Embers Merino Wing Zip Baselayer

The Embers Merino Wing Zip Base Layer is a looker. Available in a variety of colours, it's the wing design that really catches the eye. It's soft, warm and comfortable too.

Embers Merino produce products of a similar quality and functionality to perhaps better known manufacturers such as Icebreaker and Smartwool, but to my mind, their bold graphics and jewel box colours, coupled with their very reasonable prices make them well worth looking at. Plus, they are a British company.

Made from Merino wool sourced from New Zealand (where the best quality Merino all comes from), this top is built to last and yet it's incredibly soft next to the skin, part of what elevates Merino above any other type of wool. At just 205g this top is a base layer which can happily be used as part of a layering system. Or, as the weather gets warmer, it's well suited to being worn with a gilet or alone as a jersey type top when you can really, ahem, spread your wings.

The fit is sleek without being super tight for its size, and there's plenty of length in the body and sleeves. Offset seams mean a rucksack or the like isn't going to make it rub if you're a commuter using it for the work run.

I found it to be extremely comfortable on the bike, keeping my temperature good and stable, no matter how hard I was working. Merino doesn't wick moisture quite as quickly as some synthetics, and it's worth bearing that in mind when using it as a baselayer under a synthetic outer, but it's great at heat management and staying warm even when a sudden cloud burst hits.

It also breathes really well, helping to avoid overheating and sweating in the first place. The zip neck was really great for allowing a bit of extra ventilation as well. The lack of any pockets was not a problem as wearing it with a gilet meant access to pockets was available there. A small zipped pocket somewhere on the side might have made it even more useful for those rare stand alone occasions.

One of the best things I have found using Embers Merino is its endurance. I've had and abused a similar top over some 10 years and although the funky fish pattern on one sleeve has faded and peeled slightly (not much) the top itself is still resolutely going strong and it still doesn't have any hint of an aroma, unlike synthetics of a similar vintage.

In my book, £55 is a bargain for a top that will just keep on being useful all year round for a very long number of years.

Verdict

Bargain for a good-looking and seriously long lasting performance product, from a British company.