Long Term Report

Ibex Woolies Long Term Report

Personal Information:
Name: Christine Korhonen
Age: 30
Gender: female
Height: 5'4" (1.6 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
E-mail: chris@wormguy.com
Location: Western Montana
Date: October 3, 2004

Backpacking Background:
I'm in Montana where I've become re-acquainted with winter. Now that I'm back above the snow line, I've attempted some winter camping and snowshoeing. I'm a lightweight backpacker mentally, if not always in practice. I've gotten my summer pack weight down to 19 lb (9 kg), but my winter pack weight hovers around 25 lb (11 kg).

Product Information:
Manufacturer: Ibex
URL: www.ibexwear.com
Style: Women's Climacore Ribbed Woolies
MSRP: US$52.50 top, US$50 bottoms
Sizes tested: L top, XL bottoms
Colors tested: Heather Blue top, Black bottoms
Listed average weights: top 4 oz (113 g), bottoms 4 oz (113 g)
Measured weights: L top 6.0 oz (170 g), XL bottoms 6.2 oz (176 g)

Ribbed Woolies Description:
The Ribbed Woolies are a lightweight Merino wool baselayer. The top is a long-sleeve crew neck wool shirt. The bottoms have tapered legs and an elastic waist. Both pieces are made out of stretchy, ribbed-knit wool and have flat seams. The Woolies are advertised not to stink or itch, to regulate temperature and moisture, and to be machine washable.

Field Information:
I've tested the Woolies in Montana and Wyoming in temperatures from 35 F to 70 F (1.7 C to 21 C) and up to elevations of 7500' (2300 m). I've worn the Woolies as a set while sleeping and the shirt as a top layer out on hikes.

Findings:
I have worn the Woolies quite a bit over the past six months. I wore the top and bottom to sleep in on all of my backpacking and car camping trips. I wore the set while lounging around my house, and I wore the Woolies top by itself on hikes with my backpack and without. The Woolies have worked really well. I'm very impressed with their anti-stink properties. Although I managed to work up a bit of a sweat while wearing the Woolies, particularly when hiking with the top, they never started to smell. They regulate temperature really well. The cuffs on the arms are loose enough to push the sleeves up if I get warm, and the material allows enough circulation so I can wear the Woolies in a wide range of temperatures and still be comfortable. I slept best using the Woolies as my only layer inside my sleeping bag. They kept me nice and warm while outside temperature ranged from 35 F to 50 F (1.7 C to 10 C).

I haven't had any problems with the Woolies itching. The wool is soft and very comfortable. I've hiked a couple of times with the bottoms worn under my pants and haven't had any problems with the seams rubbing on my thighs. The flat seams aren't even noticeable. The Woolies are warm to the touch and dry quickly. I haven't had any problems with stains or dirt affecting the material. I've machine washed both top and bottoms 11 times in cold water, and they still look good. They don't appear to have stretched or pilled at all. As indicated in my initial report, the Woolies are a little see-through and better suited as a base layer than an outer layer. I didn't do any bushwhacking in this shirt and there was little opportunity for it to get snagged. The Woolies have three large tags on each item of clothing, which seems a little overkill. The tags have softened up after washing, but I will still remove the plastic tag from both items when testing is over. The bottoms have a 1" (2.5 cm) elastic waistband, which I've gotten used to, though I still prefer a slightly wider band (1¼" - 1⅜" [3.2 cm - 3.5 cm]).

Durability:
A hole has developed in the back right shoulder of the Woolies top. The hole is about ¼" (6 mm) in diameter. I don't know how it got there, but the hole is located where my backpack hits my back and may have developed from the pack rubbing against the top. There aren't any holes in the bottoms yet. Since I'm not sure what caused the hole, I'm not sure how to prevent more holes from occurring. It could be that the Woolies are not durable enough to be worn as an outer layer. Other than the one hole, the Woolies are doing fine. The seams are all intact.

Final Thoughts:
I really like the Ibex Woolies. Both the top and the bottoms are extremely soft, warm, and comfortable. The Woolies don't smell nearly as much as polypropylene base layers I've used, and they don't itch. Unfortunately, I found the Woolies may not be durable enough for me to use as a top layer, but they're still my first choice in sleep wear at camp or at home.

Like:
Don't smell!
Soft
Lightweight

Dislike:
Watch out for holes
Thin waistband elastic
Large tags

Thanks to Ibex for holding this test and to BackpackGearTest.org for letting me be a part.

Read more reviews of Ibex gear
Read more gear reviews by Christine Korhonen

Reviews > Clothing > Underwear > Ibex Climacore Ribbed Woolies > Christine Korhonen > Long Term Report

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