Wool/Poly Shirts?

[93legendti]

100% wool shirts irritate my skin. I've tried Smartwool, Icebreaker and Ibex. I've had some luck with Smartwool shirts, but sometimes even SW bothers me.
It would be nice to be able to travel in a wool/poly shirt that doesn't itch me and doesn't hold odor.

Can anyone suggest some wool/poly shirts?

Thanks.

[AngryScientist]

i swear by merino wool stuff, i think it's top notch.

check these guys out, they have some great products, but pricey.

also, sometimes it takes a wash or two to loosen up and soften a wool layer, keep that in mind. use non "flavored" detergent too.

http://outlier.cc/

[Fixed]

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/187,1811T_Canari-Classique-Paris-Cycling-Jersey-Merino-Wool-Short-Sleeve-For-Men.html
i have one of these and it seems fine itch wise
cheers

[93legendti]

i swear by merino wool stuff, i think it's top notch.

check these guys out, they have some great products, but pricey.

also, sometimes it takes a wash or two to loosen up and soften a wool layer, keep that in mind. use non "flavored" detergent too.

http://outlier.cc/
I've tried everything...I wash them inside out; wash them with jeans-same effect. And the shirts don't always itch, just sometimes.

Fixed, thanks. Is that a jersey? I'm just looking for t-shirts/base layers.

[Fixed]

sorry adam try this

cheers
http://theeverydaycyclist.wordpress.com/tag/base-layer/

[JeremyS]

You're not going to see a lot of merino-blends for next-to-skin wear. Almost everything out there is pure merino. As soon as you start blending in nylon/lycra/whatever you start messing with the benefits of merino that these garments are being sold on.

I do have some blends in my pile of swatches that might be ok for baselayers, but I'm not sure how well they'll perform for wicking and non-stinky-ness.

I'm a die-hard wool fan, and I'm spooling up my own wooly softgoods line, but in your case I'd say you might want to look into trying capilene base layers from Patagonia and then wool over that.

[gdw]

They have wool/poly blend baselayers although they might be heavier than what you're after. Their Zero-Line might also work for you. The Z-L line isn't a blend and has no wool but uses a "catalytic agent" for odor control.
http://www.montbell.us/products/list.php?cat_id=18

[93legendti]

You're not going to see a lot of merino-blends for next-to-skin wear. Almost everything out there is pure merino. As soon as you start blending in nylon/lycra/whatever you start messing with the benefits of merino that these garments are being sold on.

I do have some blends in my pile of swatches that might be ok for baselayers, but I'm not sure how well they'll perform for wicking and non-stinky-ness.

I'm a die-hard wool fan, and I'm spooling up my own wooly softgoods line, but in your case I'd say you might want to look into trying capilene base layers from Patagonia and then wool over that.
J, I'm doing the Cap -wool combo now for exercise in cooler temps. I'm wondering if a blend exists for casual wear.

[Fixed]

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/10912,13481_Duofold-2-Layer-Merino-Wool-Blend-Henley-Shirt-Long-Sleeve-For-Men.html
cheers
https://www.smartwool.com/default.cfm?gclid=CKXV8_TStacCFc4M2god-wrFBQ#/mens/apparel/tops/sportcollection/2510/

[JeremyS]

J, I'm doing the Cap -wool combo now for exercise in cooler temps. I'm wondering if a blend exists for casual wear.

The first piece Fixed linked too is more or less a one piece version of wearing two layers.

There's several options for blending merino and synthetics:
1) Merino core yarn wrapped with nylon/poly
2) lycra/nylon/poly core wrapped with merino
3) plated merino, where there's a merino side and a synthetic side.
4) blended yarns, where you weave/knit the goods with a combination of yarns. I don't think this works very well.

I like 2) for performance. However, 1 or 3 would work better for you.

I would totally make a run of tshirts in a blend, but we lose all the marketing value of merino the second we can't use the "100% merino" tagline. It's that pesky psychological power of purity.

I should use the tagline "Textiles ain't whiskey".


EDIT: Is it different shirts or the same shirt at different times that cause problems? There's another matrix of variables at work here:
Dye
Fiber quality - some of the brands you mentioned use less-good goods.
Knit/weave type

I know that my smartwools itch. My ibex and outliers don't. Icebreaker, totally random. I know where the goods were sourced for each of those and it makes a pretty big difference.

[93legendti]

Jeremy,
I'll contact you offforum re prices.

I have lightweight SW (150-195w) pieces that usually don't bother me. When they do, it's a spot in the middle of my back.
I have an Ibex 150w piece, ls, that is itch city- it bothers me everywhere. I have Icebreaker 260w pieces I can wear with good results, but not on back to back days.

I can usually wear SW the longest with the least chance of an itch.

I can wear Ibex jerseys with no issues, but that's usually less than 4 hrs at a time. I wear Ibex in Israel's 100 degree heat and I'm very comfortable.

I can wear wool bottoms with no issues: SW, Icebreaker and Merino33 in weights 150-400 weights and no problems.

I have sensitive skin, so it's me, not the wool.

[Hawker]

Check out Road Holland.

http://roadholland.com/shop/catalog/Men-2-1.html

I don't like the short zippers on the jerseys but they are getting good reviews and I really like the understated look.

[93legendti]

Thanks for all the replies.
Foxwear is going to make me a t-shirt with PolarDry/Merino Wool, so I'll see if it will work for me.

[bironi]

Some people's skin is more sensitive than others. You may be one. I wore a jump suit of 95% wool when I worked outdoors through the winter in the woods when I was 20. It was not fine wool either. It kept me warm, but I know that some people would not be able to wear it for 5 minutes. The products you are using are as good as it gets by my experience. You may have to go with another material.

[93legendti]

Some people's skin is more sensitive than others. You may be one. I wore a jump suit of 95% wool when I worked outdoors through the winter in the woods when I was 20. It was not fine wool either. It kept me warm, but I know that some people would not be able to wear it for 5 minutes. The products you are using are as good as it gets by my experience. You may have to go with another material.
Byron,

That's why I started this thread. I want to see if I can get wool's performance, without it being next to my skin.

According to Lou at Foxwear, this material might be the ticket, with the Polartec next to my skin and the wool on the outside:

Merino Wool/Power Dry

You've been asking for me to use wool, especially the Merino wool. I've found it and can now offer shirts which are a blend of this wool/Polartec fleece.

Some of the properties are softness, resisting odor, moving moisture away from the skin and regulating body temperature.

These fabrics are a bi-layer construction, with the high-wick poly on the inner surface and the Merino wool on the outer surface.