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Comment by martin_a | Hacker News Reader

Do you have more information on the Merino wool? I've heard good things about it but I'm not sure how much of that is hype. Is it really that good?

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I sweat - a lot. Especially if I'm carrying a backpack during the summer, my whole back is just one wet spot. A cotton T-shirt is a big no-no, when one gets wet it'll be wet and clammy for the rest of the trip. I tried the technical shirt kind and while they do dry fast, I'll be freezing while it's doing that.

I discovered merino wool T-shirts about a decade ago and don't wear much else - except for a few nerdy print shirts on occasion.

Merino wool is cool even when wet and dries really quickly. It's also pretty much self-cleaning due to the lanolin (a type of fat) in the fibers, and smells don't stick to it for the same reason. Even after the sweatiest hike, I can just hang it out to dry and it's good to go.

I can go on a week's trip with just two shirts, alternating them on different days.

If you do wash a merino shirt (which you shouldn't do too often) always use a wool detergent that has lanolin in it.

And all of the above goes for all other merino garments. I've got a hoodie from a merino wool mix that I wear all around the year. It's warm during the winter and not too hot during summer nights, if I get caught in the rain it'll be dry in no time.

On the website of a big merino wool clothing store they write [1]:

> Unbound Merino clothing can be washed in a regular washing machine at a normal or cool temperature setting. You can use regular detergent, and avoid fabric softener or products with bleach.

According to you this is wrong which is surprising because they should know what they're talking about. Could you clarify? Do you have other sources?

[1] https://unboundmerino.com/blogs/help-center/when-i-do-wash-m...

You _can_ wash merino wool if you want to. You just don't need to. Just like with jeans. Unless you actually spilled something on them and want to get the stains off, you rarely need to wash proper jeans.

> Wool is naturally hygroscopic and thus has the ability to absorb moisture and transport it away from the body leaving your skin dry and comfortable. Unlike synthetic fabrics where sweat build up becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, wool’s breathability reduces the risk of your clothes taking on unpleasant body odour.

> Because of the above, wool clothing outperforms other fibres when it comes to odour resistance, and it doesn’t need to be washed anywhere near as frequently as synthetics. Simply airing your wool garment will help cleanse the fibre. This is an added benefit if you are hiking or biking and need to keep the clothing you carry to a minimum. Reducing the number of times you washing your clothes is also beneficial for the environment [0]

[0] https://www.hdwool.com/blog/is-wool-antibacterial

Sorry, I should have clarified what part I was replying to. I was asking about the choice of detergent. You say it must be a wool detergent with lanolin while they say it doesn't matter.

I'd like to follow this up with the store too if you convince me that the detergent matters.

I appreciate your response.

Another guide about wool clothes in general: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/article/the-washing-and-carin...

I use this one on all my wool clothes (merino or otherwise): https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/sonett-wool-care-300-...

Not OP, but I have a lot of experience with Merino wool.

My opinion is that it's great, but expensive and not durable as outerwear. It snags easily and if you're wearing the thinner stuff, you will end up with runs and even tears after a while. If you can afford $60 t-shirts, that might be fine for you, but I haven't had a wool t-shirt that it didn't wear through the armpits on after a couple of years of regular wear. The thicker stuff holds up a bit better, but is obviously not as nice in hot climates. If you're wearing it as a base layer in a cooler climate, I love it.

I've used a wide variety (mostly 150 weight) Merino wool shirts for years, and in fact, they are basically the only T-shirts I wear these days. IMO, if you're doing a lot of travel, they are absolutely worth it - warm when cool, cool when hot, wicks away sweat and dries quickly when wet/washed all while resisting stink/BO. I'd have to agree on the cons though - I've paid $80+ for a shirt (depending on brand and country) and have experienced wear/holes sometimes in months (even with only handwashing).

I agree with your assessment. I have one merino wool shirt, but I save it for occasions when I need the light weight and good warmth. For regular wear I stick to mostly cotton. I can't afford multiple merino shirts.

Other types of wool tend to feel scratchy. Merino feels different than cotton, but is not uncomfortable to wear like other wools.

Thanks for your sharing your experience! "couple of years" doesn't sound that bad to me, to be honest, so the higher price could be fine.

As mentioned in the other comment, I just started out with an endless scarf and am looking at other products, too. I had a Giesswein merino sneaker recently for a test fit and it was really nice on the bare foot and left a good overall impression. I'm looking into getting a pair of those for the office, any experience with these, too?

I've only owned merino wool socks but they're fantastic (as long as you get ones with a fairly high percentage of merino wool. 50% is ok but >60% is ideal). I can walk 10 miles in my Darn Tough wool socks, take them off, and they have no smell the next day. If I tried the same thing in cotton socks, they'd smell like feet until I wash them. Wool is pricier but IMO better at thermal regulation, and merino doesn't have the scratchiness that a lot of people associate with wool. I haven't tried shirts because they're pricy and I'm a bit worried about durability, but if you have to carry your wardrobe maybe it's worth it.

This. Merino wool is awesome. Merino socks about 3x the price of a normal pair of run of the mill socks, but I find the comfort, durability, and breathability more than make for it.

One of the best features, IMO, os that I can forge straight through rivers without worrying about them getting wet because I know that they will be dry in a couple of hours, assuming it's moderately warm.

Improving "breathability" for my feet would be one of my goals. The example with your socks sounds good, for the moment I've started with one of those "endless scarfs" made out of Merino wool, because I can't stand all the synthetic fibers in those things.

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