Product: Merino 250 Top Base Layer 1/4 Zip Long Sleeve – Women’s
Price: $149.95
Store : MEC
Merino wool base layers come in different weights. The Merino 150 is meant for multiple activities, such as hiking and backpacking during the warmer seasons but also when it gets a bit cooler at night or when you’re in the mountains. The Merino 250 Top Base Layer, in this review, is one of the heaviest layers to wear. It’s slim fitting and meant for colder temperatures for outdoor activities such as cross-country skiing and downhill skiing. The Merino wool also comes in an Intraknit 200 thermal. The purpose of this base layer is for high intensity workouts in cooler to colder temperatures. When it’s extremely cold, the next level up is their heaviest layer, the Intraknit 250 thermal offering maximum warmth.
Table of Contents
Movability
The slim fitting Merino 250 Top Base Layer allows you to move comfortably. It never feels as though the top is pulling or inching its way up your arm away from your hand. It always seems to be in the same position with the end of the sleeve lining up with the end of the jacket. The top keeps you warm around the body by staying relatively stable without moving too far up or down. It doesn’t get bunched up with other layers. It stays contoured around the body nicely. While ice climbing, it won’t move a lot either, making it the perfect long sleeve top for that activity!
Warmth with Merino 250 Top Base Layer
The Merino 250 Top Base Layer has a turtle neck to help keep your neck warm. It can be seen caressing my neck in the picture above.
When heading out cross-country skiing, this Merino 250 Top Base Layer does the trick to keep you warm. The top extends over the pants with a nice snug fit as shown in the first picture above, preventing wind from accessing and cooling off your back! For a person like myself who has some sensitivities to touch, I dislike it when I can feel the zipper distracting me while cross-country skiing. You can’t feel the zipper on your chest if you put this top right against your skin, which is wonderful. No t-shirt or other layer is required underneath this base layer. It never feels like the air goes through the top even with cold high winds. It allows air circulation to keep your body at the right temperature without causing you to sweat and feel cold.
The purple Chaos Multi Tubular Headwear – Unisex around my neck, shown in the picture above is a great addition to keep warm while cross-country skiing. It adds an extra layer of protection to keep the wind away from your neck and cheeks. On warmer days, it can also be used a a headband or a light tuque, allowing a pony tail to stick out. Added bonus!
Material
Over the course of the cross-country ski trail, this base layer consistently had a cozy feeling next to my skin. It never felt itchy or uncomfortable. It’s made from 100% merino wool, which is a natural product, as merino sheep grow wool continuously. It features natural wicking so that it’s odour-resistant! Sometimes, you need to adjust layers and ensure movability for long strides, but not for this Merino 250 Top Base Layer. Once you put it on, you’re gone!
Sizes and Colours
The Merino 250 Top Base Layer comes in many different sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL) and colours. The one being showcased is Twilight Blue Heather. It can look more of a green colour, depending on the lighting.
Tip: Make sure to check out the colour of the top you want in a store. I’ve found that some colours online don’t match the colours in store. It can be misleading and disappointing, if you receive a different colour than you hoped.
The colours include black, grey, brown, blue, purple, pink, red, green and orange. They have lots of different colourful options, depending on what you prefer. Some tops offer a combination of colours. Go shopping and see what you like!
Versatility of the Smartwool Merino 250 Base Layer
This Merino 250 Top Base Layer can be used for many different cooler activities. When it’s colder weather outside, this base layer allows for warmth doing winter activities such as cross-country skiing, downhill skiing or even ice climbing. When the weather is warmer but still a bit cool, and you’d like to wear fewer layers, this can be a wonderful alternative when hiking.
Pros: Fits comfortably around the arms and the body. The Merino 250 Top Base Layer is long enough ensuring it doesn’t rise and cool off your back. It offers many different sizes and colours. It’s wonderful for colder temperatures. It’s odour-resistant and so cozy!
Cons: It can be a snug fit for some people and might not fit comfortably. There might not be enough colour selection to please everyone. The cost might be prohibitive for some people.
Best for: colder winter activities such as cross-country skiing, downhill skiing or ice climbing.
I hope this overview gives you an idea of what to expect from the Merino 250 Top Base Layer. It’s an extremely good quality warm long sleeve top to suit your needs for cold weather activities. When climbing and putting your arms up higher than the rest of your body, you won’t risk getting a cold back because of it being such a long top covering down to your butt. Go shopping and get outside with this wonderful long sleeve top!
This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through my links, I might receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend companies and products that I’ve used and tested myself. If you’d like to support me, I’d greatly appreciate it! It will help pay for the costs to run my website.
Leave a Reply