Options for a Hooded merino long sleeve shirt

Ibex has their Hooded Indie (195g/m2) on sale right now ($79 @ Ibex.com vs. $115). They also have the Woolies line at 150g/m2 but I'm not sure if there's a hooded option.

Thanks Dan – I will head over to Ibex right now.

What size?

XL

How about the MH Integral Pro Hoodie? http://www.mountainhardwear.com/mens-integral-pro-long-sleeve-hoodie-OM5558.html

Just another option if you're interested in a merino blend (60/40). I own a Patagonia Merino 2 Zip Neck, but I prefer the feel and relatively loose fit of the Integral Pro w/hood. I have the XL and it weighs in at a smidge over 8oz.

Matt

When Backcountry absorbed RealCyclist.com and HuckNRoll.com into CompetitiveCyclist.com, the in-house brand, Cutter, moved as well. They used to make a 200wt merino hoodie that had a bit of a dress-shirt-style hem on it – longer in front and back. No zipper, but still a great piece if you can find one.

Love my Ibex Indie Hoodies. Most versatile merino pieces I own. I got one on sale at Ibex and another in the REI Gear Garage. Use them for hiking, biking, running and skiing. Icebreaker and Smartwool have some merino hoodies but I find their stuff fits too tight. I think Ibex nailed the cut of the Indie.

Spanish cottage option:

The Merino Cabietos Hoody. 212gr. (7.5oz) for a Medium (size one up for USA sizing) 170gr/m2 Merino.
I have the Zilindro Hoody, synthetic version with Schoeller Eschler E1 fabric and I really like the design. Very deep zip, good hoody, strong thumb loops.

http://astucas.com/en/clothing/cabietos-hoody

A super light/thin base layer merino hoody is sorely missing from the market. From what I can tell that integral from MH is one of the lighter/thinner options, and good to know its only 8 oz in an XL. A thin wool baselayer will dry/wick significantly quicker than a thick one, which for me makes it a better choice for all seasons. The role of a baselayer is to help create a good microclimate, not to insulate. If I'm above treeline in the summer, I like the sun protection a hoody offers, I can put it over or under my running visor and it usually doesn't get too hot with room for air flow. I met the product manager for smartwool the other day, and after chatting for a bit he was curious to get input. I said that a light wool hoody is one of the most useful technical pieces, and no one makes one. He said they just don't sell enough of them because the non-core outdoorsy crowd is not as interested. So basically, we just have to wait for thin long sleeve hoodies to be in style. IMO a Rab Meco 120 hoody would be just about ideal year round (when I'm not wearing polartec high efficiency).

Edit: backcountry has the integral on sale %25 off. Just ordered a M with additional activejunky discount. Hope it works out.

del

Yeah, i'm not sure if I know of any truly fast drying wool, but the meco 120 comes close. If I get any shirt really wet in winter, I gotta change out of it, but the thinner airier weaves of wool (like my I/O bio & the old pat wool) seem to do a better job wicking moderate moisture away from my skin. I'll post back about the MH. Its expensive, so I'm probably not gonna keep it unless its actually what I'm looking for.

Aclima makes a 140 gram hoodie, but it's not a zip, if that matters.

I think I might try the Mountain hardware integral, id need to try it on. Seems pretty good, wish there was more reviews though.

Just a few impressions of the integral out of the package. I think its just thin enough for most rocky mountain summer backpacking. My size M was 7.5 oz, the same weight as my beloved (size L) I/O bio contact hoody. Just from holding it up to the light it looks a little more densely woven. I'm betting more durable, but a little warmer/less breathable. My I/O is a little warm for hot summer days, and the dark gray makes it hotter under the sun, so I was looking for a lighter colored and thinner hoody that would work well even on those hotter days.
Out of the package, I'd definitely recommend this as a backpacking piece, but it didn't offer any real advantage over my I/O, so I'm returning it. The other thing, which I think makes I/O wool better than any other I've tried, is that the weave is sort of loose and open, and it uses %4 elastin. I immediately noticed with the slightly tight MH integral that it was restricting my motion a little bit, and it didn't have that nice stretchy quality to it. Not sure what I/O has done with the contact hoody, or whats even going on with them as a company, but so far thats still the best I've tried.

Before getting injured this winter, I was also succeeding at spending a good number of days sheathed in my black I/O bio ninja suit, which I would hole heartedly recommended as both a winter base layer and go to stealth ninja attire.