$2.99 Wool Balaclavas

Such a deal you can't refuse. Although it is cheap, the shipping costs more than the item.

–B.G.–

At that price you can rest assured those are NOT Merino wool and are worthless garbage. You would be itching you face all day. You get what you pay for in this case.

Better to get something like this http://www.smartwool.com/balaclava-1203.html

Merino wool is extremely overrated. It is usually overly dense with not enough loft and it absorbs more water weight than other wool. It does make good base layers though, it's just not that great for thicker layers. You are probably right about the itch.

Justin,
I have to disagree with the fact that merino is overrated. I do agree with Randy that this will be extremely itchy.
So let me identify why merino is more effective:
-Generic wools have many fibers in them (so does merino), and here is where I introduce the word micron. One micron is 1/25000 of an inch. To understand just how small this is, consider that human hairs measure between 30 and 120 microns. Generic wool fibers are generally above 35 microns, which WILL feel quite itchy. Lambswool is around 30 microns, which is itchy… but tolerable. Good Merino is generally 16-19.5 Microns and is (to most) quite a pleasant feel, comparable to cotton.

-Merino is generally more tightly woven because of the smaller fibers, blocking wind efficiently but still leaving enough room to allow moisture to escape. The less dead air space, the more water can absorb. Now I am not sure about your statement that merino absorbs more water weight than generic wool(I'll have to test that out) using the same weight fabric. On the other hand, generic wools are loosely knit so air passes easily which I, personally, wouldn't want in a Balaclava.

There is a reason Merino has the price tag that it does. 1,000's (edit: 300ish) of years of breeding Merino sheep has made quite an impressive garment… just ask Roger Caffin, he'll tell you.

"1,000's of years of breeding Merino sheep has made quite an impressive garment… just ask Roger Caffin, he'll tell you."

Wow. I knew that Roger had been around for a long time, but thousands of years?

–B.G.–

>>>Wow. I knew that Roger had been around for a long time, but thousands of years?

Hah! Turns out I was wrong about Roger and his sheep. It's only been a few hundred years… I was a little in the moment with that statement!

Hi Bob

Oh yeah, I'm old…

At one stage in my career I had unlimited access to good wool fabrics. I still used synthetics which I had to pay for.

Cheers