Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Merino Wool Baselayers Review

In this review I’m sharing my experience with Ibex’s Woolies Pro Tech Merino Wool baselayers – both their long-sleeve top and bottoms, which are designed to be worn under your midlayer and pants in cooler weather conditions. These Ibex baselayers are available in both men’s and women’s fits, and multiple color options – I’m wearing the women’s fit top and pants in the photos throughout this review.

Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Merino Wool baselayers are crafted for peak performance in colder climates, featuring a composition of 85% Merino wool blended with a cutting-edge fabric technology. This specialized spinning technique amplifies the natural benefits of Merino wool, boosting its resilience and stretch, which is why they’re dubbed ‘pro tech’.

These layers are designed to be your lightweight, yet durable companion against the elements, ensuring warmth and flexibility during any activity, including some of my personal favorite winter sports like skiing, snow shoeing, winter hiking and cold weather running.

Why wear Merino wool base layers?

Choosing Merino wool baselayers offers a blend of performance and sustainability, ideal for a range of activities like running, hiking, and snowsports. This specific type of wool is know for its thermal regulation, breathability, and ability to wick sweat while being naturally odor-resistant and UV protective.

Unlike traditional wool, Merino feels soft against the skin, enhancing comfort without itching. Its natural fibers also boast environmental benefits, being renewable and biodegradable, yet durable enough to reduce the need for frequent replacements. This makes Merino wool baselayers like these Ibex Pro Tech tops and bottoms a smart choice for both performance and eco-consciousness.

The wool used for these Ibex Woolies baselayers is sourced from Australia, and the Woolies base layers are manufactured in Vietnam. Although they’re mostly made from wool, you can still machine wash these base layers, on a cold setting, and line dry them.

It’s also worth noting that Merino wool is known for its natural anti-stink properties, so you don’t actually need to wash Merino apparel as often as you do other clothing made from synthetic or cotton fibers.

Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Baselayers – Key Specifications

• Price: $115 for the long sleeve baselayer and $155 for the long bottoms, in Men’s and Women’s fits
• Sizing and fit: Women’s XS to XXL and Men’s S to XXL, fit is intended to be fitted, next to skin, for optimal insulation
• Best for: Cold or cool weather layering. You can wear these baselayers for everyday in winter, or specifically for activities including skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, camping, or running in cold weather.

These base layers are made using 85% Merino wool and 15% nylon, which is woven using Nuyarn technology, a twist-free spinning method designed to amplify the inherent performance of merino wool. This technology enhances the natural properties of merino wool, making the fabric significantly more thermally efficient, elastic, and durable than traditional ring-spun merino fabrics.

The nylon element is in the ‘core’ of the garments (helping with that durability and elasticity), so the material next to your skin is essentially the wool.

Other thoughtful features include flatlock seams (that reduce potential for chafing) and thumbholes to help with layering under your midlayer and gloves. I’m also a fan of the color options, especially the vibrant blue-green colorway I have as shown in the photos in this review, which is called ‘lake effect’.

In terms of fit, my experience is to order your usual size, with reference to Ibex’s sizing guide. I ordered a women’s Medium and it fits just as expected based on the chart.

My experience with these Ibex base layers

I’ve worn these through our colder winter months, often layered with a midlayer and puffy insulated jacket such as my Ibex Wool Aire Hoodie and Outdoor Vitals NovaPro jacket. On a couple of occasions I’ve run in the long sleeve top layer, too, paired with a windproof running jacket to act as a windshell and block light rain.

Even before receiving my Ibex Woolies base layers, I was already a fan of Merino Wool baselayers as they don’t tend to get ‘clammy’ or hold sweat in the same way that synthetic materials can when you start to warm up and get active, which is really important for activities such as skiing, hiking and running where you’re breaking a sweat but it’s still very cold out. Natural (well, mostly natural) fibers are definitely the way to go, in my opinion.

These have noticeably more stretch than 100% Merino apparel. This is a nice feature especially when you want to do some layering and need the top to stay pulled down (or tucked into your, say, ski pants). It also means the baselayer bottoms are comfortable for moving in while doing something particularly active like ski touring when you need decent range of motion and the fabric to stretch as you move.

Speaking of the top staying pulled down, I appreciate the long length, which is not only flattering, but well suited to being tucked into my hiking or skiing pants, and staying in there, rather than riding up and exposing my back to the cold, as can be an issue with other, shorter length baselayer tops.

Other features of these Ibex baselayers that I particularly appreciate are the thumb loops, which keep the back of my hands warm, and make it easier to pull on midlayers without the sleeves ruckling up in the process, and the seams at the shoulder, which sit on the front, rather than top, meaning you can wear a heavy backpack and not worry about a shoulder seam chafing your skin under the strap.

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Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Review Summary

I’ve listed a load of positive features here, and there’s very little to fault. These Ibex Pro Tech baselayers are high-quality, very comfortable and effective thermal baselayers for anything you’re planning to do outside when you need to layer up in colder weather, from skiing to hiking, to camping… and anything else you can think of, and with the right care, should last you many years of cold seasons.

Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Base Layers – More Photos