SITKA Intros New, ‘Complete’ Core Merino Wool Collection

SITKA Gear has offered some merino wool base layers in the past, but the options were limited. For 2023, Sitka has created a true, complete merino lineup for multi-season use.

This is big news for Sitka fans — and it plugs a hole in the company’s outdoor apparel line for merino lovers.

Better yet, you can get Sitka’s merino wool layers in your favorite Sitka camo patterns, which is particularly helpful when you want to use a layer as a stand-alone exterior layer on warmer days.

The new SITKA Core Merino Wool Collection is a simplified three-tiered system with different weights to help you choose the right level of fabric:

• 120 gram: lightweight, great for early-season hunts
• 220 gram: midweight, great do-it-all base layer
• 330 gram: heavyweight, great for cold, late-season hunts

Basically, competitive merino wool base layers or outdoor apparel use a grams per square meter metric to indicate the relative weight of the fabric (a.k.a. gsm or g/m²). Lightweight merino apparel will be in the 100s, midweight 200s, heavyweight 300s — which is important to know when you’re buying merino base layers online.

 

Why Do You Want Merino Wool for Hunting?

Merino wool has outstanding thermoregulating capabilities. It can help you stay warm as well as help you remain cool — and it can still keep you warm even if it gets wet. Our favorite benefit of merino wool, though, is its exceptional odor control. If you have trouble with synthetic base layers getting stinky after a sweaty workout or multi-day hunt, merino is for you. High quality merino wool simply doesn’t let bacteria go wild in it, which means you can wear merino on a multi-day hunt and it won’t get a funky smell.

The drawback to 100% merino is its sub-par durability and stretch. If you’re out hunting, walking through brush can tear at the fibers — and your hunting pack can wear out the fibers, too. The stretch will usually spring back after a wash, but on a multi-day hunt it can get annoying. None of this is a big deal if your base layer is always worn under another layer, but that’s not how many hunters want to use their layers.

On a warm September archery elk hunt, for example, hunters often need to shed layers — and they want their base layer to maintain their camo pattern. The harsh lines of a dark, solid-color base layer might attract a bit more scrutiny from a wary elk than a hunter wants. Same goes for hunters on a midday mule deer stalk.

While you can dye 100% merino in various colors, camo patterns are usually not particularly crisp on 100% merino.

For optimal durability and better camo, you need to blend synthetic fibers with merino wool.

 

Enter Sitka’s New ‘ArmorSpun’ Merino Wool

The key to Sitka’s new merino wool collection is its use of ArmorSpun merino wool. Most competitive merino wool base layers are either 100% merino wool in a solid color or they are a wool blend with a core-spun thread technique.

A core-spun thread technique basically wraps merino wool fibers around a nylon core. It works pretty well. Sitka’s new ArmorSpun, on the other hand, wraps nylon fibers around a merino wool core. The result is a fabric that retains the benefits of merino wool but is also more durable due to the nylon fibers wrapped around it. Plus, the nylon can accept crisper camo prints.

Sitka also uses a 17.5 micron merino wool, which is basically a super fine merino that feels smooth and relatively soft on your skin.

How Will the New Sitka Core Merino Collection Perform?

Sitka sent Man Makes Fire a Core Merino 120 LS Crew shirt in the Optifade Subalpine camo pattern. I’m looking forward to testing it during a September archery elk hunt and will publish a full review.

My first-look impressions are very good. The fabric is thin, lightweight and feels good on bare skin. The sizing is spot-on. I’m excited to give it a go, and the camo pattern print looks fantastic — it’ll pair well with whichever Sitka huntings pants I’m wearing for the weather and terrain.

I’m also pleased to see the simple fabric care instructions: You can wash and dry your Sitka Core Merino gear with your regular laundry.

Shop the new Core Merino Collection at SITKA to check out all the style, camo and color options!

Core Merino Lineup

Sitka doesn’t report exact merino content percentages — for instance, the actual blend of merino-to-synthetic, which is a bit disappointing. Is it 50% merino? Or 65% percent? Or much lower? I’m not sure why Sitka isn’t reporting the merino content, but I’m guessing the company doesn’t want consumers choosing their base layer on a content percentage basis. Is 100% merino better than 75%? That depends on how much you care about durability, camo prints, and multi-day fit. Sitka seems to be aiming at high activity throughout multiple days with the ability to wear each merino piece as an outer layer that can stand up to more abuse than typical 100% merino. Either way, Sitka fans who are also merino fans will certainly be happy to see the new lineup.

Here’s a current list of the new Sitka Core Merino Collection, with a few direct links to the likely most popular pieces:

Core Merino 120 Series:

• Men’s Core Merino 120 LS Crew
• Men’s Core Merino 120 SS Crew
• Men’s Core Merino 120 Hoody
• Men’s Core Merino 120 Bottom
• Women’s Core Merino 120 LS
• Women’s Core Merino 120 Bottom

Core Merino 220 Series:

• Men’s Core Merino 220 Half-Zip
• Men’s Core Merino 220 Bottom
• Men’s Core Merino 220 Boxer
• Women’s Core Merino 220 Half-Zip

Core Merino 330 Series:

• Men’s Core Merino 330 Half-Zip
• Men’s Core Merino 330 Hoody
• Men’s Core Merino 330 Bottom
• Men’s Core Merino 330 Zip-Off Bottom
• Women’s Core Merino 330 Half-Zip
• Women’s Core Merino 330 Hoody
• Women’s Core Merino 330 Legging
• Merino 330 Glove
• Merino 330 Beanie

While the Core Merino 220 is essentially a doubling of the 120 series, the 330 series has a slightly different construction. The Sitka 330 series uses polyester on the interior of the garment with the ArmorSpun merino on the outer. Sitka says the polyester wicks moisture away from your body better and keeps you drier while the merino maintains its thermoregulating properties.

Shop the New Sitka Core Merino Collection:

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