Patagonia Capilene 1 vs. Smartwool microweight

Far from an expert here but I much prefer the smartwool or merino in general. I like how it feels on my skin better and after a few days it doesnt stink like capilene.

Add to it that wool is a renewable resource and its a all around winner for me. High caliber gear has icebreaker 150 on sale pretty cheap too. Another brand besides smartwool and icebreaker is IO Bio. IO stuff is really really soft.

I really liked the idea of merino wool as a base layer. I generally prefer natural fibers to synthetic, however, I am quite sensitive to wool and even microweight smartwool is itchy enough to me to be uncomforatable. I can wear it as sleeping wear but if there is any pressure (ex. from backpack shoulder straps) I can not stand the itch.

It does seem to resist odors much better than capilene so that is a definite plus. Smartwool does tend to be pricier than capilene but you can find them both on sale. SAC has smartwool on sale fairly frequently.

If I didnt itch I would go with the merino. Hope that helps.

Thanks guys, that does help. I'm going to go with wool, now to decide which brand. I like that Patagonia's merino wool is "chlorine free". I emailed smartwool to find out if there's is harvested/refined in an environmentally conscious way. I'll update this with the results.

There are pretty drastic differences between cap 1 and the lightest weight wools. Cap 1 wicks sweat and dries much, much faster. It also gets much, much stinkier. Cap 1 stands up to abrasion better, etc. Standard wool v. synthetic stuff.

The newer Cap 1 fabrics are a little better, I had a '02 Cap 1 shirt and it could be biohazardous after 6-8 hours.

I'm hoping to try the new Patagonia poly/wool blend. Hopefully the best of both worlds.

Synthetics for summer wear can weigh less, wick better and dry faster than wool. Wool, on the other hand, can be more comfy in cold temps.

For summer wear, I would recommend synthetics over wool — wool can be used, it won't kill you, but I see no advantage of wool over synthetics — unless you have a particular problem with synthetics trapping your B.O. (which I believe is your case).

Another option — which is what I have been using for years now — is 80/20 poly/cotton blend. This gives me the benefits of synthetics (wicking, quick drying) and cotton (comfortable feel) — and NO stink factor.

Can you mention some *0 Poly /20 cotton blend brands? I've seen 2 layer stuff that has this blend on the inside ,but then another cotton outer layer which sounds like it would remain wet too long. Thanks,

I'm thinking you meant 80% cotton, 20% polyester? I don't see anything made of 80% polyester and 20% cotton in a Google search.

All of my tees are 80 poly / 20 cotton Duofold “Duo Dry” — cheap, cotton comfy, wicking, quick drying and no stink factor. Alas, Campmor stopped carrying them and they are now hard to find. Luckily (for me), I bought 20 extras during their closing sale.

Googling around, a good alternative is “Dry Release” 85 poly / 15 cotton tees — available at Cabelas.

Thanks for the recommendations. Do the Duo Dry run true to size? The sizing looks a bit small? Thanks, John

Not sure, John. As mentioned, my tees were from Campmor — but no longer sold. I've bought other clothing from Cabelas and they run true to size. Call them if you want to be sure.

I've located some of the Duo Dry ones which Campmor sold on Ebay and elsewhere so I'm asking about the ones you use, not the Cabelas. I can't find any reviews for size and the size chart makes my usual 48 chest to be an xl , so your experience is my best source of real fit . Thanks, John

Ah, OK. The Campmor ones run true to size — for medium anyway.

Thanks much ! I'll probably try a L now instead of an XL. Hard info to come by without reviews.The Cabela's look good too.

If you are unsure of the size, then I would recommend buying both sizes from Cabelas (return postage is pretty inexpensive) rather than Ebay. Good luck!

I like them both and use them both, for "summer" it's capilene (never had a problem w/ small even w/ the older versions)

in the "winter" the merino feels great and doesn't get that somewhat clammy feel that capilene can get

I might be tempted to use merino more in the summer, but cost is almost double capilene and capilene perform very admirably