PERSONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Rick Allnutt
51 Year old male
183 cm (6' 0'') in height
90 kg (198 lbs) in weight
Email address: rick (at) BackpackGearTest (dot) org
I live in Dayton, Ohio

BACKPACKING BACKGROUND
Over the last several years, I have become an ultralight camper with a three-season base pack weight of about 15 lb (7 kg) and skin out weight of 23 lb (10 1/2 kg). I have completed many section hikes on the Appalachian Trail (AT) in all four seasons, with a total mileage of about 570 miles (918 km). I am a gearhead, a hammock camper, and make much of my own equipment.

PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Ibex Outdoor Clothing, Inc.
Year Manufactured: 2004
Manufacturer's Link: http://www.ibexwear.com
MSRP: US$52.50 (top) US$50.00 (bottom)
Listed Weight:  top - 7 oz (198 gm); bottom - 4.5 oz (128 gm)
Measured Weight: XL top - 6.7 oz (190 gm); XL bottom - 5.8 oz (165 gm)

FIELD CONDITIONS
I carried the Woolies for over 320 mi (515 km) of AT hiking this summer.  They have been used from Springer Mountain in Georgia to the Virginia Highlands. Elevations of up to 6250 ft (1900 m) and temperatures as low as 45 F(7 C) were experienced. I have worn them primarily during cool nights and mornings.  However, I have used them while walking the trail, sleeping in a hammock, and sleeping in shelters.

REVIEW
I remember several early morning situations on the AT, when I woke from a sound sleep, shivering.  Having gone to sleep under a thin multifunction sleeping bag, I was now very cold in the moist night air. I hate shivering. It was at these times that I most appreciated the warm feeling of slipping on the Woolie top, or occasionally the top and pants. It probably is overstated, but at these times I remember thinking to myself that these little wool garments had just saved my life.  They did save my night's sleep.

For full details about the construction of the Climacore Ribbed Woolies, and my initial experiences, please see my Earlier Reports.

I used the Woolies as my primary method of getting warm during my summer hikes. On high mountains in the night, this meant sleeping in them.  This fall, I wore them every morning of my hikes as I was cleaning up camp, eating breakfast, and packing up to go.  Just before setting out, I usually peeled them off and hiked with only a polyester tee-shirt.

However, after arriving at my destination for the night, when the night air was cool, they went right back on - sometimes on top of the tee-shirt and sometimes against my bare skin. 

I remember growing up with wool clothing. I worried about having to wear scratchy wool pants, and the squirming I would have to do while sitting down on the abrasive fabric.  That is not what the Ibex Woolies feel like.  They are a pleasantly warm fabric with literally no itchiness at all.  I think they feel good against my chest and back when wearing them without a tee-shirt.  I also often wear the bottoms below my hiking kilt at night and have not had any difficulty with itchiness either on shelter floors or when encased in a hammock for a blissful night's sleep.

I have really enjoyed having the top and bottom of contrasting colors.  This is very useful when pulling clothing out of the stuff sack I keep all my additional clothing in. Since the material is identical, having the top in red and the bottoms in black makes it easy to know what I am pulling out, even in dim light. The black bottoms remind me of my bike racing tights, while the top gives me a feeling of walking down to the stadium for a Saturday afternoon Ivy League football game.  (We are talking feelings here - not science.) 

The material is not only comfortable, it is practical for backpacking.  The colors do not immediately show scuff marks, and the cloth is easy to wash.  While wool may be problematic with modern washing machines and dryers, it washes beautifully by hand in cold water.  I have had no difficulty washing and then rinsing it in a portable bucket, and then letting it air dry for a couple hours on a sunny afternoon in town.  But, frankly, it has not needed to be washed a lot. Wearing the garments at night and in the early morning does not get them very sweaty or dirty.  However, even when not washed for more than a week at a time, the fabric has not trapped body odor like some man-made fabric underwear of mine has been prone to do.

The long term effects of hiking on these garments has been nil. I can find no seam which is beginning to wear, no part of the cloth which is worn or holed.  The obvious quality of the sewing and material is still as clear as it was the day I opened the package 6 months ago. 

These underwear/outerwear base-layer Woolies are a favorite part of my ultralight hiking kit.  They have the quality to last many years, and I look forward to hiking with them for many, many, many more miles. 

I like waking up, slipping them on, and saying to myself, "These Woolies have saved my life again!" 

What I really like about the Ibex Woolies:
- quality constructed garments
- light weight
- durable, stink-resistant fabric
- works for warmth as a bottom layer, but is stylish enough to be used as an outer garment
- fabric does not itch
- they get me back to dreaming