Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Does all Merino Wool stink?

Tried out my wool base-layer this weekend for the first time. Easy hunting, walk to stand, climb up, sit for 3 hours kind of hunting, but due to a mechanical problem, I ended up sweating a lot after the hunt and I couldn't believe how bad I smelled. Is this the norm for all Merino Wool or is this what you get with the Cabela's brand (cheaper)? I think I'm going to have to reserve the wool for the easy, non-sweaty hunts if it all smells that way. Thanks guys!

Doc I have some ice breaker stuff and I have worn it 3 or 4 times hiking this fall well hunting and got pretty sweaty and have not noticed it smelling yet.

Doc,
I have three different brands [none are Cabela's] and I wear them about 7 months a year wih no odor problems even after exertion.

Some of the old poly undies were terrible.

Vern

Interesting. I even notice the smell when I take them out of the washing machine. I may be sending these back.

Are they all wool or a wool/poly blend? It sure doesn't sound right.....I'd send em back.

I've used the Smart Wool brand extensively.....expensive and have had some QC issues with recent purchase....poor fit and weak material that tears while putting on.....

But merino wool is my choice yet for cool/cold weather.

Smells like tuna!

That is weird.

I use icebreaker merino and I couldn't be happier with the NO stink. Any polypro I wear stinks big time after use but the merino is always scent free.

I played a football game in my icebreaker t-shirt on monday then wore it as an undershirt to work on thursday, never washed in between and there was no smell.

Doc, you're experience sound like synthetics, not merino. Have you checked the tag to confirm you bought 100% merino?

Mine (Icebreaker) sure doesn't stink.

smartwool and something else, NEITHER have ever stunk, except a mild odor when new, more like a mill odor, washed and worn and all is good.

Like the others, you describe synthetic stink to my way of thinkging...

I'll have to check the label to be sure, but this what I have:

Cabela's Merino Wool

It says it keeps body odor down, but I think it just overwhelms it!

Twice this year I've worn a single Icebreaker top for a week of backpacking. I start to notice the smell on day 5. My Smartwool top performs similarly, but seems more fragile.

My Mammut Alpine Underwear (a synthetic/wool blend) had no smell I could tell after three days of use, but I was mostly glassing antelope, not sweating in the hills.

I bought some Cabelas merino wool socks on sale and they are not 100% merino wool. They work ok, but they cost less than Smartwool for a reason.

I have good luck with Smartwool Next To Skin as far as moisture and odor control, but as Carl_Ross mentioned it seems a little "fragile". I have started using some Ibex Wool base layers which seem to great quality and fit!

I love my Icebreaker, Ibex and Smartwool for their absence of smell. I agree on Smartwool appearing to be a bit more fragile but my favorite Ibex shirt is starting to wear as well. Although I've tried to keep things cheap with my rapidly growing son, after just two days backpack hunting I decided that his polypro shirt MUST be relegated to sports use (it's more of a regular shirt than long underwear). Holy cow did he reek, not that that doesn't happen in our home environs at times even with daily showering. It will be worth the money for merino just to spare my olfactory senses.

As far as I know there are no 100% merino wool socks. They need synthetics for both durability in such a high wear area and stretch to conform to your feet. However, I've not had a problem with smell with any merinos I've tried including the cheapy ones from the big box stores and some heavy Wal-Mart Rocky branded ones.

I definitley find wet wool to take on a familiar wet wool smell,but not a funky one that synthetic can get.When wool dries seems to go back to odorless. This characteristic of wool doesn't seem to change because of brand.

I think you're right. I've never found "100% Merino" socks either, and wouldn't want them if I could. Around 70% merino seems to be a good balance of the right stuff in the right places. I have seen "merino wool" socks that have almost everything in them except wool, and I'm afraid that a few folks who don't read the tags have judged wool socks based on them. BTW, the best deal I've found on cheapie merino socks is seasonally at Costco--------a 4 pair bale for $20, and they're 71% merino.

I had the same problem with my Icebreakers. It wasn't a BO smell but a wool smell. Icebreaker said that some people smell it while others don't. It smelled a lot more the first couple times I wore it and washed it but seemed to get better over time. I still love the stuff. When it dries it goes away for me and is oderless. It does a lot better then anything else I've tried at keeping the BO down.

I've never had a smell problem with Merino wool (or other wool for that matter) but some of the synthetic running shirts I've got, Holy Cow! They handle sweat better than anything, but they get what's almost a strong chemical smell when they do.

Wool doesn't stink much for me. On the other hand the military poly pros will. They are warm but will smell after a while. I have found some synthetics that dont smell though. I really like the MTP series from Cabelas. I can wear the shirt for a few days in a row and it still wont smell. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...dex&indexId=cat601716&hasJS=true
I have also had good luck with their long johns that use the X-Static. My Under Armor works great for sweat but will start to smell after a day.