Smartwool vs. Icebreaker

Look at IBEX too. I have products from all three companies. They all use basically the same Merino wool (within each of their respective “base” or “mid” layers), so there’s very little difference there.

Most other things being equal, I try to purchase wool garments that are made in the US, as I believe that we must support small US manufacturing businesses. Rest assured, it is not in our long term best interests for everything we use to be made elsewhere.

IBEX is the only company (of these 3) that offers products made in the US.

All 3 produce high quality merino wool baselayers and you can’t go wrong with any of them so long as you match an appropriate weight merino wool garment to your activities. Each company uses slightly different weight fabrics from one another although they all offer LW, Medium and heavy weight flavors.

All three companies use merino wool that is both “grown” and woven in New Zealand. Some of Ibex’s garments are assembled from imported cloth in the US of A.

I think Icebreaker wins for style points and variety, but all three make excellent products. Never been disappointed. By the way, Sierra Trading Post has these manufacturers on sale all the time.
-Mark

I was also researching these brands a couple of months ago. I like my Smartwool Versa Zip T very much, (Men’s Small 10oz) but I wanted a thinner, lighter weight fabric for higher output stuff. The Versa is what I’d call mid-weight, and it is not close fitting enough for me, as I’m a thin-waisted buck fifty. Anyhow, I found it very difficult to compare the fabric weights between the different brands/styles. I cannot be totally sure of the weight, without buying a sample from each manufacturer, but I believe the Ibex Woolies line is lightest and thinnest. I think the best way to “know” without spending a small fortune would be to post sizes/weights for comparison. I found no etailer that offers all three and really the manufacturer’s websites didn’t help. For comparative purposes, my Ibex Woolies Zip T is a Men’s Small, weighs 5.25oz and fits exactly like my Patagonia Capilene Silkweight Stretch Zip T Men’s Small, which weighs 5oz. Both have a 10.5″ zipper. The Ibex is pretty “stretchy” for a 100% natural product, but is less so than the stretch Capilene. I doubt seriously if I’ll ever wear any synthetic again, unless I grab one out of my clothing bin by mistake, which I’ve already done. Funny thing is, they look and feel similar, to a calloused hand anyway, but I could easily tell blindfolded with my nose. This becomes painfully obvious even after 15 minutes of wearing the Capilene around the house packing up, but I’ll bet you knew that. What you may not know, is, in the wool’s case, you can believe the hype- it is VERY difficult to get these wool garments to stink, even after wearing for two weeks straight. They do, however, have a slightly strange wool odor, just after pulling from the washing machine, but it vanishes when dry. The wool is far more comfortable to me, no matter the temperature, and is softer than the Silkweight Capilene. It also doesn’t catch on the same calloused dry hands like the Capilene does. BTW- I also bought the Woolies bottoms from the Ibex website and they are 4oz, w/ no fly. I am curious to see what an Icebreaker Superfine 190 piece weighs, as the tops don’t look as close fitting as the Woolies. I’m not certain of anything, and at this point, don’t really have a brand preference, but I am very happy with the Ibex choice so far. I actually cannot imagine pure Merino wool fabric could get any lighter or thinner. Please post your size/weight of different brands/styles, so we can get to the extrapolatin’…

My Ibex S/S Woolie in L is 5 oz.
My Icebreaker 190 weight Tech Tee is 6.75 oz.
The only real cross comparison I can make of what I own. Everything else are very different styles, no 2 the same in function.

I know which make I would go clubbing in, though.
Icebreaker is dialed for style. Better detailing, too.

There is another source of performance wool,irule.co.nz. Primarily targeted at athletes they offer both merino wool and a mix of merino with possum. The two pieces I own are as nicely made as anything I’ve seen.

My mid-weight smartwool L/S zip weighs 9.8 oz’s.

-G$

i have differnt pieces from all three manufacturers and it’s hard to compare but:

my SS Ts from Ibex and Smartwool weigh the same in M: 6oz or so. Ibex is softer but has a double layer in the back right under the neck. this seems stupid because it takes longer to dry. For me, the fit of Ibex is better (Smartwool is a bit too long) and its style looks nicer, including seams. Smartwool’s seams are too “sporty” for some applications (“formal wear”). However, Ibex has a stupid goat on the back so you can’t really pair it w/ a blazer (unless you plan on keeping the blazer on) or, say, armani pants

People here seem to like Icebreaker – well, I have waist size S (29 or under) and chest usually M (41 or so) and Icebreaker EXP hoodie in M (weight: 1lb 5.4 oz on a postage scale)is pretty tight on top but makes me look as if my waist were twice my chest. But I guess for hiking you don’t really care.

by the way, i have a 100% merino T from armani. heavier than Smartwool and Ibex and feels worse than Ibex (not as soft) but very nice fit, very fine style, and I have used it to run and bike in FL summer – it is still a summer weight piece. i also wear it w/ a blazer or just formal pants and it looks great. my wife does think its strange that I use it for sports but really, it shouldn’t matter what brand it is, it serves the same function as the others very well… also, the armani T (on sale from an outlet store) cost less than the Ibex.

i hope this helps