In a world of high-tech hunting fabrics that can breathe, wick and shed water, sometimes tradition succeeds. Humans transitioned to woven wool as far back as 10,000 BCE. Turns out that those Mesolithic hunter-gatherers were onto something. Twelve millennia later, wool remains one of the most effective fibers for keeping us warm and dry.
Yet many of us imagine that wool next to our skin could be itchy, hot and smelly. I decided to find out by testing four lightweight, long-sleeve, merino wool underlayers—subjecting them to conditions mimicking a wide range of hunting conditions. I wore each shirt at least 10 days in temperatures ranging from 72°F to -19°F. I chose lightweight shirts, as I wanted to see how dynamic they would be for big temperature and moisture swings, and I wore them on the treadmill, on the rowing machine and beneath three layers while plowing snow on my unprotected Kubota. In fact, for 40-plus days—much to my wife’s chagrin—I wore these merino wool shirts. And I can honestly say that they’re as soft and as comfortable as any shirts I’ve ever worn.
FIRST LITE WICK LS CREW
First Lite gets tons of press, thanks to parent company MeatEater’s media universe—and this made me cautious of possible hype. I also know that First Lite earned its stripes with merino wool. I will say the hype is justified. The Wick LS Crew’s 150-gram Aerowool is very soft, and the shirt’s seams are carefully stitched and perfectly flat. In addition, there are lighter-weight, 125-gram mesh panels that improve ventilation and ease of movement. This shirt is a little heavier and longer than the others, which makes it well suited for colder temps. The sleeves have thumb loops, which I found handy when pulling on overlayers. This shirt also was generously sized, making it a bit larger than the others. (Next time I’d probably drop down a size.) First Lite offers a remarkable nine colors and patterns. My one complaint was that the Conifer-colored shirt I tested (shown) had a small Blaze Orange logo on the chest, which was a little too obvious for me.
Fabric composition: 65% merino wool, 33% nylon, 2% spandex.
Sizes: S through 2XL.
Weight: 8 oz.
Price: $100.
First Lite, firstlite.com.
PYKE MERINO LONG SLEEVE SHIRT
I’m a big fan of Pyke. The Michigan-based company is deeply dedicated to wingshooters, and brand creator Brent Pike produces purpose-built hunting clothing and offers great customer service. The 140-gram Merino Long Sleeve Shirt is basic, practical and straightforward. Pyke doesn’t offer the abundance of patterns and hues that some other manufacturers do, instead offering only two solid colors: Granite Gray and Ranger Green/Coyote (shown). In comparison to some of the others, the Pyke shirt had a bit of “scratch” to it. Threads on one of the seams unraveled a bit, and the wool-to-polyester blend held some smells that the others didn’t.
Fabric composition: 65% merino wool, 35% recycled polyester.
Sizes: S through 2XL.
Weight: 6.5 oz.
Price: $90.
Pyke Gear, pykegear.com.
SITKA CORE MERINO 120 LS CREW
Sitka’s Core Merino 120 LS Crew is a premium shirt, featuring a proprietary 17.5-micron ArmorSpun merino wool fabric that promises extra durability. At 120 grams, it is ideal for warmer weather or when you exert yourself and generate a lot of heat. I put this shirt through the wringer, and it delivered in every way. I even wore it at the gym under a heavier Sitka Core Merino 220 Half-Zip shirt, and it wicked beautifully without any itch or smell. It has a comfortable cut and accurate fit, and the raglan sleeves are equipped with thumbholes. It also is available in six colors and patterns (Pyrite shown). Truth be told, it was hard keeping this shirt out of the top spot, but I ended up going with the First Lite because of its creative and effective stitching patterns and panels—and lower price.
Fabric composition: 85% merino wool, 15% nylon.
Sizes: M through 3XL.
Weight: 6.1 oz.
Price: $119.
Sitka, sitkagear.com.
KUIU ULTRA MERINO 120 LT LS CREW-T
KUIU is one of a handful of companies that uses Nuyarn, a 120-gram performance-based wool from New Zealand. A couple of years ago I reviewed some KUIU socks that used the same wool fiber, and they performed exceptionally well. The company says the wool uses a thicker nylon-yarn core, “creating higher dimensional stability, improved regain and added durability.” The ULTRA Merino 120 LT LS Crew-T comes in seven colors and patterns (Ash shown), and it is the only shirt in the group that offers 50+ UPF sun protection. KUIU refers to the stitching as flat-lock style with “optimized shoulder seams” for comfort under shoulder straps. The shirt was accurately sized, but the lack of thumbholes gave a slight advantage to the First Lite and Sitka offerings.
Fabric composition: 70% merino wool, 30% nylon.
Sizes: S through 3XL.
Weight: 5.8 oz.
Price: $89.
KUIU, kuiu.com.
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