Gunner Quinn
Made of 100% superfine Merino wool, the ALPS Evolution 150 long-sleeve shirt is the most comfortable woolen garment in my wardrobe. It is also one of the most versatile garments that I own. The fabric is thin and breathable enough to be worn in summer, when it can provide 50+ UPF of protection from the sun. When used with a number of other layers in cooler weather, the shirt helps to hold body heat in while allowing moisture to escape.
The fabric from which the shirt is made is naturally odor resistant and dries quickly after washing. Its “riverstone” color blends well with natural backgrounds, making it well suited for pursuits that benefit from low visibility such as waterfowl hunting or bird watching.
With a price at the time of this writing of $59.99 at https://alpsmountaineering.com , the shirt is not inexpensive, but it represents a good value for the money. There is also a short sleeve version of the shirt available for $49.99. Sadly, as i discovered, they are made in mainland China.
Background
I recently received a press release from ALPS about their new Evolution Merino 150 shirts. I was impressed to note that the fibers from which they are made are only 17.5 microns in size. Average Merino wool fibers are about 21-22 microns. Fine Merino wool fibers are about 18.5-19.5 microns. Superfine Merino wool fibers are about 15-18.5 microns. The finer the fiber, the more comfortable the resulting fabric is against the skin and the better insulating value that fabric provides in relation to its weight. The finer fibers are also more breathable, making the fabric made from them more comfortable in warmer weather. As a result, garments that are made of superfine Merino wool are more comfortable than garments made of average Merino wool both in warmer weather and in cooler weather.
With that in mind, I asked ALPS if they could provide me with a sample of their Evolution Merion 150 Long Sleeve Shirt for testing and evaluation. They agreed. Before long, a package arrived at my door via USPS Priority Mail from ALPS Brands, 111 Industrial Drive, New Haven, MO 63068-1301.
First Impressions
The 12.13 x 10.25 x 4.5 inch shipping box contained a sales order and the shirt in a plastic bag. As I removed the shirt from the bag, the first thing that impressed me was how thin and smooth the fabric of the shirt was. The shirt is made out of fabric that weighs 150 gsm (grams per square meter). That falls exactly on the borderline between lightweight and medium-weight fabrics.
The paper tag attached to the shirt contained some information about the limited lifetime warranty: “ALPS takes pride in the quality of our products and warrants that the materials and workmanship will be free of any defects. However, if a problem develops, please call us at 800.344.2577.” I went to the ALPS website at www.alpsbrands.com for more details about the warranty. There, I discovered that the warranty applies to defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the product. ALPS determines the life of a product based upon its age and how it has been used. The warranty applies only to the original purchaser with proof of purchase from an ALPS brand authorized dealer. It does not cover normal wear and tear, accidental damage, abuse or neglect.
The tag also indicated that the shirt is made in China. I had recently experienced such a string of successes at finding Merino wool garments made in the USA that I had forgotten that some Merino wool garments are also made in China. I would encourage ALPS to bring more of their manufacturing to the United States, since the American textile industry is doing some wonderful things with Merino wool.
The washing instructions that came with the shirt indicated that it should be turned inside out before laundering. It also indicated that the shirt should be washed using detergent with the Woolmark logo in the 40 degree centigrade wool cycle, and that it should not be tumble dried. I must confess that when the time eventually came to wash the shirt, my wife, “Kari” did not fully follow these directions. She did not turn it inside out. She washed it on a regular cycle rather than on a wool cycle. And she used Purex 4in1 liquid laundry detergent rather than a detergent with the Woolmark logo.
Kari usually uses homemade laundry soap, but she got the Purex at a thrift store and has been using it for a number of months now. When the Purex is gone, she will go back to using the homemade soap again. The homemade soap is composed of a mixture of shredded Fels-Naptha soap, borax, and washing soda.
Kari did hang the shirt up to dry rather than putting it in the dryer. I am happy to report that the shirt came through the washing process just fine.
Another fabric tag sewn in near the waist warned that the shirt is not fire resistant, and that it could melt or burn if exposed to extreme heat. I thought that information was interesting, since wool is more naturally fire-resistant than cotton or synthetic garments. I suppose that if you pay $59.99 for a shirt, then you may want to be extra careful not to burn any holes in it.
Testing
The fabric of the shirt was so smooth and so soft that I put it on next to my skin right away and wore it to bed that night. That was slightly risky on my part, since wool garments can often be somewhat itchy before they have been through the laundry a time or two. I am happy to report that the Evolution shirt was perfectly comfortable right out of the package, with no sense of itchiness at all.
The next day, I continued to wear the shirt next to my skin while hauling trash, cleaning the outside wood boiler, and splitting firewood. It provided excellent insulation, allowed my perspiration to escape through the fabric, did not itch, and was in every way perfectly comfortable.
Over the course of the next couple of months, I wore the shirt every time I was outside working around the property. I wore it cutting, splitting, and stacking firewood. I wore it while clearing snow and hauling firewood from the wood stack to the wood shed. I wore it walking the dog. I wore it walking on crispy leaves and soggy leaves and when the snow was falling so thickly that the property in all directions looked like the inside of a shaken snow globe and everything was frosted with a thick layer of white. The shirt functioned well for all tasks and under all weather conditions.
Besides the warmth, breathability, and versatility of the shirt, the thing that impressed me the most was that sawdust, leaf debris, and other foreign objects did not stick very well to the shirt. Many wool garments seem to attract debris, but the smooth fabric of the shirt made it easy to brush dirt off.
The Layer Method
During World War II, American GIs noted that two wool shirts were warmer and lighter than a field jacket. The air trapped between the two shirts provided insulation in addition to the air trapped between the fibers of each shirt.
That is what makes dressing in the layer method so practical and effective. Two lighter shirts like the Evolution Merino 150 will provide more insulation value than one heavier wool shirt. The two shirts will also be lighter, will breathe better, and will provide more versatility than the heavier shirt. If the weather is too warm, you can shed one of two light wool shirts, but of course you can’t shed half of a heavier wool shirt.
Wool will also continue to provide some insulation value when wet. In contrast, cotton will actually conduct heat away from the body when wet. That is why I do not recommend wearing cotton clothing in the field. Think “cotton kills” when you are choosing garments for field use.
I recommend that every outdoorsman have at least a couple of good Merino wool short-sleeve T-shirts, a couple of good Merino wool long-sleeve shirts, and a couple of good wool sweaters. Evolution Merino 150 shirts definitely meet the definition of “good”.
Conclusions
Don’t waste your money and risk your life on cotton or cotton blend garments for field use. Replace those cotton garments with soft Merino wool shirts, as soon as you can. You will be much more comfortable, and the life you save may be your own.
Disclaimer
ALPS was kind enough to provide me with a sample of their Evolution Merino 150 long-sleeve shirt for testing and evaluation. I tried not to allow their kindness to interfere with my objectivity in this review, and I believe that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.
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