SmartWool

One of my favorite sweaters is around 15 years old and made from 100% wool.  It is as warm as can be but apart from warmth this sweater embodies all of the problems traditionally associated with wool products.  It is bulky, shrinks about two sizes in the wash, and leaves a light rash on my arms from the scratchy fibers.  But its warm, breaths well, and has held up through 15+ Michigan winters.  SmartWool has found a way to take all the benefits of wool (warmth, breathability, and odor control) and process it in such a way that it no longer shrinks, itches, or is bulky.  Sound too good to be true?



The Review

The first thing I noticed about all three of the items SmartWool sent me is the quality and the softness of the material!  Given my previous experience with wool products its hard to believe that the SmartWool beanie, neck gaitor, and balaclava are made from the same material as my fore mentioned sweater.  All three items feature reinforced seams, clean lines, and did I mention how soft the material is?



My first test of an insulating outdoor product is to take it on a run, which tells me two things.  First, will it keep me warm and second does the material breath?  I have been running the last two weeks with the neck gaiter and beanie in temperatures ranging from 15-34 degrees and both products work great!  The hat keeps my head warm and dry and the gaiter does wonders for keeping my neck protected from wind.  Another nice thing about the SmartWool neck gaiter is that when its gets really cold you can pull it up to cover your face or give your ears and extra layer of warmth and its long enough to cover your ears with out exposing your neck. 



When fishing in cold weather the SmartWool beanie, neck gaiter, and balaclava form the perfect trifecta.  The beanie for moderately cold days, the beanie and neck gaiter for cold days and the beanie and neck gaiter worn over the balaclava for those days when you have to break through the shelf ice to reach open water.  All three products are lightweight and compact.  You can easily stuff the neck gaiter and balaclava into your fishing vest or tuck them inside your waders to keep them warm until you need them. 

In Sum:  SmartWool has has put some time and energy into the development of their products and it shows in every way!  The products I reviewed are soft, warm, look great, layer well, and are reasonably priced.  What more could you ask for?



Disclosure- SmartWool provided the featured products free of charge for me to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this blog post.