Enjoying a little après ski in my fashionable Icebreaker jacket
There are two givens in adventure travel when it comes to clothes. You will smell and if it is cold, the clothes will be heavy and bulky. Icebreaker merino wool is out to revolutionize adventure travel clothing.
Excited to hit the slopes with my Icebreaker merino wool jacket
It should come as no surprise that one of the top countries for adventure travel is out to change this. Merino wool from New Zealand uses a special layering learned from nature to keep travelers warm in the winter time, cool in the summer time, and the kicker is it is odor free. I am not exactly how it works, but since New Zealand is home to the Lord of the Rings, I somehow think the elves from Rivendell are somehow involved.
How many times have you laid in a tent or sat in a car on the way home from a hiking trip and wondered “what smells?” It does not take you long to realize that the layer of grime, sweat, smoke, and dirt that covers your body is where it is coming from. This grime seeps into cotton clothes and festers. It only gets worse when you open your backpack and the wall of funk comes from hiking clothes sealed inside the pack.
The breathable fleece from the Icebreaker merino wool fabric somehow magically evades this adventure travel smell conundrum. People will still get smelly and sweaty when adventure traveling, but the porous nature of the breathable fabric allows the sweat and grime to escape instead of encasing it in your body like a reeking Dutch oven.
Thanks to the carbon neutral Nature Shop, a company dedicated to playing a role in a sustainable future, I was able to try a couple of products from Icebreaker, and I am addicted. I have been using an awesome lightweight jacket and a pair of socks for a couple of weeks now.
I have been wearing the jacket constantly outside since I got it. It is sleek, warm, and most importantly light. I had my first chance to use it adventure traveling this week skiing at the Trollhaugen Ski Area and they did not disappoint. I cannot wait to use it hiking. Most of my fleece jackets are bulky and heavy, so I am excited to shed a few pounds and have some more room in my backpack.
A comfortable warm jacket, but heavy and bulky. It will never see another hiking trip
Another benefit of this jacket is it is not Northface. I have a few Northface products and they are first rate, but I almost feel like I am part of some occult as so many people from soccer moms to teeny boppers have to have that little logo on their jacket. Wear an equally fashionable piece of clothing which is environmentally friendly and different than the masses. Nature shop has a 50% off clearance on Icebreaker right now, so check them out.
The casing on the pair of socks states: “try these socks for 30 days: you’ll love them, or your money back.” I decided I would wear them not only for 30 days, but for 30 straight days without washing. On December 7th, a new day that will live in infamy, I started wearing these socks, and I have not worn another pair since, nor have I washed these.
Me in my Icebreakers after a run in the Chicago winter
I have taken them off while sleeping, showering, and sometimes lounging at home, but I will not wear another sock until January 7th. I jog four miles a day three to four times a week, plus I will have cross-country skied, and downhill skied during this time, so they will be put to a stiff sweaty test. They will even be worn at Christmas gatherings. Happy holidays Mom!
Thanks to the Traveling Ted smell my socks challenge inside the hamper are my socks I am washing this week: sustainability in action.
On January 7th, I will take off my socks and smell them. It will be the Traveling Ted smell my socks challenge. Perhaps I will invite others to take the test. I can take pictures of them smelling my socks and then ask them their opinion of the smell. On second thought, that is not such a great idea, but regardless, I will post on January 7th my findings from the Traveling Ted smell my socks challenge.
Stay tuned,
TT
The goal of Traveling Ted TV is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips on where and how to go. If you liked this post then enter your email in the box to get email notifications for each new entry. Daily travel photos are excluded from your email in order to not flood you with posts. There is no spam and email information will not be shared. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above).
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I have couple Icebreaker clothes and love it.
Vi recently posted..Best new iPad for travellers
I would definitely be willing to try these. What temps can these jackets take? When I am hiking or doing my College Football Travel Tour, I always have to take by bulky, but warm, Burton coat. It definitely does the trick but hate how big it is.
The socks are the biggest thing for me. I am curious how your test goes. I need something warm for my feet as that is the part that is the hardest to keep warm. The rest of me is fine but I want to know if these are really good. I know you are doing the smell test now but how warm do they keep your feet?
Jeremy Branham recently posted..Stress free holiday travel tips
Hey Jeremy,
The key with the merino wool products as far as warmth goes is layering. I would feel comfortable in the jacket down to 35 degrees. Below that you would need more layers underneath. Icebreaker has long sleeve shirts and other jackets that you can use in tandem. A couple of these layers are still considerably less bulk than an old school jacket.
Same goes with the socks. Get two pair and double up when it is cold. So far they seem pretty warm, but I have yet to test them in really cold weather.
Tried to buy some of the socks but they were sold out of them in my size for the holiday sale.
Jeremy Branham recently posted..Travel gear review: Guerrilla Packs Airporter backpack
Other retailers sell the Icebreaker Merino wool socks. You can try directly from the Icebreaker site or google it to find others.
Perfect for your lifestyle. My LL Bean silk long underwear is all I need!
They have base layers too for cooler weather.
Vi recently posted..Christchurch struck by earthquake again
I’m really curious how the test went now. Even antibacterial items seem to break down after and the one’s I’ve had, it’s been far under a year.
Grrrl Traveler |Christine recently posted..Getting a PADI certification in Thailand
Really great info! I’m hiking my way through South America for the next 3 months and this would probably be great for Patagonia!
This material would do well anywhere except where it is too hot to even need. I will have to check out your journey in your blog.
hmmmm smell of your socks after the adventure. That should be cute, anyways nice to remember all your adventures. Thanks for post.
Would like to have some vacaion like this in the near future. Thanks for info it is really nice to read something like this.