Silk & Merino Wool Sweaters
 

Based on advice I read in this forum, I picked up a silk turtleneck sweater and merino wool crewneck
sweater from Goodwill today. Now, I need to determine the best way to wear these in 40 degree
weather.

I recall reading that merino wool and silk can be used as base layers. Is this correct? If so, should
I sew these sweaters so they fit tight or wear them loose as they currently are? I plan on wearing
a shell jacket over a sweater, and really prefer to limit myself to two layers.

If I'm better off using these sweaters for something other than a base layer, please advise.

I've had good luck using cashmere and merino as a base layer, or over a shirt, or as the only layer. Heavier wool is better as a warm outer layer. Some heavy sweaters will even shed water for quite a while.

Silk is a warm base layer in winter. In hot weather it's the coolest thing you can wear besides bare skin.

I wouldn't sew any of those things, just wear as is. For 40F, wear the wool and a jacket. For below freezing, silk, then wool, then jacket. Wool t-shirts also work well and come in a range of weights. Don't forget to pick up silk/wool glove liners, wool socks and something to cover your ears/head like a cycling cap w/ ear flaps. I just ordered a merino wool cycling cap from Ibex for the really cold days, but a skull cap that/beanie covers your ears will work fine.

And +1 to cashmere. I buy non-sport specific wool and cashmere stuff to wear to the office. It does the double duty of keeping me warm and looking good.

It was 45 degrees with 18mph winds on my way to work today. I wore a Champion CB9 compression
t-shirt, merino wool sweater, and a shell jacket. (I know I stated I prefer 2 layers, but the t-shirt
is really compact.) I worked up a sweat, but was not dripping wet when I arrived -- 40 minute
commute. I may have been able to get away without the t-shirt, as suggested in the previous post.

If I do skip the t-shirt, and wear the merino wool sweater as my base layer, shouldn't it be skin
tight rather than loose? I have read that base layers should be snug, although I don't know
the reasoning behind this.

Merino is GREAT for layering. However, it does not wick as well as synthetic fabrics. What it DOES do is keep you warm even when the fabric is not dry. If you want something that wicks, you want to look at polypro or something synthetic.

You want your base layer to be snug if it's synthetic so that it stays in contact with your skin and can actually do the wicking job. Not as crucial to by skin-tight with merino imho.

What merino DOESN'T do, is smell like a week-old roadkill if you go without washing it for a while.
I toss all my wool gear in the machine on handwash cycle at the end of the week with some plain old Woolite. No need for expensive "tech-wash" detergents designed to protect and deodorize synthetic fabrics.

Not that synthetics are without merit. In 90+ degrees, I loves me some ultralight synthetics; and I dig my synthetic winter-weight rain/wind resistant tights when it's 38 degrees and pouring rain.

Whenever I put my merino shirts in the machine, they shrink, even on the most delicate cycle and in a mesh bag. Best to handwash and hang dry . I agree, they only need to be washed every 6-8 uses. Cotton has to be washed after 1-2 uses.

It depends on the brand of clothing and washer. Woolistic jerseys are pre-shrunk and the tag says they're machine washable, and the handwash cycle on my machine really just agitates things 2 or 3 times every 5 minutes. Always use cold wash/rinse.

Holy crap! How many pounds did you lose?

Best thing that ever happened to me for winter commuting was one day when my outdoor weather center was out of batteries - I went on line to check the temp and they were reporting mid 40s. So that's what I dressed for.

Turns out it was actually low 30s...and I learned that I had been waaaaay overdressed before - because it was perfect. Definitely cold to start - but perfect 5 minutes in.

Lots of people have said it before on this forum, but it didn't really sink in until then - if you're not cold (not just a little chilly but COLD) when you first start out, you're overdressed.

On topic though - merino is great stuff - but if you're wearing it under a shell, there's no point in having it tailored. The extra air space will just make for better insulation.

You guys have some awesome goodwill stores. I've checked all the goodwill and salvation army places around, and didn't find anything but crappy acrylic or cotton sweaters, T shirts and rayon dress shirts. I looked through racks of thousands of pieces of clothing and didn't find anything I'd have worn cycling.

They have cashmere sweaters at Costco here, however, even at Costco prices I don't have the $. What I do have is an old, enormous Scottish wool sweater complete with leather bits for the shoulders and forearms.

I wonder what those rayon dress shirts would be like as base-layers? They do tend to wrinkle, but I wouldn't bother ironing.

I didn't have good luck with silk as a base layer. It was just too hot and didn't wick to the next layer well.

For wool, some manufactures say to air the shirt. The composition of the wool oxidizes odor when you hang it up after your ride. I use a polypro base layer, and wool mid layer. The mid wool layer gets washed about 1X/Mo. That's about 25 wears between washing (I bike about 4 days/week and I don't usueally wear the sweater on the return ride. Your mileage may vary.

I've had pretty good luck at Goodwill, but I live in SoCal, not the frosty north. I think folks move out here and then dump their wool sweaters. The great thing about wool is that you can sweat in it; the bad thing is that you will sweat in it here, even in mid-winter, even if you aren't moving.

Last winter it was horrifically cold here, compacted snow/ice everywhere. It was gnarly, I froze my ass off at bus stops. Ghastly. I'm gonna ride as much as I can and try not to turn into a human popsicle.

I didn't realize how much I actually sweated on the way to work until I went to put
the same clothing back on for my trip home. It was damp. The t-shirt, wool sweater,
and the inner lining of my shell were all damp. I packed the sweater and just wore the
t-shirt and shell home. Due to the dampness, I felt clammy for the entire ride, but I
wasn't too cold. So, I definitely overdressed on the way to work and will probably
go for the t-shirt and shell when I ride in the mid-40s. I will keep in mind that I should
feel cold (not just chilly) when I start out.

On a related, but slightly off-topic subject ... How does one prevent the inner liner
of a jacket from getting sweaty? If underlayers wick sweat towards the jacket, then
won't it always be damp? I'm wearing a Champion microbond shell so it's not a
bike-specific jacket. Perhaps this is part of the problem. Would a bike jacket not
have this problem, and if so, why not?

Ideally, the clothes should be dry for the return ride. You may have to hang everything up to get it to dry in time. You don't need a clothes line, just some hangers.

In 35-45F weather, I'm wearing the same setup (thin polypro shirt, Wool mid-layer and Showers Pass jacket. The base layer is sopping wet in the back from the backpack and the inside of the jacket is always wet. I hang everything and it's all dry by lunch time.

Yeah, but you have to hit them at just the right time. Last year I found several Perry Ellis close knit cashmere/wool blend sweaters for 3.00 per. There were about 15 of them...I bought 5. I use them as a mid layer over my hooded polypro base and under my IP Barrier jacket. If it's REALLY cold I'll add a light balaclava and arm warmers. The nice thing is that everything dries very quickly.

+1 to whomever said you should be cool/cold when starting out since the commute warms you up. As for layering, it's different strokes for different folks. If the temp is in the 40's, I can make do w/ a tee and wool sweater/pullover and no jacket. The wind allows the wool to breathe and evaporate the sweat. You can apply that to even colder weather if you have heavier wool layers. The windproof shell comes out if it's really windy or raining.

The last 2 mornings it has been 35 degrees. I wear compression top and bottom made from polyester and then a slightly insulated polyester top and bottom, with a windbreaker fleece vest. Then some shoe covers gloves, and something to cover my ears. It works great, I do have to say I freeze for the first 5 min, which the 2 mile down hill part to start out doesn’t help, but once I hit level ground I start to generate some heat and feel great.

I have a silk longsleeve baselayer. It's gossamer thin, machine washable, and only $20 on sierratradingpost.com or campmor.com (I can't remember; do a google search). I'm going to get a few more this year. Really good under a jersey or wool sweater down to the 40's.

Also a smartwool merino from REI. A bit thicker and good down to the 30s.