Marino wool, of any other Wool, when it's wet 💦. Regulating his moisture outside, even then you Still have it warm. Synthetic it's not breathable, it's sticky, it's sweaty, extremely flammable, en Totally Not taking moisture ,💦on. I would say,Stay warm and Cool use Marino Wool😊

After seeing that title i kenw bro was gonna cook up the absolutel lowest IQ take ever.

If you want to Stink on the trail then go Synthetic...simples

For where I live, wool is king.

You’re out of your MIND! Sorry but man; I have used it all. I have arctryx and north face goretex thinsulant all of it. All types of clothing. I found some almost new Nordstrom quarter zips made of 100% wool. Let me tell you. Been thru a number of cold weather storms in Seattle working in landscaping and a large concrete and landscape gig I did alone in freezing rain. I was soaked but the wool dried faster than ANYTHING. Hands down. It never got heavy and saggy when soaked. And it never needed washed after a sweaty week in heavy rain. Buy it lightly used. Synthetics are CRAP. and if you are environmentally conscious you’d never buy synthetic crap.

Theres a bear behind you, look out!

That's good to hear. I'll buy synthetics, except for socks. Thanks.

Conclustion: not worth it. Downvote and get a merino shirt. They are awesome

Well yeah merino won't be as durable as polyester or nylon. I think thats obvious but i don't like the idea of wearing plastic clothing. I'm a shit hits the fan preparation kind of guy so that's where my mind is usually at. I very much consider being inside a burning vehicle or burning building as the shit hitting the fan. Synthetics will melt onto your skin. That makes for some nasty wound care.

Your thumbnail, title, and content send 3 different messages. You youtubers cant resist the clickbait

merino takes days to dry. if wet it can be lethal in remote wet places

Synthetics makes people stink....

So wrong about Merino Wool. Very misleading to your audience.

Merino wool or Alpaca wool is the way to go. It is expensive and sometimes it’s easy to get a hole in it however I would much rather wear something natural then synthetic. Let’s call it what it really is “Plastic”. Thin strands of plastic sewn together. Just wear a trash bag.

Get a mic man

This guy is a clown 🤡

Synthetics lower your testosterone. Explains a lot.

Morino is very nice but too expensive and do t last for more than 1 or 2 yrs In hot humid weather than can get windy like the gulf coast, synthetic are better, they dry and breath well, last for yrs and make you look very good if you are in shape like me.