Ridge Merino or Wool & Prince for Merinofication of Wardrobe?

Submitted by wellnowholdon t3_z3jxt7 in BuyItForLife

Hello everyone,

I recently received some Wool and Prince shirts and underwear. Enjoying them so far. Prior to purchasing these I attempted to try Ridge Merino first, there was a shipping scruple. It has since been resolved.

With a 25% off Black Friday sale going on at Ridge Merino's site, I find myself wondering about their Journey 87/13 Wool-Nylon shirt, and some of their boxers as well. I'd like to stock up on some Merino shirts from a brand or the other. Money's a bit tight though, so I can't afford to try both brand simultaneously.

Is there anyone who has tried W&P as well as Ridge Merino and would be willing to offer some thoughts on their experience, conclusions?

From the outside, all I can see is that praise for W&P is a more mixed bag online, and that W&P has a higher Nylon ratio for each of their products compared to Ridge. By itself that would call to me from a durability aspect alone but, not sure if the specific wool or nylon properties between the two are different, so that's not to say all other things are equal for that assumption.

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ApatheticAxolotl t1_ixmdkza wrote

As someone who has merino-ified his wardrobe and tried & owned both brands, hopefully this novel is of some help...

As far as underwear goes, W&P's merino feels more luxurious to me but experience has shown that their elastic waistbands eventually lose their structure and get the so-called bacon effect (which annoys me personally). I have a bunch of pairs from W&P; only one older pair has gotten a small hole.

I've actually tried like 10+ different companies for merino underwear and Ridge is probably my favorite of them all - their merino feels and wears well; I've not had any issues with pilling and the waistbands have not floppified or lost their structure (this is a very common problem).

As far as t-shirts go, the reverse is true for me. I previously had a Ridge Journey t-shirt (purchased in 2020) that fairly quickly got holes from simple wearing and had to be retired out of rotation. Alternatively, W&P has got to have some of the best options for merino t-shirts. They do run long & have a slight sheen, but their range of colors & the hand feel of the merino is fantastic. I don't think I'd put the merino quality of Ridge in the same tier as W&P (it's like one immediate level below); especially if you're looking at stuff like W&P's Interlock material / 100% merino.

Other t-shirt options worth checking out during Black Friday / otherwise would be: Aviator's 100% merino air dry t-shirt, Duckworth's Maverick stuff and Outlier. Aviator if you want to try 100% merino (mine has held up very well). Duckworth has an awesome MiUSA business model and a product that matches it. Outlier is probably the king of merino t-shirts with a price to match.

YMMV of course depending on your body type (availability of fits / sizing), material preferences, use case, etc. I'd maybe recommend diversifying rather than putting all your eggs in one brand's basket; try a shirt from each to see which suits you best. Lastly, be careful thinking of merino as BIFL - some items might very well be, but typically BIFL-quality wool has a price to match.

Edit: extra comments: ethical treatment of sheep may affect merino pricing (whether or not mulesing is utilized). I also wouldn't describe W&P as wildly overpriced; they are offering a different product. Duckworth and Ridge are outdoor performance -focused, W&P is casual / business casual clothing.

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wellnowholdon OP t1_ixmhq2j wrote

Fantastic writeup, thank you thank you, and thank you again!

It's good hearing about your experience with the Journey shirt, I'd noticed that their material density was notably lower than W&P. Perhaps nothing in and of itself but, if all other things were equal then that could be a culprit for faster wear. Sounds like that ends up being the case.

Excellent news about the underwear, I'm definitely loving the feel so far of the W&P, they're keepers for sure. I'm hesitant to even try the Ridge offerings, I'm a tall but thicco lad and fairly certain less nylon in the thunder thigh chafe area is absolutely not going to end well.

I'm definitely a little more outdoor focused I think, not always intentionally but days have a funny way of having me out and about bushwacking or clomping through questionable conditions rather suddenly-

What is your opinion on wool/nylon blends vs. pure Merino?

I notice brands like Outlier offer premium pure wool offerings, but I've a hesitant notion that for my usecase I really ought to look at blends. Is that well founded, or would you say the performance wool offerings from Outlier and such compete on a similiar durability level to the nylon blends?

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ApatheticAxolotl t1_ixnvydg wrote

I'm glad you found it helpful - happy to share some experience!

In regards to 100% vs blends, I think it really depends and varies on the brand and use case. The durability difference might perhaps be slightly overstated for most casual wearers, but I also am not super hard on my clothes in general.

If you're serious about merino, start checking out the gsm of the fabric, and the weight/oz. This should give you an idea of how dense the material actually is - there are definitely some 100% merino products out there that are very low quality compared to blends. Construction of the actual fibers can also radically impact how well an item performs. Things like drape and fit can also affect how well merino does its job.

Above all, don't consider "merino" blends that have less than 50-60% merino - the clothing won't have the performance one expects from merino.

E: forgot to mention that anything Outlier makes is truly Onebag / BIFL appropriate. I haven't tried their UFT, but their Daybreak merino t is my current fav t-shirt. I mostly gauge merino performance on how it handles sweat, smell and repeated wearings before washing. In those regards, I don't think I've noticed a difference between blends and Outlier's stuff. Not to mention that their merino is better / on par with W&P and Duckworth's 100% stuff.

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HillbillygalSD t1_ixn9a19 wrote

I love the Ridge boxer briefs. I am a girl, but I have two pairs that I have used for sleep shorts over the last three years. I really like them. I really like the Ridge Wander T-shirt. It’s my favorite wool t-shirt. I like it so much that that’s what I’m asking for for Christmas — two more v-neck t-shirts and a Wander long sleeved crew neck shirt. They have a 25% off sale right now. I have no experience with Wool & Prince. I do have quite a few pieces from Woolx, Icebreaker, Ridge, and Smartwool.

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wellnowholdon OP t1_ixnjwvl wrote

I'm seeing a lot of support for the Ridge underwear, going to try and pick up one of those in my next shipment- I see the Wander shirt looks to be equivalent to the Journey, how are you finding the shirt holds up as far as wear?

Asking because I see there's been some mention, within this post even, of the material wearing a bit faster than alternatives.

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HillbillygalSD t1_ixo4ql6 wrote

Well, I just went and gave mine a look. I don’t see any pilling or any holes in it. Of course, it hasn’t seen any hard use, like backpacking. Just day hikes. It seems more durable than my shirts that are 100% wool. I’ve worn holes in most all of my 100% wool shirts. Sometimes I mend them; sometimes I don’t.

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Junior_Ad2955 t1_ixlzrd0 wrote

Duckworth is better than Wool and Prince, which is wildly overpriced

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wellnowholdon OP t1_ixm0hh6 wrote

I was beginning to wonder that myself lol, the price for some of this kit was getting painful haha.

I'll take Duckworth into consideration- have you had a chance to experience Ridge Merino as yet?

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Junior_Ad2955 t1_ixm0ych wrote

I’ve not tried Ridge, I went all in on Duckworth a few years ago and really haven’t tried anything else since

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SondraRose t1_ixm6928 wrote

I only have one piece from the women’s brand of Wool and Prince ( Wool&). The quality and material content is similar to my Ridge Merino pieces, but the price point is much higher.

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wellnowholdon OP t1_ixmfz77 wrote

Excellent, thank you for the advice- I'd wondered precisely as much!

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Potential_Wave_3662 t1_ixm1fnl wrote

Talking about underwear, which boxer briefs brands do you recommend?

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wellnowholdon OP t1_ixmfo4g wrote

Nylon blends have treated me well so far, there's certainly an odor and durability edge with them over other synthetics like polyester.

I've seen Duluth's Buck Naked recommended and I'd second that for a 100% Nylon experience. Purchased 2 weeks worth stock from them a while back during a flash sale: 15 bucks a pop is a far cry from what these wool offerings ask.

That said, initial impressions wearing the W&P wool/nylon underwear have been fantastic, it reminds me of soft new cotton underwear before they get broken in and become more abrasive. I'll definitely be looking to switch to wool/nylon blends moving forward.

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Potential_Wave_3662 t1_ixmgpp8 wrote

I see... But wouldn't Cotton ones feel more comfortable than these Nylon ones? I've just looked at these Duluth's Buck Naked and they surely look high quality and durable. However, I don't know if they are really comfortable (which for me is really important)

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wellnowholdon OP t1_ixmiyn5 wrote

Cotton will, at least in the case of the cotton underwear I've tried v. the Buck Naked's that I've tried- feel more "soft" to the touch at first. Think fluffy bunny. I find with extended use and repeated washing this may in time turn into a texture akin to a washrag, or a cheaper towel. Sort of a rougher feel, not rough in of itself but now closer to a gritty/sandpaper feel especially when dry, than the former fluffy bunny feel they had new.

Very well could be the cotton blends I've used though.

Nylon isn't fluffy bunny, but it also isn't abrasive. It's tricky to explain but in keeping with its sister synthetics like polyester, which you may have some experience with from exercise shirts or the like- it's just sort of smooth.

I think part of the fluffy feeling for clothing comes from loose fibers that are sort of frazzled or sticking out of the main weave. Maybe similar to how the hair on your head is a bunch of individual strands sticking out which normally are a soft and fuzzy/slightly springy mass if you press on them . But if you take those hairs tie them together into a tight braid or what not- it's not the braid becomes suddenly uncomfortable... Just more dense with less give/bounce than a loose head of hair, but still smooth to the touch. That's how nylon feels, smooth but dense. Cotton starts off with that fuzzy feel, but over time drops off to a much less appealing state.

In my experience a basic cotton garment can feel rougher than synthetics especially over time, in most cases.

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Potential_Wave_3662 t1_ixmjp8k wrote

Hum... I see. I didn't know that! Guess I'm gonna consider buying some nylon boxers to try and see whether I like them. Thanks for the tips!

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BallsOutKrunked t1_ixmhlty wrote

I'll just plug ridge in general. I live close to their store and one of their hoodies is going on 6 years with me at this point. I have some of their base layers with about the same mileage.

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wellnowholdon OP t1_ixmj7kv wrote

Woo, over a half decade dang. What's the blend %, or is she pure?

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BallsOutKrunked t1_ixmkctb wrote

Shit you know I'm not positive but it feels like pure wool. A couple of places the stitching has opened a bit but it never spread and isn't noticeable unless you're really looking.

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wellnowholdon OP t1_ixml5nh wrote

Damn that's impressive, definitely will give it a looksee then.

Cheers

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patronxo t1_ixqzft2 wrote

Would you want a 100% merino or like a mix blend? Cause I’ve seen some other brands add in other materials to the mix and I’m not sure if 100% wool is better or not.

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wellnowholdon OP t1_ixrvx3c wrote

From what I understand pure wool has some benefits in other areas versus blends- but what it never has an edge in is durability. Wool just isn't as resilient a textile choice on its lonesome compared to the alternatives.

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