Woolly Clothing Review: Affordable Merino Wool??

Disclaimer: The team at Woolly sent me samples to review; however, all opinions are my own.

Summary

Woolly Clothing offers high-quality merino for a better price than most other retailers. And if you’re looking for Merino options for women, there isn’t a better option.

It’s pretty well-documented now that I like Merino wool. Some would say that it’s a little overrated and doesn’t quite justify the cost. But for me, the purported benefits of Merino wool have actually held up in use – at least anecdotally.

So when I got the chance to try out Woolly Clothing, another company offering high-quality Merino clothing, I was more than happy to try them out.

The team from Woolly sent a henley and a women’s romper. If you have searched for Merino wool clothes, you may have noticed a lack of decent women’s options. Or at least women’s options that don’t look too “sporty.” Most of the time, you’ll find choices from Ibex or Smartwool. Still, these are typically geared toward baselayer and outdoor activities, not everyday casual wear.

For now, I’m going to look at the henley, but I’ll update this with Steph’s perspective soon.

About Woolly

A word about the team over at Woolly. When joining an affiliate program, it’s usually a pretty uneventful affair. Many publishers are part of these affiliate programs, so there’s generally not much fanfare.

But after a few months, I got an email from the Woolly team asking if we could hop on the phone and chat. Even though they’ve been around for a bit, they are pretty new to the affiliate game, so it sounded like they just wanted to meet me and see what’s worked well for me before.

I’ve never had an affiliate reach out like that before because it’s an affiliate relationship – they are typically solely transactional.

But Woolly went out of their way to introduce themselves and see what I’m about. It showed me that they’re trying to be different and intentional with what they’re doing – which I can only assume will translate to the clothes.

First impressions

Right away, the fabric felt slightly different from the other two Merino brands I own, and it felt a bit burlier but still soft.

A quick aside…

Wool (and other fibers) are often measured in units called microns; the smaller the number, the more delicate/softer the fabric will be.

The henley I got from Woolly comes in at 18.5 microns. For additional reference, the Proof 72-Hour Tee and Unbound Merino tees are 16.5 and 17.5, respectively.

So given those numbers, one would assume the henley from Woolly Clothing wouldn’t be as soft as the others. But I didn’t find that to be the case at all; in fact, you could argue it was even softer than the ones from Unbound Merino.

And sometimes, with finer fabrics, they feel a bit more delicate…like you should wear it sparingly, so it doesn’t wear out. But I don’t really have that same concern with those from Woolly. Fine enough to be soft and not scratchy, but burly enough to not worry about thrashing it around a bit.

Fit

With most Merino clothes, I’ve found fit to be a bit of a challenge. I wear a size large, and for some reason, most Merino t-shirts are too tight – arms, neck, torso, everywhere.

The henley from Woolly wasn’t too tight at all, though.

Performance

I took this, as well as other merino shirts, on a one-bag trip around the world. At the time of writing this, the shirt from Woolly clothing has withstood two weeks of pretty regular use. Even after multiple days, no smells – precisely what you’d expect from good Merino wool.

It’s a little too premature to say for sure over an extended period, but I’ll update this post with more details after another month or so of use.

Conclusions

I like the henley from Woolly Clothing – it’s soft, rugged, and fits better than most Merino t-shirts. And maybe most notably, it costs less than most Merino shirts.

Cost is a significant factor for people looking at Merino clothes…when talking about upwards of $80 for a t-shirt, people tend to get pretty skeptical about the benefits. And rightfully so – often, you don’t need to drop that much cash.

But most of the items from Woolly are markedly cheaper than some of the other options, and you won’t be sacrificing quality. To be clear, when I say more affordable, we’re still talking about $60-70.

Despite the costs, the benefits of Merino are still worth it, especially for avid travelers. So If you’re looking for everyday Merino wool options, both men and women, look at Woolly clothing.