A Guide to Merino Wool: Is It Worth It?

Primarily found in next-to-skin items like baselayers and socks, merino wool is somewhat of a staple fabric in the wardrobes of outdoorsy folk everywhere. Outdoor enthusiasts love to shout about the benefits of merino: “It’s insulating and moisture wicking”; “It’s so soft and comfortable”; “You’ll never smell when you’re hiking EVER AGAIN”. And whilst all of these points are true, the benefits come at a cost, and quality merino items tend to be a lot more expensive than their synthetic counterparts. So, is merino wool worth it? Below, we dig into the pros and cons of merino wool, compare merino wool with other materials, and let you know whether we think this magical material is worth it (spoiler alert: it is).

What is Merino Wool?

Merino is a form of wool that comes from (you guessed it) merino sheep. Merino sheep are most commonly found right here in Australia, where 80% of the world’s production takes place. These sheep have a unique coat structure that keeps them warm through the winter and cool in the summer. Transfer this quality to clothing, and you have a layer that performs well when conditions and exertion levels vary. Made with ultra-fine and flexible fibres, merino is three times thinner than regular wool (5 times finer than a human hair). This makes merino a lot more breathable, insulating, and comfortable to wear next to the skin than thicker wools, which is why it works so well as a base layer fabric.

Pros: The Benefits of Merino Wool

Insulation

Of course one of the staple features of wool is its ability to keep you warm, and merino is a great option for keeping you cosy in the winter months. It offers exceptional warmth for its weight, meaning you can easily layer it underneath your midlayer and outer shell without any unnecessary bulk. It also keeps you warm even when it’s wet – so it’s not the end of the world if you get caught in the rain or step in a puddle that’s deeper than it looked.

Moisture-Wicking

What sets merino wool apart from most other materials is its moisture-wicking properties. It pulls the moisture away from your skin by absorbing it and then evaporating it through the outer. This makes it a highly breathable fabric – a merino baselayer will never uncomfortably stick or cling to you no matter how much of a sweat you manage to build up.

Versatile

A combination of insulation and moisture-wicking properties means you can wear merino wool all year round, summer or winter. This makes it a highly versatile fabric and can help to justify that hefty price tag.

Odour Control

It’s no wonder that backpackers love a fabric that won’t smell no matter how long you wear it for. One of the staple properties of merino is the fact that it has natural odour-resistance, perfect for multi-day trips where you won’t get the chance to wash your gear (or even just a particularly hot day where you know there’s an extreme sweat risk!).

Comfort

Because it’s thinner than other wools, merino is a lot more soft and comfortable to wear. The fibres are ultra-fine and flexible, worlds away from thick and scratchy cable knit jumpers made with regular wool.

Sustainable Choice

Merino wool is of course a natural fibre, and thus is both biodegradable and renewable, making it a friendlier choice for the planet. One sheep can grow four to five pounds of wool per year, and research shows that merino fibres break down after 12 months buried in the earth. Because of merino’s odour control properties, you also don’t need to wash it as often – again reducing your environmental footprint.

Cons: The Negatives of Merino Wool

Cost

The cost of merino is perhaps its biggest drawback. However, when you consider that this is an ethically-sourced and high-performance natural fibre, it’s easy to see where the high price ticket comes from.

Not the softest

Merino is MUCH softer than regular wool, but it’s still wool. That is to say, it’s not as soft as a lot of other fabrics, especially layers that you will wear next to skin like cotton, linen or performance synthetics. However, once you are wearing merino, the technical performance of the garment speaks for itself. If you are worried about itching, merino/synthetic blends can be softer and more comfortable than pure merino.

Not the most durable

Merino doesn’t have much stretch and it is a relatively thin, lightweight material, meaning that it’s not the most durable fabric you’ll find. Because you’re most likely to wear merino as a baselayer, snagging it on a branch or scraping it on a rock is unlikely to be an issue but if it is, you can repair merino super easily with a few simple stitches.

Takes longer to dry

Because merino can absorb more moisture than most fabrics, it takes a lot longer to dry than high performance synthetic fabrics (it does dry quicker than other natural materials like cotton and bamboo, however). Natural odour resistance means that you don’t need to wash merino often, so this shouldn’t be too much of a problem, but it’s something to bear in mind.

Merino wool vs regular wool

Merino is thinner and softer  than regular wool, making it more comfortable for wearing directly on the skin. Microns are a unit of measurement which tell us the diameter of the wool fibre. The lower the micron, the finer the fibre and the softer it feels on the skin. Merino wool tends to have the lowest micron number of all wool types at around 15 to 24 microns. Regular wool types can vary considerably, usually above 25 microns.

Merino wool is also much lighter in weight than regular wool. Wool weight (among other fabrics) is measured in grams per square meter or gsm, and this is a good indication of how warm the item is. The higher the gsm, the thicker the wool is. Light-medium weight merino generally comes in at the 150-300gsm mark, whilst regular wool tends to be upwards of 300gsm.

Merino vs synthetic fabrics

The question of whether merino or synthetic makes a better baselayer fabric is a highly debated one.‘Synthetic’ is an umbrella term encompassing a range of different man-made materials. The most common synthetic materials used in baselayer garments include polyester, nylon, and spandex. Choosing which material is best ultimately comes down to personal preference, and there are a lot of factors at play:

Warmth: For one, merino offers a lot more warmth for its weight than synthetic fabrics so it’s a much more effective winter baselayer. On the other hand, synthetics are lighter in weight so are great for summer exploring. 

Wicking: Merino has (arguably) better wicking properties than synthetic because it can retain a lot more liquid, but this also means that synthetics are much quicker to dry. 

Durability: Synthetics tend to need washing more often than merino because they don’t have any odour resistance, so it’s likely that merino garments will last longer in your wardrobe. However, synthetic baselayers are a lot less likely to snag or tear than their merino counterparts.

Cost: When considering cost, synthetics are generally kinder to our pockets, with merino costing roughly 25% more than a similar synthetic garment.

Environmental Impact: Merino is kinder to the planet, since it biodegrades in just 6 months under the right conditions, whilst synthetic garments can take hundreds of years.

Merino Blends

Many brands are now blending merino with other fabrics (including synthetics) to harness the benefits of both materials. Smartwool’s All Season Baselayer (men and women) is made with merino combined with nylon for added durability. Icebreaker have created a number of merino/tencel blends for more breathability during high output activities, including the high-performance Cool-Lite Hoodie (men and women).

Is Merino Wool Worth It?

So yes, merino is more expensive than a standard synthetic baselayer. But we would argue that it is definitely worth it. Merino wicks sweat, insulates, and controls odour – all features that cannot be replicated to the same degree by man-made fibres. And let’s not forget that when it reaches the end of its life, a merino garment is not going to take up unnecessary space on the earth – for that we’d say that it’s worth every penny.

Sold on merino? Browse our full range of merino wool products here.