Review: Craghopper Merino Half Zip
Clothing is essential. When it comes to packing it needs to be light and condense down well. Warm weather? It needs to wick away your sweat. Cold weather? It needs to provide insulation. Outdoor activities? It needs to not cause friction and be relatively robust. I recently purchased a Craghopper Merino Half Zip layer, and I can truly say it does all these things.
I own a merino base layer that’s a small and it fits like a glove, so when I ordered this I decided to go for a medium with the intention that it would act as a mid layer. I’m so glad that I did as it means, whilst the fit is snug, I can still wear a layer underneath as well as over the top. I’ve also worn it on its own on a few warmer (albeit British ‘warmer’) days where it performed well too.
One thing that concerned me when I first received it was how thin it was. In ordering I must have miss that it said ‘Superfine Merino’– 173g, but despite that it has proven itself to be surprisingly robust so far.
One of the best features of Merino is its ability to wick away sweat without leaving any odour on the material. This means it needs washing far less than any cotton garment and won’t smell quite as quickly as polyester.
I’m the kind of guy that when buying an item will check that I’ve got the best conditioned one. Buying online doesn’t allow you this privilege and I when I found a large peanut sized flap of Merino outside of the stitching I was a little disappointed. I snipped this off no problem and I imagine it was a rogue anomaly; it has no affect on the garment (the stitching is holding no problem) so I’m not bothered now.
At the moment it is on sale as they’re technically out of season (although I personally can see myself wearing this all year round) and for a merino half-zip layer, it’s actually a great deal. It is also available in blue. I’ve been in contact with Craghopper and they said there won’t be any merino products restocked until the Autumn/Winter season, so grab one while you still can…
Nat Wagstaff Editor-In-Chief
While I was researching packs for a 100km endurance hiking challenge, my interest in how we organise our gear gave birth to Pack Config, a place that inspires its readers to improve their own packs. What I carry, either daily or out on a hike, is constantly being refined as I discover new methods and products. More…
