Casey Recommends: Draping yourself in merino wool
Winter, spring, summer, or fall
One of my friends recently committed to a four-day rafting and hiking trip in the Grand Canyon this June, and guess who had ZERO hesitation in rattling off a comprehensive list of everything she and her husband would need for this excursion?
I mean. This is what I was put on this earth to do.
But here’s the deal. The first thing I recommended to Jill was the first thing I would recommend to anyone going on any trip ever.
Or even to anyone on a daily basis.
Yep, I am obsessed with merino wool clothing.
Disclosure: I am never sponsored by any company to provide any recommendations, ever. If I’m telling you I love something, it’s because I spent my own money on it and honestly enjoy using it.
Giving her my heartfelt suggestions made me realize yet again how often I proselytize for merino, and why I honestly believe it’s an all-around life-changer.
I touched on this briefly in my Gen X Taste road trip essentials story, but to quote myself in that piece, I’m the George Costanza of merino1, draping myself head to toe. Every season is a wool season.
Yes, every season. Especially summer.
On a humid 90-degree day, I’d much rather be wearing a wool t-shirt or tank than any other type of shirt. And my stinky feet feel so much better when they have merino socks inside their clown Hokas.
So I’ll happily tell you all of this to your face, but consider this my Merino Wool Public Service Announcement.
I have now catalogued, on the record, all the reasons I love merino wool, why it is the ultimate travel companion to keep you feeling great no matter where you’re going AND how it will make you a pro at being an easy-breezy carry-on queen. (I know from experience, dude.)
Wool doesn’t stink.
You know when you wear a synthetic performance fabric shirt for working out and it starts to smell a little grody after a while, even if it’s fresh from the washing machine?
Yeah, that doesn’t happen with merino wool.
It wicks moisture just like performance fabric, and I personally might stink underneath the shirt, but it’s so much more comfortable, soft, and breathable than cotton or synthetics.
It’s that breathability that I cherish on swampy summer days. Humidity and I are NOT friends. We aren’t even frenemies. We are in fact mortal enemies, and I curse climate change for bringing it to my previously breezy corner of the Northeast.
So I might still be grumpy about life, but at least the wool is helping pull the sweat away from me.
Wool helps me sleep better.
Three words: night sweat management. If you also wake up in the middle of the night completely drenched in sweat and then have to suffer through the uncomfortable feeling of damp cotton on skin for the rest of the night… have I recommended merino wool to you yet?
In colder months, my wool PJs help create a cocoon of cozy warmth when I get into bed shivering, then keep me from overheating when I inevitably jolt awake sweating somewhere between 1:30-3:00 am.
When it’s hot, I shower just before bed, then throw on my wool PJ shorts and shirt set to maintain temperature equilibrium even when the bedroom feels it’s stuck in the equatorial doldrums.
Like I said, wool won’t stop you from sweating. But it will pull that sweat away from you and dry it quickly so you can go on doing whatever you’re doing.
Wool holds up.
Speaking of sweat, I can say with certainty after sweating through my wool shirts on many hikes and wearing them every single day on a 3-week campervan cross-country trip, that wool will hold up for multiple days.
There is seriously no reason to bring a fresh ‘fit for each day of your trip when merino wool exists.
My strategy is to bring two basic groups of clothing: one gets worn while the other airs out for the day, then you switch and do it again.
This is enough to get me through a five- or six-day trip! (With, of course, extra layers for cool nights and a few extra pairs of undies unless I’m in a very minimalist situation.) Granted, after the fourth or fifth wear, your merino will benefit from a wash.
Wool is super easy to care for.
Just don’t throw it in the dryer!
I hand-wash mine with a few drops of Castile soap (one of my toiletry essentials) in the sink when I’m traveling, or in the delicate cycle of the washing machine at home.
Every six months or so, or after a particularly long/active trip, I’ll give my most-used pieces a good soak with The Laundress’ wool and cashmere shampoo for a deeper clean.
No matter which method I’m using to wash them, the lightweight pieces dry so quickly that by the next day, my wool is ready to go again.
And finally, so important for traveling…
Wool is so packable!
It rolls up into teeny weeny bundles and can squish into packing cubes, but any wrinkles from packing smooth out easily once you start wearing it.
AND.
If you want even more specific recommendations, I have also catalogued all the merino wool pieces in my possession, the brands I love (and the ones I do NOT love), and my honest assessment of some pieces that just don’t measure up.
I even have an affiliate discount code for you this time around! Get $20 off your order of $50 or more at Woolx.
Click here to read the full post, including my list of every piece of merino wool I own and what exactly I recommend.
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I’m not saying I’m never an overpacker (especially when we have a car to fill with lots of jackets for the always-changing weather in Maine, ahem).
Wouldn't you rather be in Maine?
On this day one year ago, I was exploring Isle au Haut, a 12-mile-square island off the coast of Maine populated by fewer than 100 people, a lighthouse, and a few snakes.
Just because it still makes me laugh:
As a fashion designer, I appreciate a good post about fabric!
You had me at George Costanza. I concur with everything written here as I also love wearing Merino wool year-round. Maybe 10 years ago I got some Ibex t-shirts and thermals before they went out of business only to be reincarnated again. Can't speak to the current iteration of the brand, but I still love those items all these years later, socks included. In fact I am wearing their merino socks and long sleeve thermal top right now! My sleep shirt - a red merino wool t-shirt is in quite a state (I roll at night and wreak havoc on any shirt I wear) but some nights it's just pure comfort and exactly what I need (with a hot water bottle).