Australian Hiker

Rating

Wilderness Wear Merino Neck/Face Gaiter Review

Now that the weather is warming up rapidly, you might think it is a bit odd to review an item of clothing essentially designed for cold weather. Well maybe, but when trialing any clothing its important to match the testing to the climate for which the gear was intended. Recently when hiking the Hume and Hovell Track I had the opportunity to test out the Wilderness Wear Merino Neck/Face Gaiter.

We are known for loving our Merino hiking clothing and this neck/face gaiter is 100% Australian Merino – tick!

Merino wool gives this product its softness, warmth and durability. Australian Merino wool has three levels of ‘fineness’, with the ‘Fine’ gradings at 25 microns, ‘Superfine’ at 18 microns and ‘Ultrafine’ at just 15 microns – all the product of Australian Merino sheep. The lower the fibre thickness and longer the staple, the softer the feel and the more efficient the thermal capability.

The Wilderness Wear Neck/Face Gaiter is made from Superfine Merino WildernessWool™ which is why it is so soft and so, so nice next to your skin. The ‘195’ refers to 195 gsm (grams per square metre) which relates to the weight of the fabric and in this case translates to ‘mid’ weight.

This product is designed for snowboarding, skiing, hiking or biking. You can also wear it as a face mask including while riding a motorcycle but I haven’t done that and not likely to! I wear it in a few different ways including as a:

• Beanie for those still cool morning
• Neck warmer during cold nights when hiking
• Sun protector for the back of my neck
• Headband to keep my hair under control on windy days.

Wearing as a beanie is easy with a bit of practice. Place one end of the neck/face gaiter over your head, twist at the top of your head, open up the other end and draw it down over your head – and there you have it, a double layer beanie.

This garment performed really, really well on the Hume and Hovell Track. I wore it every day in some way and it didn’t suffer from that ‘it feels dirty to touch’ sense you sometimes get when you wear something day in day out. There was no odour at all. And it survived the very rough handling as I stuffed it into and pulled it out of my Osprey Eja pack. I can assure you this was not gentle handling and yet there is no sign of wear or loss of shape. I often wonder how superfine wool can be so soft and so tough at the same time!

There is one colour choice – black and one size that fits all. It makes the decision making so much easier!

The Wilderness Wear Neck/Face Gaiter is now a staple in my hiking kit but I won’t confine the wearing to the colder months – its much more versatile than that.

We Like

• 100% Australian Merino WildernessWool™
• Very soft against your skin
• Easy to wear in different ways
• Lightweight but warm when you need
• Breathable so won’t overheat
• Folds up into a small bundle
• No fuss washing and quick drying

We Don't Like

• A few colour choices would make it perfect!

Best Uses

• Great for any outdoor activity

Buy One

You can purchase the Wilderness Wear Merino Neck/Face Gaiter from Wilderness Wear

Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our gear reviews. If we don’t like something, we’ll tell you

If you have used the Wilderness Wear Merino Neck/Face Gaiter or if you have questions, we’d like to hear from you. Post your comment or question below

Investment

$39.95 AUD

Other Versions

Also available from Wilderness Wear is the MerinoFusion 190 Double Layer Neck Choob.

Wilderness Wear produces a wide range of garments for hiking and other outdoor activities. We have a reviewed a number of the range which you can find on our gear page.

Wilderness Wear Merino Neck/Face Gaiter – worn as a neck warmer

Wilderness Wear Merino Neck/Face Gaiter – worn as a beanie

Wilderness Wear Merino Neck/Face Gaiter – worn as a headband

Disclaimer

This review was done with product provided by Wilderness Wear

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