Breathability and Moisture Management Merino wool breathes and manages moisture better than any other fibre. Breathability is the ability of a fabric or fibre to transport moisture in the vapour state from an area of higher humidity to an area of lower humidity. In other words, the more breathable a product is the better it is at removing moisture from the micro climate (the space between your skin and the garment). As your body heats up, the moisture vapours will be absorbed by the wool fibre, and released to the drier environment outside of the fabric; releasing heat and keeping the wearer dry and comfortable. A Merino fibre can absorb and retain up to 35% of its own weight in moisture and still feel dry to the touch. Natural Heating and Cooling Wool often has the stereotype of only being good in the cold. You can credit all the woolly sweaters and scarves you wear in winter, but wool truly is a 4 season fibre. Think of a sheep. When they get a bit chilly, they don’t head to the closet and grab another layer. When they get warm they don’t throw on a cotton t-shirt. They only get one shot at it and Mother Nature has given them the perfect clothing to keep them comfortable year round in all kinds of conditions. Warming Wool has a natural crimp to it that helps it trap more dead air than any other fibre. Dead air is a fantastic insulator and provides a great buffer against the cold. Plus, wool fibres do such a good job of moving moisture away from the skin that even if the fabric is soaking wet the surface area of your skin will remain dry. Merino fibres and fabrics can absorb up to 35% of their dry weight before feeling wet. Most synthetics feel wet after they absorb less than 7%. Cooling Wool has the ability to store moisture within the structure of the fibre. As your body warms up, the moisture stored within the fibre will begin to evaporate, cooling the air between your skin and the fabric. The warmer you get the more evaporation takes place and the larger the cooling effect Wicking Wonders You know how wool moves moisture vapour before it turns to sweat. But, what happens when we perspire faster than the vapour can be transported? At this point, wool will move liquid mechanically, just like synthetics do. Both synthetics and wool have the ability to wick, but only wool has the ability to wick away moisture in its vapour state. Strength and Resilience A wool fibre is a complex structure that, believe it or not, behaves remarkably similar to our skin; naturally cooling and heating as the body needs. Predominantly made of interlocking protein molecules known as keratin, the same protein present in our own skin and hair, individual wool fibres have the ability to be bent, flexed and stretched in any direction 30,000 times or more without damage. Now that’s one strong fibre! In addition, wool fibres have a natural curl called the “fibre crimp” which improves the elasticity and over all resilience of the fibre. Odour Resistance Because of wool’s ability to effectively manage moisture, odour-causing bacteria don’t have the moist environment they need to thrive. You can wear wool during intense activity and over extended periods of time without having to worry about odour. Ditch the Itch Wool is infamous for being an itchy fabric. Merino wool however, is a different story. The “itchiness” people associate with wool is determined by the diameter of the fibres used. Larger, broader fibres are less flexible and have less ability to bend, which results in a prick when pressed against the skin, causing the sensation of itch. Merino wool is able to ditch the itch thanks to its fibre's smaller diameter, or being “finer”. These fibres are more flexible and softly bend when pressed against the skin and, therefore, don’t itch like other wool. These finer fibres also enhance wool’s elastic nature, making garments made with Merino wool more able to conform to the shape of the body they’re on, enhancing the garment’s performance and the wearer’s comfort. ​Quick Drying The drying time of a fabric is controlled by two factors: 1) the amount of liquid moisture held between the fibre matrix when it starts to dry and 2) the humidity and temperature of the surrounding atmosphere. Generally, the thicker the fabric, the more moisture it’s able to retain and the longer it takes to dry. Our fine-spun Merino wool fabrics dry as quickly as any performance synthetic fabric of comparable weight.​ Naturally Static Resistant Wool’s ability to retain moisture is also responsible for its static resistance. The retention of moisture within the fibre prevents a build-up of static electricity and the spark or “cling” associated with it.This feature is especially important in safety areas where it’s necessary to prevent sparking. merino wool clothing outdoor clothing merino t-shirt merino wool tshirt merino wool t-shirt merino t-shirts, merino wool t shirt, merino thermals, merino underwear, merino shirts, merino wool shirt, wool t shirt, 100 merino wool