Psst, my underwear is wool

I was rooming with a woman I had just met at a photography workshop in Menorca, Spain, and, being women, we started talking about the clothes we’d packed. We agreed wool was the best way to travel light. What floored this woman was when I said I swore by wool underwear and wool sleep shirts.

Me sitting in a window in Grindelwald First, a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps. Wearing my Chill Angel merino long underwear, naturally.

“Wool undies?! Are you kidding?” she asked, dumbfounded.

I reassured her I wasn’t wearing thick, scratchy wool underpants – think Norwegian sweaters. And my little undies, bras, and sleepwear are so light and soft that they not only keep me comfy but dry in a flash, too.

I’m like this disciple for wearing wool in all the unexpected places. I mean, everybody can wear a wool sweater, jacket, gloves, or even long johns, but pulling on wool underwear over all those sensitive parts is an entirely different matter.

So, of course, she had to see them. Here we are, strangers 10 minutes earlier, and I’m pulling out my underwear and sleep shirt from my luggage for her to feel.

Wool is not a new thing

Wool for warmth and weather protection is nothing new, of course. Primitive man (and presumably woman) wore wool, the Vikings wore wool, the Romans bred sheep for a superior wool.

For what seemed like decades, however, travel and outdoor apparel brands eschewed wool (other than for bulky outerwear and perhaps socks) and proclaimed the virtues of “technical” fabrics for base layers and next-to-skin products. These are made of synthetics that are thin, light, moisture-wicking, and dry quickly. I swore by them for so long. And that all seemed grand and glorious until those same fibers began to stink after a couple of days -- or less – and as a traveler, you had to do more hand laundry more often. Merino wool, you see, has many of the same attributes – wicking, fast drying, light -- with one difference: You can wear the stuff for days without it smelling funky.

Me wearing my Chill Angel hoodie and long pants, sitting by a campfire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

I still remember about two decades ago sitting in an itty-bitty trade show with the founder and CEO of a New Zealand company we all know now – and is huge. He and his PR person had to nearly beg journalists to come listen to their pitch about merino. I was skeptical, too, but was talked into trying a light shirt for running. Wear it for a week and don’t wash it, I was advised. Hm, well, OK. I did that, just hanging it to dry each day. It never stunk, it dried quickly, and it felt really nice against my skin, too. I was sold. (P.S. I still have this shirt!!)

Of course, that was still long before merino wool brands nailed the process to make the undies and sleepwear that I now swear by.

Yes, I still wear some synthetic apparel. I’m not ashamed of that at all. Sometimes, it just comes in handy when traveling. But that’s on the outside. On the INSIDE, I don’t leave home without my wool undies and bras or my wool sleepwear.

Sleepwear that looks like leisure wear

So what do you wear when it’s time to catch your zzzz’s? Maybe you wear nothing to sleep. That’s cool. Naked is not a bad thing. But when you are traveling in places that might require a trip down a hall to a bathroom, having a strange roommate, or sharing a bathroom at a friend’s house, I find it kinda polite not to bare it all. And if you are outdoors camping in a tent, your car, or a hut, feeling “free” can also get a bit chilly. A light layer is simply practical. Merino wool breathes, won’t stink, and has all those natural anti-bacterial properties.

Me, cuddling with a stuffed traveling companion, Bernd, while camping in my CRV on a road trip in Nevada, wearing Chill Angel merino sleepwear.

I also embark on solo camping road trip adventures, with my trusty Honda CRV  transformed into my own cozy lodging. I admit, you must be a bit nimble to slide in and out of the comfy bed I have created. But what a joy it is to uncurl myself and step out of the car already fully dressed in my soft merino wool pants or shorts and shirt and NOT feel like I’m wearing my nighties. This stuff looks like casual clothing – heck, I could wear it on a hike if I wanted.

I also think I convinced my roommate in Spain about wool underwear. If you bump into me somewhere, I’ll preach the joys of wool undies and sleepwear to you, too. Especially as a traveler and active person, I won’t leave home without it. Bet you won’t either.

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— Story by Therese Iknoian

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