Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Merino baselayer. Is it really that good?

I'm going over my gear for an elk hunt that starts in 2 weeks. It's not going to be a "true" backpack hunt as we are doing a drop camp, but having hunted this unit before I know it will be a very physical hunt.

Anyway, I keep reading about how merino is the end all for base layers, and seeing as I could probably use one more pair I've looked into it. I have Patagonia Capilene, REI "MTS", and Under Armour at the moment, with the Capilene being my favorite.

When I see the prices of merino being twice that of Capilene (which isn't exactly cheap) it makes me think twice. I've heard that merino doesn't hold body odor like the other types, but other than that what is it giving me that Capilene isn't?

I will be following this thread...

Good questions KC!

I can't answer your question about merino vs Capilene, but I will say that Camofire is running some deals today on merino base layers. The bottoms are up right now, if you have any interest in snagging some at good prices. Tops will follow later today.

I have many units of capilene and merino in different weights and wear same for 8 months of the year. I find that I wear the merino about 80% of the time and only use the Capilene for EXTREME exertion hikes which I don't do much of any more.

The SCI online catalog has some Boyt merino on sale. I've been using Boyt and Smartwool for several years.

I've been dancing back and forth between poly and wool for 20 years here in the northeast. my conclusions;

- of the wools, tight weave light-weight merino is a good 2nd layer for warmth when active, and vents excess heat and moisture very well. It is not a good insulator in the wind without a shell. It still works, but gets heavy, when wet. I haunt the good-will stores and find a couple dress sweaters for $10 donation, and I don't care how I treat them. Coarser weave wool is more durable (think pants instead of tops). I look good hunting with my Savage 99 and tang sights.

- of the capilene/poly layers, Patagonia is worth the money, (ask for it as gifts). It is durable, light weight, and does EXACTLY what it's advertised to do...and if you damage it, send it back for a replacement (worn cuffs in my 15 yr-old long johns, returned in person to Patagonia retail store..free replacement!), just like Craftsman screwdrivers, only Patagonia works! If I was still going out for no-rescue multi-day trips capilene would be the ONLY choice.

There was a rather lengthy thread on this topic just a few months back. Without looking it up, I believe MOST that used the merino was absolutely sold on it and the rest preferred capilene, polypro etc. There wasn't much "middle ground".

Pros and cons to both.

Me? I'm sold on the merino layers. I love 'em. They just seem warmer to me and when I sweat hiking in to the stand site they don't get clammy feeling. They also seem to wick sweat pretty good.
The merino doesn't stink. Campmor had some Smartwool a while back for about $39.95 for each piece. I bought a top and bottom and just wore them for 4 days on an Idaho backpack hunt and they didn't smell at all.

Ultimately, you'll have to try it and see if it works for you.

Merino IS that great - if you need it. By that I mean, if you can shower and change clothes every day, the stink wouldn't factor in. But if you need to wear it multiple days in a row, it's the only way to go for underwear and base layers. Watch backcountry.com and steepandcheap.com for deals - I got my boxer-briefs for $20 and short sleeve tees for $30 there this summer. Wear them multiple days in a row and they stay soft, comfy, and stink-free.

Merino is NOT the best choice for an insulating or mid-layer; it's too heavy for that. On a backpacking trip, I will never be without merino boxer-briefs and a short sleeve tee, as well as merino socks. That's it's niche, IMO. Polyester and down own the rest.

I'd agree with pka's statement. I usually run around with merino top and longjohns in the fall/winter. I couldn't go back to poly after having merino when talking multi-day stuff. Not stinking like a gym locker is highly underrated.

I don't like to layer up too much insulation on my legs - that makes stripping a layer literally stripping. So I have puffy pants that I'll throw on for glassing and a puffy jacket for same. Compressability and warmth are key in those pieces.

As a side note, if you go the merino boxer route, make sure you test-drive them first. Nothing like an unexpected rub in the wrong place... I was glad I had my ex-officio backup set this year.

I bought a patagonia merino medium weight top a few years back to see if it work better for me elk hunting.
What I found was exactly what Patagonia says about it and their capliene. If you aren't terribly active, merino is warmer and it does wick well. But, because it is wool, it doesn't dry very quickly. It gets wet and stays wet for sometime. I estimate capliene dries 3X plus faster. As far as I'm concerned, as long as you are wet close to the skin, you are going to chill if you stop for while. With capliene, I can climb hard for an hour or two, then sit and glass for an hour or two even in sub zero temperatures. That's because the capliene will dry out faster than I can chill. I didn't find that the case with the merino top.
Note that I compared the medium weight tops in both capliene and merino. Results might be different with the really thin merino tops.
I, for one, really am not interested. I've been using capliene since the mid 90's and have yet to be disappointed. E

Merino zip neck long sleeved top next to skin and boxer briefs for two week backpack sheep trips. No shower, no problem. Two tops, rotated and aired out on sunny days, but could really get by with one. Same with boxers.

Give me Merino. All day. Every day.
WickersUSA.com

Which is "better," 100% wool or wool/poly blend?

I have two sets of First Lite merino wool baselayers (both midweight) and I love the things. They are thinner than my Under Armour cold gear but are much warmer than the cold gear. The fit is also better. It is tight against you but loose enough that you are comfortable and able to move around without noticing it. Plus the merino is soft which is a bonus.

On another note I'd like to try some First Lite t-shirts. I was on a hike and the day was in the 80's to mid 80's. When I got to the top of the mountain (6,000 feet if you can call it a mountain) had a steady breeze. the temps were still hot at the top. I was wearing an Under Armour heat gear t-shirt and I actually got goose bumps because of it drying. From what I have read merino doesn't take that much longer to dry out. I'd like to see if I get the same chill with that as I did with the heat gear.

Merino all the way! I have some Smart Wool 150wt. tops and bottoms for warm weather and use the Core4 190wt. from CamoFire for when it's cooler. Absolutely no smell and no itch as well as keeping you feeling dry when you're really hoofin' it. I have tried all types of synthetics and when it comes to sweat management you can't beat the merino. When it's really warm I wear the Firstlite boxers and no longer suffer from CSBCS...chronic sweaty butt crack syndrome.

Love my merino from first light, Kuiu, Core 4, Smart wool, Red Ram. Not all equal in their constructino, but I find the lambs produce the same wool for all companies. Love it for Backpack hunting due to the odor. Does not dry as fast, true, but have found it to not chill me like synthetics when wet, and it has a larger temperatur range for comfort to me.

After 54 years of active working and recreational wilderness life, in BC, AB, the NWT and a tiny bit in the Yukon, one day, I have tried most fabrics. I do not mean here some day hikes in suburbia, I have lived as long as three months, alone, without a break in some of the most remote regions of the above jurisdictions.

I laugh at some of the claims here from some of the posters, but, cannot be bothered, anymore, to argue with the "experts" from places where cold, wilderness was merely a distant memory before any here were born.

Read the thread alluded to above and the experiences of the real "pros" who post here as well as some on this thread. Pay attention to EdT, Marc Taylor and some of us who LIVE where COLD is a major part of daily life....and, learn from that.

Me, I now wear merino wool year around and ALWAYS when backpack hunting Elk, as I was doing in the Kootenays of BC two weeks ago. It can be pretty harsh there with 40+ ft. winter snowfalls in the place we were, temps to -40* and large areas with NO human habitation or activities, other than by foot or horseback.

Some times, some synthetics,as in Primaloft vests/jackets in damp BC conditions, are superior to natural products, such as down, but, NO synthetic will equal merino wool in overall outdoor use. I got my first in 1964, the old "Mellofleece" from England, and wore this brand for almost 30 years in conditions to -4i*F....merino rocks!

I just used some First Lite Merino wool on a hunt. It was great. Definitely on my list of things to keep.

My comparison of Merino vs. Capilene is for base layers, its hard to tell the difference in warmth and comfort. The insulating properties, they are similar. Capilene might hold the edge in drying out quicker, but nothing noticeable.

Smell difference, I'll take Merino over Capilene every day of the week on a week or longer hunt. Synthetics soaked in sweat stink to high heaven after one day. Merino wool will absorb the smell for a while. Merino for me for strenuous hunting. All day every day.

I'll take Capilene (which is just a Polartec product) every day over Merino. Merino is not nearly as durable, gets wet and stays wet far longer than Capilene (or whatever synthetic equivalent). Only advantage I see of merino is odor, and that's no biggie to me. Well, the other advantage of merino is it doesn't get spark holes around fires like synthetics.

But at least merino is cheap

Merino for me. It doesn't stink after the first day, and for ME it has a more comfortable temperature range. I don't overheat as much when I'm exerting, and I stay warmer when it's cold. Even when I'm wet with sweat, I'm warm (I've got mid and outer layers of wool also). I'll take Merino's slower drying properties while staying warm, to the quicker evaporation of synthetics.

I don't own a wool clothier, so I'm not trying to convince anyone in this discussion. I'm happy with Merino and other wools, and maybe others will be too after trying it. As I've joked before, if God thought poly synthetics made better clothing he'd have created plastic sheep.