Cheap, itchy-light wool undies

Icebreaker are about to sell superfine Merino wool underpants. They are as itch free as wool can get and they will be cheap in the long run…, no need to buy cheap and then upgrade.
Franco

That's the thing; my $8.50 purchase was an upgrade over my Patagonia and MontBell stuff :)

The only thing I miss over the Patagonia is the fit, but that's more about how it looks when you put it on. The MontBell microflence is nice, but doesn't hold up as well when it gets soaking wet. Performance-wise, the wool is in most cases better than the synthetics. I find it hard to believe that spending the kind of money for the merino stuff will make it 10 times better. I could be wrong.

Same thing with the next-to-skin layer. I like to wear polyester, and the Underarmor, Nike, the $5 Sears exercise shirt, they are all about the same performance-wise. The big names may put a bit of spandex for the fit, but on the trail they all feel the same.

Boots, gloves, soft shells, that's where I like to burn my money :}

I wear mostly wool so I understand itchy. Most of the time I put a cotton undershirt and cotton boxer/briefs on. I have made my shirts out of brushed wool that is not as itchy. I did not realize you could still get 100% wool garments.

I practice winter sports. I spend most of the day outdoors on 20F temperatures, with strong winds, drenched in sweat. Cotton undies could kill me out there. Once they get wet they lose all ability to insulate, not to mention the cold clammy feel.

Try some cheap polyester exersize shirts. The stuff from Sears and Target works exactly the same as the expensive brand-name. Once I replaced all my cotton with polyester the flence with wool, and spend all the money I saved on the outer shell and boots, I became a happier camper :)

Abdon, do you mean uniqlo? I dont know Iqlo, is it another source of inexpensive clothing?
Thanks.

Sorry, I meant to say Uniqlo. Their light and mid weight 100% wool turtleneck sweaters (often in the same rack, you have to compare them) are a steal. Go as large as you can. Washing them with hot water will make them shrink like crazy.

They have stores in other countries but I don't know if they carry the same wares.

Hi Abdon, Sorry to post this here. I tried to answer your PM message to me twice, but each time my email was rejected. So I'm posting my reply here. Hope you don't mind:

Hello Abdon,

Miguel

I'm late to this discussion but hope to add some of my experience. I have Ibex wool briefs and they are fantastic for early spring, fall and winter use. They do a great job keeping you comfortably warm, wicking and regulating your temperature (and keep odor at bay). I wouldn't wear anything else in cold weather. Polyester does a poor job regulating temperature – I always find it chills me in cool to cold weather.

However, I find wool briefs too warm for summer and find they chafe in warm weather, while polyester underwear doesn't. I have no such irritation wearing wool briefs in cool to cold weather.

Same thing for tops – my wife and I love our Ibex light tops (Pacifica shirts) and use them for winter base layers and as shirts in cool weather or for summer alpine hiking. But lowland hiking in them gets hot.

EJ, are the Ibex briefs you have the Roasters or the Breezers? I use the Breezer briefs all year long, every day and find them very comfortable. I wish Ibex hadn't discontinued the Breezer briefs and kept the Roasters. Chestnuts are for roasting! The current light tops from Ibex are 17.5 micron merino. I think everyone else is still using 18.5. I use their 17.5 Polos throughout the summer. I'm about to pick up a couple of Qu Ts for bike rides and day hikes, etc. For me, wool works all year long. Traditional Bedouin clothing was made from the wool of camels, sheep and goats as I understand. Was that the best for the desert heat, or all they had access to?