Need the skinny on Icebreaker

the lightest nicest piece I wear all the time. Myself I have 2 of the tech t's. 2 of the oasis bodyfit and 1 of the mondo zip. The tech t's are always something to grab first. With the 200 weight stuff you still can be too warm.

Although I have many Icebreaker items my favorites seem to be the Bodyfit 200, both top and bottom for a winter base layer. For the remainder of the year the Oasis Bodyfit or the Atlas Tech T, depending upon whether I want a snug or looser fit. I've never tried the boxers, probably because several years ago I heard disparaging things about the elastic waistband of that era. I'm still stuck on Body Armour boxers. I have several heavier pieces of Icebreaker up to the Conquest hoody, but seldom use them on the trail because of the weight (22oz for the Conquest). Great for around town, though.

Brett, I wear only merino wool no matter what the season. I simply find it to be more comfortable in both hot and cold conditions and especially in wet conditions. Acknowledging that everyone's metabolism is different, I personally can't stand to be with myself in polyester after a couple of hours on the trail, much less a couple of days!

I have every weight of Icebreaker there is (and a few Smartwools and Ibex). This is my technique for layering when I will be out for a few days and weather could vary and in mountains where weather varies by elevation: I take 2 different weights, the lightest appropriate for the warmest temps expected and the combination of the 2 for the coldest temps expected. This way I can wear the light one alone, or the heavy one alone, or both together for "cold-medium-hot" settings. For winter conditions, I will bring 3 pieces and use the same techique.

I have the Tech Lite 140 Tees to the Nomad hoodie. For medium and thick weights, I do like the half zips as they add a little more comfort range to each piece (zip up on the downhills and zip down on the up hills).

I personally don't like to hike in a puffy insulated garment so that says in my pack until rest/camp stops.

I also wear Merino wool liner gloves inside my mitts and skull cap/balaclava as needed in winter.

Note that the current online sale (code "kiwi2") inventory seems pretty low of many items/colors/sizes.

My daily commute involves riding my bike a couple miles (just enough to get warmed up), then sitting on a train for 40 minutes, then doing a brisk walk for 2 miles before plopping down at my desk or often straight into a meeting. When wearing cotton I used to get stanky and change undershirts/apply deodorant after getting to work. For the past year I've been wearing Icebreaker shirts most days and they are 10x better.

My favorite item for summer hiking/backpacking is the polo shirt. Weight is 190 g/m2 (grams/square meter). I find this weight is more comfortable at buffering sweat than the 140/150 weights- especially against the pack and hip belt.

Unfortunately after taking up trekking poles I want long sleeves, so I may butcher my beloved polo by sewing nylon sleeves to it.

I wouldn't plan on bringing extra changes of clothing. Last summer I went 15 days in the same shirt- rinsing it and ringing out most days but never actually laundering it. Even for winter use in your conditions I would go with a 190/200 weight short sleeved T and a similar weight long sleeve zip turtle neck. Then use your existing gear for extra insulation.

For boxer briefs I'm too cheap to buy merino- even on sale. I use "C9 by Champion" antimicrobial seamless boxer briefs from Target for $6-$7. They did fine for extended use- er… if sweat is the only issue don't worry about changes.

You will find out what your favorite use is and can buy more later. With the economy as it is, sales on gear will continue.

Brett,
I'll second much of what Michael said. Best system I've found is a lightweight zip-t (150-200 wt) with a heavier (240+) hoodie. Favorite combo is actually Patagonia wool 2 zip-t w/wool 4 hoodie; similar from Icebreaker would be a 150-ish wt zip-t and 260-320 hoodie. Toss on a down jacket for cold days, you're great. I also like 200-260 wt leggings, great for pulling on in camp or in cold weather I just live in 'em.

I would definitely grab a second pair of briefs. If I could I'd wear these every day, super comfortable. I find that if I wear the same briefs for much more than 4 or 5 days I run into sanitary problems, even if rinsing out etc. It's a 3-ounce weight "penalty" that makes a lot of sense.

One word about the bodyfit stuff: it's truly bodyfit. I wear medium everything, but the Icebreaker bodyfit is compression fit merino, basically. Uncomfortably tight for me, so I'd personally go up a size or get one of their non-bodyfit pieces. YMMV.

Oh, and IMO you can do away with the Hawaiian shirt if you have the light zip-t. I'm able to pretty comfortably wear the wool 2 zip into pretty much any temperature I'd still be wearing a shirt w/it unzipped and sleeves pushed up…

Okay, I stink. Even one day in polypro and I do smell a bit. My crystal stick does help to mitigate this but none of my polypro stuff can go into town after two days.

Secondly I get really hot above 80F and that is where the sweating comes in. I can understand some of the lighter long sleeve options for layering but what should I do for the summer when it gets up to 95F around here and/or for blocking the sun from my easily burned arms? Should I stick with the white Patagonia Sun Tech shirt instead then? I have never really worn wool in the winter and have the fear of being way to hot if I am rely on it.

As for size I will have to be getting XXL for tops for the length but the bodyfit stuff should be a little loose around on me.

In addition I would like to incorporate all these into my normal clothing system if it all works out and get rid of the polypro stuff. I am thinking about getting 3 pairs of the boxer briefs to wear throughout a week and to take two with me while camping. I think I will get two of the 200 with the zip neck to wear when it is cool out and take one camping. I can wear my rayon/viscose hawaiian shirts over then to work and out as I don't go anyplace fancy.

Patagonia would be nice for wool but they don't make XXL tops yet.

Any clothing you wear, whether it's synthetic or wool, cotton, silk, or down–any article of clothing is some kind of insulation. It doesn't matter how thick or thin the layer is. You're putting a layer between you and "outside," which will inherently keep some more heat next to you. Therefore, you're going to overheat no matter what kind of clothing you wear in 95*F temps. For extreme heat like that, a thin 100% cotton shirt probably works best. If you need the sun protection then you're probably best off w/sunblock in that kind of heat. But especially in the midwest, I don't think extreme high heat is what you're planning on for the majority of the time. I would recommend looking for 100% cotton Hawaiian shirts–more breathable, cooler feeling than rayon.

You're not going to be too hot in wool in winter. Or summer. Wool regulates temperature remarkably well. Specifically, it will keep you warm when needed and if you start to overheat it will help cool you. Magical! Synthetics are hotter and generally less breathable all around in my experience.

Thanks everyone for the information so far, it is really helpful.

Yes, it doesn't get up to 95F all the time but it does get up to 85-95F for a little over a month lately here in East Central Illinois without any breezes. The hawaiian shirts I do have are of the very thin rayon/viscose and not the thicker stuff and they do dry pretty quick, much quicker than cotton. Like the cheap ones you can buy at Wal-Mart. The thing is that I do sweat at these temps with little activity and damp cotton Ts make me feel horrible. I guess I am going to have to buy a ss thin wool one and see how the wool works out.

But for most other baselyaer activities would the 200s be the way to go then. I am just thinking that the 260s might be a bit too much, especially when layering.

260+ is only good as a midlayer IMHO. Borderline too hot for me even for day to day wear inside. Base layer definitely best 150-200, I'd error toward 150…

I have read a few reviews and it seems that some people are saying the 200 stuff is more breathable than the 150 stuff. Is this true?

They have several different weaves. My 140 Tech T and 150 Beast undershirts seem to have a tighter weave than my 190 and 200 shirts. The Beast and Bodyfit are stretchy material while the 140 Tech is harder, less stretchy. I think the "GT" is meant to be more airy than the other models of the same weight.

There are also different fits- my Tech- T's are loose, as is the polo shirt. Bodyfit is snugger. The "Beast" T-shirts I just got last week are definitely undershirts- snug but long so they stay tucked in. I'll probably only use them in town under my dress shirts.

On the polo shirt- I love it as I mentioned above. One mod I'm planning to make (not counting the idea of adding sleeves) is to add a buttonhole and button to the collar so it can act as a stand-up collar when needed for cold, bugs, or sun.

The thinner and more porous a material is, the better it will breathe, so no, it's not true that the 200 is more breathable. What's probably causing people to say that is the greater amount of material in the 200 can act as more of a "moisture sink," allowing the heavier material to absorb more sweat before saturating. Patagonia's wool 2 is ~150g/m2 while their wool 3 is 230g/m2. I've worn both in temps ranging from 0F-85F. Both are decent in those warmer temps, wool 2 does saturate faster but also dries a couple minutes faster, I don't overheat as quickly and it breathes better in the meantime… Overall I think it's a more comfortable weight for a base layer. There have been reports of some durability issues w/the Patagonia wool 2, but not from what I've heard of similar weight icebreaker.

I was able to go to a local camping store that had a few icebreaker pieces. I was able to see what a Bodyfit200 felt like at least. There was a bit if a tickle/itch from it but I think if I wash it a few times and let my skin become used to it it will be okay. They didn't have any 150 pieces so I still have no idea what those are like. They had Terramar which I avoided because the inside is silk and I know what happens when you sweat into silk. They supposedly are going to start carrying Smartwool but I didn't see any for men.

Brad, you have just mentioned the spec weights for the merino fabric for Patagonia, do you have the 150/200/260 ones for Icebreaker or is there a close comparison?

And I know the whole idea is not to sweat but I will still perspire a bit through the pits no matter what.

And how does bamboo compare to wool?

The corollaries for Icebreaker are in the "names" themselves, ie 200 is ~200g/m2.

Not so familiar w/bamboo; my understanding is that it's synthesized much as rayons are. Won't have the performance of merino.

Hi
This is a comment from my mate Yaki in Anchorage preparing for the Iditarod by bike :
"An added bonus was the fact that even after 5 days-the Merino does not smell ( and I've been around many poly pro wearers who could not say the same… ya know)"
It's around 0f at the moment there, he sweats a lot and he is wearing a merino top similar to the Icebreaker 200 and an RBH vapour barrier jacket (on his bike) .
I have used 140 at around 104f (in the shade) and 200 up to about 100f. Cotton at those temps should work better but I have not used cotton hiking for many years so I am not so sure anymore. After having posted some comments about the feel of superfine Merino when it first came out I eventually realised that having grown up wearing hand knitted raw wool I have no idea at all if wool is itchy or not.
Franco

thanks, I had just realized that.

Can't find any of the bodyfit stuff and a few other items on there anymore.

And when people are wearing them to 100F are these the short or long sleeve versions?

Thanks

I found Icebreaker sizing to run small.

I see you're going for the XXL. I'm size 46 jacket, 17.5 shirt, and the XL was way too small, even for a baselayer. (I usally wear XL in all tops except for Silkweight Capilene, which I prefer in XXL for the sleeve length.) EMS didn't carry XXL so I couldn't try that size out.

a 200 weight icebreaker top is my 'go to' baselayer. i love it for all the reasons people have mentioned.
***editted. 200 weight will be thinner than most of your normal cotton T shirts

however, unless you A: feel the need to have an icebreaker top for those around you to OOHHH and AHHH over or B: have a lot of disposable income, there's no need to get a midlayer from them. i prefer a light 100% merino wool sweater from goodwill $2 – it's the same thing but roughly $118 cheaper.

Regarding thumbhole sleeves- I have a 260 weight Icebreaker top with thumbhole sleeves. They're great for pulling another garment over (sleeves don't ride up), and great for cool weather where I almost need gloves.

One problem- in wet or slushy weather they get wet. While they do a perfect job of bridging the jacket-glove gap, melted snow makes them wet! Since merino is so perfectly absorbant the wetness wicks up the sleeve a bit. In rain, under a rainshell the sleeves tend to creep down just to the point where they get wet, then wick the moisture back up. If I were building a garment from scratch I would probably use merino down to the elbow then a non-absorbant synthetic the rest of the way.

PS- I wish every kid's long sleeve shirt had thumbholes! Also my issues with wet snow getting between jacket and glove were not ice climbing in the Tetons or sledge hauling to the South Pole, rather sledding with my kids where we use the "tumble to a stop" method of speed control.

I think I will going towards a 140 Superfine T and a 200 Bodyfit Zip LS to get the idea and then go from there. Some people have much thicker versions but I still have my R2. Maybe in a 320 in the future. Is there anything else I should be looking at?

As you get into the heavier weights (200, 320) all that wool is starting to get pretty heavy and slow drying.

I stick to only a 140/150 t shirt + briefs then layer on synthetics/fleece to keep weight and water absorption down, while still getting most of the anti-stink benefits.

The heavier wool tops aren't cheap either. They're nice as regular clothing though.

Really, the 200s are too heavy? I can see the 320 stuff but did't think the 200s would be too much. Dang.