- If you've been keeping up with this channel at all
you've probably seen me wear this shirt
for the past couple of videos. And since late September
I've worn it over 30 times without washing it.
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Merino Wool is great for travel
due to its natural anti-microbial and anti-stink properties
that are built right into the fabric.
Also, its quick-dry if you need to wash it
while you're on the road.
So, what's the difference between the Merino Wool
V-Neck from Wool & Prince that I have here
compared to other tees on the market?
Let's jump in and find out.
[upbeat music playing]
Kicking it right off with the color -
this is the Silver Birch, and Wool & Prince
offers a bunch of different colors
and varieties on their website.
We typically recommend selecting a darker color for travel
because dirt and stains don't show up
as pronounced in those darker colors,
and you can kind of get more wears out of them
between washes; even more so with Merino Wool.
However, we wanted to switch it up a little bit
and try for a bit of a lighter color this time.
I actually spilled a little bit of tomato sauce
on this thing 'cause I'm a bit of a clumsy eater -
especially when the food is super delicious -
however I just rinsed it off.
It was pink for a couple of days and then it sort of
dissipated and disappeared with more wears.
And again, I have not given this thing
a full wash since I received it.
Aesthetically, it pretty much looks like a normal t-shirt.
I'm six foot two and 185 pounds and overall I like the fit.
It does seem to fit a little bit larger than true to size,
so just note that if you end up picking one of these up.
Plus, I dig that the cut of the shirt
is a little bit longer; it works well on my taller frame.
The feel of this and the material that comes together
is where we start to get to that differentiation
when compared to other Merino Wool t-shirts on the market.
The GSM is pretty much average - right around 160 -
and this is pretty much going to contribute
to the thickness feel of the t-shirt.
It's 78% Merino and 22% nylon.
Thin nylon filaments are wrapped
directly around the Merino Wool
and this creates a little bit more of a durable fabric
when compared to 100% Merino Wool.
Plus, you still have that natural stretchiness
of Merino Wool and that nylon around it
gives it a little bit of structure
and holds it together as well.
Overall, I think it feels better.
It feels a little bit tighter
than a 100% Merino Wool t-shirt.
There is less pilling going on
and it's a little bit smoother to the touch.
It's a little bit hard to describe with words -
I wish I could just hand this to you through the screen
right now and you could feel it for yourself.
Some will say since this isn't 100% Merino Wool
there is more room for this thing to stink with less wears;
however, in actual usage I have not
found that to be the case.
And personally I would take additional durability
from the nylon any day.
Also just wanted to have a quick aside here
about the Outlier Dreamweight tee
that we have recently been testing.
I think it was a prototype and it's not in stock
on their website at the moment.
But that thing is super light at 110 GSM.
It's 25% nylon and 75% Merino Wool
so there's a little bit more nylon in it.
Although it feels like that shirt is floating on your body,
it doesn't really hold its' form quite as much.
It's a little bit more wavy
and a little bit more loose of a fit.
So, the point being is 160 GSM here,
I think is about a good weight to get the average feel
of what a typical cotton t-shirt would be.
So it's not too much of a departure in feel
and the thickness than a traditional cotton tee.
At the time of this review, I've worn this shirt
upwards of 30 times since late September
when we received it and I haven't washed it yet.
Overall there is pretty much no odor going on.
Just to note, I have had this out to air dry,
so it hasn't been stuffed in a backpack
when I'm not wearing it.
And mostly I've had it air-dried,
I think that's helped it quite a bit.
One thing to note is that there is
a bit of deodorant buildup that's happened
because I've worn deodorant every day
that I've worn this shirt.
It also has a slightly blue tint
due to the Old Spice that I've been using.
This is not really specific to this shirt,
but just something to bring up on Merino Wool in general.
Definitely don't use antiperspirant ever.
It's just going to build up
and you can't get as many wears between washes.
And overall, it's just not good for the fabric.
I have been meaning to try a different deodorant
with Merino Wool t-shirts,
especially since it's quite noticeable
with this lighter color.
I've heard some great things about Crystal deodorant.
I have some coming in the mail
and I'm going to be testing it out in the next month or two
with my various Merino Wool t-shirts.
If you have experience with this,
please let me know in the comments
and let me know if you found a solution
that works really well.
And with this deodorant issue,
that's probably the only reason
I would give this shirt a wash.
It's just 'cause we're getting a little bit of buildup.
However, with a cold wash, you lay it flat to dry,
that stuff will easily just come out
and the shirt will just be pretty much like brand new.
I've tested with a bunch of different Merino Wool t-shirts.
We've definitely put some other brands -
like Woolly and Outlier - through the wringer
with almost up to two years of testing in some cases.
However, we haven't done enough testing
with this Wool & Prince to see, durability-wise,
how it will hold up in the long run yet.
We'll be sure to keep the usage timeline updated
on the written portion of our website
as we wear this for a longer period of time.
And I'm confident after 30 wears for about a month of use,
this will continue to hold up really well.
And just a quick PSA on Merino Wool holding up -
you want to care for this in a very specific way.
So most companies will recommend that you wash this gently
with cold water, either in a sink preferably,
or in the machine, and then you lay it flat to dry.
And that's going to help maintain the shape
and just be nice and gentle on those fibers.
Be sure to go check out our Merino Wool guide
over on packhacker.com if you want to learn more.
We definitely break down a bunch of different ways
on how to best care for your Merino Wool on the road,
and when you're at home.
And lastly as far as warranty goes -
Wool & Prince will offer a 30-day window
where you can either return or exchange your product,
as long as you haven't worn it
and the tags are still on.
Back in 2015, I ordered one of Wool & Prince's
button-down Oxfords and I tried to break this rule
by exchanging the salmon shirt that I'd worn a couple times
for a blue shirt. And sadly I was denied.
Totally makes sense - it's their policy, I get it.
So now I'm the happy owner of two button-down Oxford shirts.
And I took the blue one with me on a trip
of two years around the world,
and that was kind of my dress shirt that I wore.
So definitely have had some really great experience
with the Wool & Prince brand overall from that shirt.
So to wrap this thing up with some pros and cons -
we love that 22% nylon has been added to the blend
for additional durability.
Because of that, there is less pilling going on
than some other Merino Wool t-shirts on the market.
It's also smooth to the touch.
With some other Merino Wool brands,
it can be slightly textured and slightly itchy to the touch
especially at first before the shirt's been broken in.
On to some of the cons - it is possible that the shirt
will be a little bit less anti-stink
compared to a 100% Merino Wool garment.
The tag has degraded somewhat with wear
and I imagine that it will just straight up wash out.
Also it appears to fit a little bit larger
than true-to-size, although the length is nice.
The Wool & Prince V-Neck tee is a great addition
to the wardrobe of travelers and minimalists alike.
The great thing about Merino
is that you can have more wears between washes
without the stink.
Wool & Prince takes this one step further
with the smooth blend of 22% nylon and 78% Merino,
creating a well-crafted garment with additional durability.
Although the tag on the shirt will likely wash out
and the fit seems slightly larger than true-to-size,
this has a place as one of the top Merino tees
that we've tested to date due to the feel of the fabric
and the less overall pilling that we've seen
compared to other Merino tees.
Thanks for taking a look at our review
of the Merino Wool Wool & Prince V-Neck.
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Hello ... am I looking at the camera ... am I looking above it?
[snapping and clapping]
30 times ... over 30 times.