We here at 国产吃瓜黑料 are suckers for merino wool. We鈥檝e written many (many) reviews detailing the natural fiber鈥檚 myriad wonderful qualities, such as superb moisture-wicking, breathability, and stretch. But we鈥檝e never seen it used this way in a windbreaker, as聽Ortovox debuted this week at Outdoor Retailer.
The new jacket is named, fittingly, the Merino Windbreaker. Ortovox dubbed its new tech Beta-Spun: it鈥檚 a strand of Tasmanian merino fiber with 19-micron-thin nylon running around it for reinforcement (the final combo is reminiscent of a candy cane), which is then mixed with straight nylon fibers to make up the jacket. All in all, the windbreaker is 50/50 merino and聽nylon.
Because of that new spinning technique, Ortovox claims the fabric is 70 percent more tear- and abrasion-resistant than uncut merino. When we tried the Windbreaker聽on at Ortovox鈥檚 booth at the show, we were surprised there was any merino in it at all. It feels mostly like nylon, but a nylon that鈥檚 less slick and less likely to clam up when you sweat underneath it. And as聽in other merino-nylon hybrid jackets, the wool affords exceptional temperature regulation and聽stink resistance.
The Merino Windbreaker is completely windproof and water-resistant, and we鈥檙e looking forward to getting some actual time in it. At first blush, it feels like an excellent shoulder-season piece, something to keep in your pack when you鈥檙e moving fast-and-light and bust out once the weather picks up. And the smooth feel could mean it鈥檒l聽be more comfortable to keep on in a wider range of conditions and temperatures.聽
Merino-synthetic fabric blends aren鈥檛 new to the industry鈥攁nd we鈥檝e even seen fully waterproof wool brought to market in the last several years by Voormi. But we still can鈥檛 help but get excited about this iteration and Ortovox鈥檚聽interesting take on combining the two materials. For its niche, the Merino Windbreaker could be an ideal outer layer on warm days and in mostly dry climates. A men鈥檚 medium tips the scales at under six ounces, and a women鈥檚 medium at less than five.
Look for the Merino Windbreaker on shelves next spring with a $200 price tag.