Merino Wool
Merino is fine wool from Merino sheep, with a fibre diameter low enough to feel soft against skin, unlike coarse traditional wool.
Its practical advantage for travel is odour resistance: a merino t-shirt stays wearable for several days, which directly reduces how many shirts you carry. Its weaknesses are slow drying and lower durability.
Micron, and why wool used to itch
Micron measures fibre diameter. Around 17 to 18.5 micron is comfortable against most skin; above about 21 micron people start to feel prickle. The old objection that wool is itchy is almost always about coarse wool rather than merino.
Weight
Merino is sold by GSM. 150 to 200 GSM is the general travel range, 120 to 150 for hot weather, and 200 to 260 for cold. See GSM for the full bands.
Blends usually win for travel
Adding around 15 percent nylon substantially improves abrasion resistance, which is pure merino's main weakness, while keeping most of the odour resistance. Blends also cost less. For anyone carrying a rucksack, where straps wear thin merino through, a blend is normally the better buy.
Care
Wash cool with a wool-safe detergent, no softener, no bleach, no tumble drying, and dry flat rather than hanging, since wet wool stretches. Store clean, because moths are drawn to body oils rather than to the wool itself.
Related terms
- Merino vs synthetic base layers: the full comparison
- GSM: fabric weight bands
- How to dry clothes while travelling: merino's main weakness in practice
- Glossary: all terms