Is a T-Shirt Worth $60?

The answer to the question posed in the title of this post is most definitely "Yes" if the t-shirt in question is made from merino wool.  This is a companion post of sorts to the previous product review we did on an Outlier merino wool t-shirt.

When I was in Portland back in November I happened upon an icebreaker store.  icebreaker sells a full line of merino wool products and I decided to triple the size of my merino wool wardrobe.  I purchased two shirts - a Tech T Lite 150 and a Body fit 200 Contour Crewe.  My total bill came to $120.

While to some this might seem a bit outrageous for two t-shirts, I overcame the sticker shock because I knew what I was a getting - a high performance product that I would enjoy wearing each and every day.  Owning merino wool has greatly reduced the amount of laundry I need to do as they are very odor resistent and when you do wash the shirts they will hang dry in just a few hours.  

Here is a shot of the shirts which show the label along with special "Baacodes"  that are sewed inside near the bottom of the shirts. 

You can enter the Baacode on the icebreaker web site to trace your shirt back to where the wool was harvested.  Here is what popped up when I entered my code: 

I have particularly liked my Contour Crewe.  I normally purchase large t-shirts and wear them a bit loose, however the point of the Contour Crewe is to maintain heat in cold temperatures so I purchased a medium to get the form fitting base layer effect.  The 200 weight makes it warmer than the lighter 150 line and it is gussetted for form fitting goodness. 

The one thing that furls my brow is that I paid the same price for both shirts.  This seems odd considering that the Contour Crew is thicker and more complex in terms of construction as compared to the lighter less complex Tech T Lite.  I will not claim to understand the economics of clothing sales. 

It sounds strange to look forward to wearing a t-shirt, but I do look forward to wearing this shirt on my winter commutes. Purchasing a merino wool product fits the expresssion  "You get what you pay for" perfectly in my opinion. 

Comments

[SuYin Khoo]

We love our Icebreaker in this household! The best thing is how it doesn't get smelly even if you don't wash it for a long time

[twofeetofsnow]

1 - Depends on who is wearing it

2 - Depends on whether-or-not it's wet!

[look good naked]

This was really an impressive T shirt, definitely check it out, I just love this one, I think that it's longer length provides added coverage.

[IanF]

I'm a huge fan of Merino wool, I have several long-sleeved t-shirts made from it and I wear them often.

Recently I've discovered bamboo base-layers too. They have similar smell-resistant properties, they're similarly comfortable and bamboo is a very sustainable resource. But best of all they're considerably cheaper than Merino!

[Dave C]

I wear Merino wool exclusively as I travel around the world. I can't recommend such a better product for keeping you warm,cool, and stink free.

For the record, 37 days so far is how long I've worn one shirt. Dave - www.tiredofit.ca

[McAngryPants]

Yes. I wear merino wool tshirts (from both Icebreaker and Smartwool) as my base layer for my daily bicycle commute. warm in the winter...cool(ish) in the summer. and can wear a single shirt all week and not stink! yeah!!

Icebreaker stores often have 50% off sales. I grab whatever ugly tshirt I can find in my size and wear crap out of them. My latest use is I use a long sleeve , loose fitting shirt as the top of PJ's.