Merino underwear

Merino underwear – nature you can wear!

What exactly is merino wool?

Merino wool is one of the highest-quality types of wool available and a popular fabric for functional clothing. It is obtained from the Merino sheep, which originally came from the high plateaus of the North African Atlas Mountains. There, the animals are exposed to sometimes harsh conditions and must withstand temperature fluctuations between -20°C and +35°C within a single day.

Because these extreme weather conditions demand a lot from Merino sheep, they have increasingly adapted to their habitat over the course of evolution. Their wool has a cooling effect at high temperatures, while at very low night-time temperatures it protects against bitter cold. Humans have been taking advantage of this property since the 18th century, when people began exporting the animals and their wool.

Today, merino sheep are found not only in the Atlas Mountains but also on the high plateaus of South America and in New Zealand. Their wool is considered one of the most popular performance fabrics on the market and inspires numerous outdoor enthusiasts on their adventures. We’ll now take a closer look at what exactly makes merino wool so special.

 

What makes Merino underwear so special!

• - Warms on cold days
• - cools on warm days
• - extremely moisture regulating
• - optimal climate exchange
• - Odor-neutral and antibacterial
• - flame-retardant
• - natural UVA and UVB protection

 

The list of advantages is long. Merino wool is a true traditional material that has now become a firm fixture in the outdoor market! Its crimped structure creates tiny air pockets in the fleece, which prevent energy exchange.

This property enables the Merino sheep to withstand temperature fluctuations within a very short time: while the wool acts as insulation on cold days, it also ensures a pleasant body climate and good air circulation on warm days. Against this background, Merino underwear can be worn all year round, so you’re optimally prepared for any weather with your clothing!

Another plus point of Merino wool is that it can absorb up to 30% of its own weight in moisture without feeling wet. For this reason, Merino socks and similar garments are ideal companions for sweat-inducing activities, as they wick excess heat and sweat to the outside. Products made from Merino wool are popular for good reason, especially for outdoor activities! Their functionality impresses all year round on demanding tours and ensures an optimal body climate in every situation!

Merino underwear also scores with its odour neutrality, which has proven itself especially on multi-day tours. It is naturally antibacterial and prevents the formation of odour-causing microbes. So if you don’t have the opportunity to wash your clothing on a longer tour, you don’t have to worry about unpleasant smells with your merino socks and the like! Simply airing them out for a few hours is enough to make your merino underwear smell fresh again.

In addition, merino wool’s unique structure gives it a flame-retardant effect. Unlike synthetic fibers, merino wool does not melt and thus prevents burns on the skin.

But that’s by no means all of the great features: in addition, merino wool naturally offers UVA and UVB protection. Thanks to its natural sun protection factor of 50, your skin is also optimally protected against harmful UV radiation.

As you can see, the list of advantages is long. It’s no coincidence that merino underwear is said to be the best companion for many outdoor enthusiasts and soldiers. To ensure you’re optimally protected on duty and on your tours, we’ve added plenty of merino products to our range for you. Browse our online shop now and see for yourself the outstanding functionality of this hard-wearing natural fiber!

 

Spoilt for choice – functional merino underwear from the pros!

It’s been a long time since the outstanding properties of merino wool were first discovered. Since then, this renewable raw material has become indispensable in the textile industry and is a highly sought-after resource for durable functional underwear. As we at ASMC are constantly on the lookout for first-class gear for you, we have of course added plenty of merino underwear to our range. Here you can choose from our top brands such as Icebreaker, Woolpower and Aclima. All of them are experts in their field and know how to impress demanding users with high-quality merino socks and more.

The Swedish company Woolpower has been active in this field since 1969 and knows exactly what matters. The manufacturer’s merino underwear is also worn by the military, among others, and protects soldiers from wind and weather. In the range you’ll find not only base layers but also several mid-layer jackets that keep you optimally warm even in bitter cold. A special highlight are the manufacturer’s 800-gram merino socks, which are among the thickest and warmest socks on the market. With them you are optimally equipped even for extreme sub-zero temperatures, so nothing stands in the way of your outdoor adventure.

Icebreaker is also a very popular manufacturer of merino underwear and a true pioneer in its field! The company from Wellington, New Zealand has been inspiring countless outdoor enthusiasts on their tours since 1995. Here too, alongside base and mid layers you’ll find several merino socks in the range that will win you over with their functionality and thermal performance. Icebreaker products are a real treat especially for women: while Aclima and Woolpower mainly produce unisex clothing, the Icebreaker range also includes merino underwear tailored specifically to women :-)

The last brand in the group that we absolutely have to introduce to you is our newcomer Aclima. The brand is still relatively new to our range, but it is in no way inferior to its competitors in terms of quality or functionality! Aclima is a real heavyweight in the industry and has been impressing its customers for over 90 years with high-quality merino underwear. As with Icebreaker and Woolpower, you’ll also find plenty of base layers and mid layers here that will keep you pleasantly warm at work and in your free time. To ensure you enjoy your merino underwear for a long time, you’ll also find a wool detergent in our Aclima brand shop. With it, you can gently wash your merino underwear and preserve the structure of this unique natural fiber.

Incidentally, all products from these three manufacturers are made from mulesing-free wool. With this, the brands Icebreaker, Woolpower and Aclima are sending a positive signal for responsible treatment of animals.

 

The trend towards blended fabrics – Merino underwear at its best!

Merino wool is a very high-quality and popular outdoor fabric that offers many advantages for the user. However, as with any raw material, there are also a few drawbacks that we don’t want to keep from you.

On the one hand, pure Merino underwear, for example, is not particularly soft in structure. To ensure the products still feel pleasantly soft on the skin, the trend is now moving toward blended fabrics. By adding synthetic fibers such as polyamide or polyester, many manufacturers now combine the outstanding functionality of Merino wool with the comfortable wearing properties of synthetic fibers.

Another small disadvantage of pure merino wool is that it is not as hard-wearing as functional underwear made from synthetic fabrics. Here too, the robust properties of synthetic fibers can be optimally combined with the natural raw material to maximize the durability of merino underwear.

These blended fabrics have proven themselves over many years and form the ideal basis for reliable weather protection. The manufacturers in our range can thus get the best out of their products and offer you first-class merino underwear.

 

Questions: Merino underwear

Why does merino underwear keep you warm in winter and cool in summer? 

The reason merino underwear can be worn all year round lies in the unique crimped structure of the fleece. This creates so-called air chambers that prevent energy exchange. The insulating effect of this intermediate layer prevents cold from penetrating and you from cooling down. Conversely, heat is also kept out. In this case, the air chambers in the wool also insulate to the outside and additionally transport excess heat away.

 

Why does merino wool keep you warm even when damp?

Merino wool is capable of absorbing up to 30% of its own weight in moisture without feeling wet. This is because merino underwear generates warmth even when damp. 

The so-called absorption heat is generated by an exothermic process in which the water molecules collide with those of the merino fibre. This process ultimately leads to a rise in temperature that keeps your body climate at a comfortable level. 

This advantage makes merino wool the ideal raw material for outdoor clothing. Thanks to its exothermic reaction to water molecules, it also withstands light rain and ensures that you always feel completely comfortable. This property also benefits you during sporting activities! Sweat is converted into energy, which provides pleasant warmth.

If you do get too warm, you benefit from another positive property of merino wool: the fact that it transports excess heat to the outside also helps you maintain a comfortable body temperature over the long term.

 

How do you clean your merino underwear properly?

Here we recommend using a special wool detergent. This protects the delicate fibers in your merino underwear and treats the material gently.

As a general rule, we recommend that you don’t wash your Merino underwear too often! One major advantage of this natural fiber is its self-cleaning effect. Merino wool prevents the formation of odor-causing microbes and helps to avoid unpleasant smells even after being worn several times.

To do this, simply hang your merino underwear out in the fresh air for a few hours and let it air out. Afterwards you’ll notice that your merino socks and the like smell fresh again and you no longer have to worry about unpleasant odors!