Adventures in smart wool

With the cold weather coming our way, and considering Jesse has been using my lightweight synthetic  base layers (one of which I've owned since 2000), we've decided to invest in our base layer system. If you're us, the question almost instantly becomes 'wool or synthetic?' my synthetics have treated me well, got me through rugby tourneys and rowing regattas in early march and late October. But I think I've grown to want more out of a base layer. I want it to keep me warm after the regatta, to support my desire to stand outside in my own sweat and not freeze to death. My lightweight synthetics weren't doing the job for me, they were stopping short of my desired finish line.

But wool is expensive, and it might be scratchy, and how does it fit? I mean, I've never had $100 to invest in a tshirt. Enter the Moosejaw base layer sale. Finally, wool priced within reach. Yet, the fit and comfort remain unanswered questions and the Moosejaw near us doesn't have any wool to try on. Luckily, Playmakers, another store in town, does. Playmakers is the store you love to shop in. The staff is great, the selection is amazing...but of course if you're a graduate student, the cost is a bit out of the range of your budget. I hit up their sales like no ones business, and were it not for the previously mentioned sale at Moosejaw and associated reward points, I would have walked away with a $120 piece after 20 minutes.

So after stopping by the local Moosejaw and Playmakers, Jesse and I spent a solid couple of hours picking out our base layers. I desperately wanted a shirt with thumb holes, but the weights were too high for my purpose. Jesse settled on a steel grey smart wool piece with fabric weighted at 195. I got the same in black, but was torn between the smartwool and an arcterx piece of similar design. So I decided to buy them both and return the one I liked less. Apparently (though I've never had cause) you can return Moosejaw items purchased online right at the store. But now I'm in a bind. I really like the fit of both! The arcterx piece is a blue color, which I appreciate since most everything I own is in earth tones. And I think I'd like to try them both out to see if they work as well winking sweat away. 

(the two choices... with my unmade bed and very fat cat for scale)

I'll ponder this some more, but i think I might just keep both. After all, they were on sale. Plus, now that I know how cozy these shirts are, I feel like I'll want both. I mean, rifle season starts on November 15, that's at less a couple weeks of wear, right?

Meanwhile, Jesse was curious as to how comfy the wool was on his skin (something about smartwool socks itching his sensitive man feet if he slept in them) and he's now in his 50th hour of consecutive wear. Just testing it out. Scientists.