How long can you actually wear merino wool before it starts to get stinky? I decided to find out (with the help of a brave coworker)
You’ve probably heard that merino wool is “naturally odor resistant.” I have as well, and that’s why I personally own a lot of it. I know that it has lanolin in it, which is naturally anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. What I don’t know, is just how long I could actually wear merino wool for. A brave coworker volunteered to be the “smell tester” in an experiment I wanted to do…
I wore an Icebreaker merino wool t shirt until my coworker started to notice that it was, well, a little off.Â
It took ten days before the shirt started to accumulate any odor. This surprised me because my activities included kayaking, biking, hiking and even a three hour band practice in an awfully hot room. The Icebreaker T Shirt held up! Quite impressive I have to say. I would have guessed 3-4 days tops.
In my experience there isn’t any other fabric that can last beyond two days – especially synthetics. I’m not saying that fancy synthetic wicking shirts don’t have their place – they do. But they get funky…fast. If you’re looking for something that will hold up for as long as possible out on the trail take a gander at the Icebreaker line.
