You've all got me looking at clothing, now!

I work around the corner from Paragon, so I naturally checked out out their wares online - seems they have a nice silk-lined merino wool shirt for $40... I may have to mosey over and pick one up, even though I'm bikeless for the next month...

I want to second the poster who said the smartwool does pick up smells.

I wear the same Salvation Army merino sweater and smartwool t-shirt almost everyday (Actually, now that its consistently colder I skip the sweater and wear a zippered fleece instead). In any event, the t-shirt does get a little stinky by Wednesday. However, its not that bad compared to synthetics. I still wear it all five days before it goes into the wash.

The sweater, however, NEVER picks up smells. This is true even when I'm wearing the smelly shirt underneath. I think I wash it in Woolite in the sink once a year (probalby in late May once I know I won't neeed it anymore).

I've noticed that Smartwool does pick up odours. It also pills easily. My 100% merino Ibex,Icebreaker,and Patagonia stuff never smells. Weird thing though,my Ibex cycling jersey,which is only like 2% spandex,does pick up stink. Not as bad as my old poly stuff,but noticable after about 2-3 days. I'm surprised that that little spandex has that much of an effect. I hand wash it about once a week with Ivory liquid soap in the shower,anybody got a better idea for getting the funk out?

While it may not smell bad, from a general hygiene standpoint, that is phracking disgusting. It reminds me of a Foo thread from last year regarding some brand of fancy denim, and their recommendation to go 6 months of wear before the first washing to appropriately "break in" the wear on the fabric.
Seriously people, Woolite isn't that expensive. Wash your clothes; especially stuff you're wearing as a baselayer, or sweating in. You don't get extra crud-cred for rolling around in a salt crusted, oily jersey unless you're finishing up a long brevet or a solo 3 month self-supported backwoods tour.

This. A couple of years ago I picked up some silk underwear from Sierra Trading Post and it's wonderful under a wool jersey. It's also thin enough to wear under dress shirts and pants so if you're cold in your office, this is the thing.

Nah. If it doesn't smell that means there is no bacteria there, so there is nothing really disgusting in that, unless maybe if your sleeves are drenched in snot... Besides, you'd have to take it off to wash!

I'm joking I wash my base layers once a week and sweaters every 2-3 weeks.

A.

anyone know of a source for wool long sleeve white or natural wool colored baselayer? Ideally light or med weight, on the thin side.

ews, it might not be the lycra that makes it smell-prone. It might be that that particular kind of wool has a different shaped fiber which makes the difference. Each type of sheep makes a different type of wool.

warning: my silk base layers are only good for low aerobic activity. Sweat a lot in them and they're just as cold as cotton....

Yeah, silk is not a good baselayer in the cold for aerobic activity... i go with silk-weight powerdry i think it is... works very well.

These posts show the polar opposites of this issue. If no one can smell you, could you still smell? If I can't smell it, who gives a flying rat's... well, you know.

Personally, I'm of the opinion that some people's keen sense of smell is the result of their wild imagination. If you wore a brand new shirt to work, drove by car and told everyone at work you just biked in, there would be some who would smell perspiration.

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:M...rsperation.jpg

Lol. I change and wash my undergarments and bathe on a regular basis. Should I wash my winter wool coat regularly too? BTW while I may not wait six months to wash my jeans, I'm sure I wear them a dozen times before I wash them (they last longer). Heck I also only wash my hair once or twice a week (promotes healthy hair).

You sound like one of those people that showers twice a day and is addicted to waterless soap.

Do you wear your winter wool coat directly over a baselayer you're sweating in consistently? When I was a National Ski Patroller, I'd wash my jacket once a month because I sweat in it all the time. On the other hand, I've only had my cashmere sport coat laundered once in 3 years.

How'd you guess that I shower twice a day? (Once after my commute to work; 15 miles, mostly used as a sprint workout. Once again when I get home.) I'm not a huge fan of hand sanitizers, but trust me, when you work around the stuff we grow in our labs you get in the habit of making sure you're scrubbed clean.

yeah wear the wool right up on your skin. You will be amazed how well the wool wears with out getting stank.

I also adhere to synthetic baselayers (pun intended :-). There are now several synthetic fabrics that are made with anti-odor elements within the fabric itself (such as silver or a compound derived from shellfish). I wear the thinnest possible anti-odor synthetic baselayer, and the next layer is always merino wool. Then I wash the synthetic as often as I like, and the wool as infrequently as possible.

My skin has eczema an is highly sensitive -- I've proven my skin prefers synthetic over direct contact with merino wool.

Nylon's great stuff. i have 100% nylon soccer socks from the 1980s which I've been riding and hiking in since the 1980s, still no holes.

Meh, stink is relative though... and body odour is such a taboo thing in north america... weird because the rest of the world is not particularly concerned about it. If it smells bad, wash it! :)

Regardless of the fabric, I wonder about continuing to wear a garment without washing if it's purpose is to wick away moisture. Wouldn't the accumulation of salt or whatnot in the fibers tend to attract moisture and thus inhibit it's ability to wick? If that's the case, it is counter productive to skip too many laundering opportunities.

I think I'll stick to my routine and preference for merino wool: a fresh pair of socks every day, two or three shirts worn during a week and washing them all once a week in cold water using unscented laundery soap. By the way, after noticing the presence of fibers in the screen of the dryer vent, I now only hang dry wool in order to extend it's life expectancy.

A weekly washing takes care of odor issues too.

Kucharik sells baselayers in 100% wool

Thanks. Looks just right!

My goodness, I've been pleasantly awestruck at reading about these nigh-unbelievable qualities of merino wool! "Magical" really seems to describe its abilities. :eek: I'd learned of wool's great thermal and moisture-wicking properties through these forums but didn't know about the ridiculous resistance to odor. When looking into merino wool base layers, I was planning on eventually getting quite a few of the same type to switch throughout the week like I do with T-shirts. Now it looks to me like I can just wear one for the whole week then wash it once. Now the higher prices on merino wool base layers don't seem bad, considering I'll probably do fine with just one! So as long as I follow the fabric's care instructions, it should be fine to wear for a week straight and wash it once, right?

I completely agree, and I'm sure most here do also.

I completely agree, and I'm sure most here do also.

CornyBum, yes, merino wool ends up being a good value, even after paying the high price.

In case you didn't know, merino wool comes from an animal called the merino sheep, which originated in Spain.

Thanks for all the information, guys. If you're interested, I'm eyeing something from Minus 33 over at Amazon.com. They seem well-priced, include free shipping, and are machine washable and machine dry-able for most items.

All wool can be washed in a machine and tumble dried but it has to be gentle and cold wash cycle with mild detergents, and low heat drying. Hot water and hot drying will destroy wool. Strong detergents or over-saturation in detergent will also harm wool and often make it smell funny and itch your skin as the detergent doesn't get rinsed properly. It's best to put them in net-bags to avoid stretching in wash. I wash my stuff once a week at a laundromat.

Adam

Just realize that unless you have a pre-shrunk garment, wool is affected by heat and agitation. Microscopically, the overlapping "plate" or "shingle" structure of the fiber will retract and lock when heated and agitated; so if you use a washing machine you're best off if it has a handwash cycle, not just a delicates/low cycle. Tumble drying further agitates the fibers, increasing the chance at fiber retratction; lay the garment flat on a beach towel, lightly stretch it to the point of some resistance (don't pull/over-stretch it), and roll the whole thing up in the towel. Press it to remove excess water, and dry it on a rack if you really want the garment to keep its fit.

I am not an expert, but the Minus33 stuff seems excessively expensive. I have now some regular sweaters with 100% merino, which I got for around 20-25 dollars. It looks similar to the Minus33 base layer for $60 at amazon.

No, I think those Minus 33 prices are decent. $25 is an unusually good deal.

I saw where the New Zealand wool industry developed a process that removed the locking parts of the fibers, so their wool no longer shrinks when washed or dried.