This past summer has been the summer of weekend road trips. Friday nights we were tossing our gear in the back of the car and driving for hours. I’m basically the best sleeping road trip partner you can possibly find, and I do it in comfort. The Black Diamond Dawn Wall Hoody was my best friend for those sloth-like hours and hours in the front seat.
For winter 2015, Outdoor Research added the Essence Tights to their lineup of women’s base layers. As a merino wool fiend, I was extra stoked when they sent me a pair to test as a part of #ORInsightLab.
When the Outdoor Research Echo Ubertube showed up in my #ORInsightLab package, I was skeptical. What the heck was this long, stretchy tube going to do for me? It took some time and consulting with fellow #ORInsightLab-er, Landon Faulkner, but the Echo Ubertube proved me wrong.
At 0.7 oz and highly compressible, this takes no space in your pack and adds no weight. It’s good to have it ’til you need it. Its possibilities are endless!
![[sn] super.natural W Base Tee 140](http://www.littlegrunts.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/SuperNaturalBaseTee01.jpg)
![[sn] super.natural W Base Tee 140](http://www.littlegrunts.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/SuperNaturalBaseTee02.jpg)
![[sn] super.natural W Base Tee 140](http://www.littlegrunts.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/SuperNaturalBaseTee03.jpg)
![[sn] super.natural W Base Tee 140](http://www.littlegrunts.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/SuperNaturalBaseTee04.jpg)
![[sn] super.natural W Base Tee 140](http://www.littlegrunts.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/SuperNaturalBaseTee05.jpg)
[sn] super.natural is an emerging player in the natural fibers garment game in the United States.
I got my hands on the [sn] super.natural W Base Tee 140 to test over the last month. This shirt has seen my office, airplanes, rafting in Idaho, the Eastern Sierra, and more. Launched in 2012, this brand is a fairly new player in the outdoor garment game, but the quality is fantastic.
The 140 weight base tee is super lightweight! It wicks away moisture and sweat to keep you cool, and dries extremely quickly. The merino wool gives this anti-microbial and anti-odor properties, making it okay to wear consecutive days on the trails or to the office without smelling absolutely horrible.
Despite the lighter weight, the merino wool-synthetic blend stands up to wear-and-tear of constant use. No holes from buttons on jeans, rock abrasions, backpacks, weekly washings, or kitten claws, yet!
My only complaint about this shirt? The tag and logo decals are like those DIY iron on t-shirt ones that you made shirts with in high school. They all started to peel off after the first wash. The decals leave behind an imprint of what used to be there.
I’m such a sucker for merino wool performance shirts, so I’ll definitely be stocking up on this brand. If you’re a fan of the Icebreaker Tech T Lite, this is comparable, and slightly more affordable.
The German brand launches in North America this fall. [sn] super.natural will available at Nordstrom and on Amazon. The W Base Tee 140 retails for $50.
This was sent to me for review.
I’m not quite sure why it’s taken me so long to write about Icebreaker’s Tech T Lite. This shirt is a staple in my closet. It goes everywhere. Not the same one though, at least not usually.
Made of 150gm merino wool like the Icebreaker Aero Tank, the Tech T Lite lives up to its name! This can be layered other clothes or worn on its own. The idea of wearing multiple t-shirts on top of each other has never appealed to me, so this one braves the world solo.
As with all merino wool apparel, it wicks moisture to keep you cool and keeps you warm even when wet. The anti-odor and anti-bacterial properties allow you to wear this over, and over, and over again without constant washing. Despite the thinner material, my older shirts that I’ve owned for a year and counting are still going strong. No holes, rips, tears or stains.
The shirts are incredibly versatile and not technical looking so they accompany me everywhere, even to work. I’ve also worn the shirts several days in a row to work without a stink; merino wool really is magical. Each season the Tech T Lite is released with a plethora of colors, so it is possible to own a “different” one for every day of the week.
One thing that I have to note is that the sizing is all over the place. I have a Small that fits like an extra small, two Smalls that fit like mediums, and a Small that fits like a combination of the two (small?).
The Tech T Lite at full price is a little expensive, but as summer comes to an end, these are beginning to be marked down at 30% off and more. The price is still a slightly steep for a shirt, but these have been worth their weight in gold time and time again.