Unbound Merino Review- The Best Clothes To Wear In Hot Weather (2024)

When it comes to hot weather, the last thing you want is to feel weighed down by your clothes. (Just thinking about it makes me sweat.)

But finding clothes that are lightweight, breathable, and stylish can be a challenge. And let's not forget about the hassle of washing and drying them on the go.

Enter Unbound Merino, a clothing company specializing in merino wool travel clothing perfect for hot weather.

I've been field testing 4 new items I purchased from Unbound Merino this year. This brings my total to 6 pieces of clothing from the company that I've been wearing for 4+ years.

1. Unbound Merino Crew Neck T-shirt ( x 3 colors)
2. Unbound Merino Active T-shirt
3. Unbound Merino Polo Shirt
4. Unbound Merino Button Up Shirt

I have built an almost complete traveler wardrobe from merino wool. I still have a few synthetic dri-fit-style shirts for working out, but I'll be slowly replacing my entire wardrobe with Unbound as shirts wear out.

Unbound Merino is a clothing company founded by three friends with a love for global music festivals and road trips. They discovered the power of merino wool but found the available apparel too geared towards outdoor adventure use.

What they found lacked the style and versatility required for their nomadic lifestyle. After researching and workshopping their ideas, they launched a crowdfunding campaign with a simple t-shirt.

Thus, Unbound Merino was born.

Their origin story starts with the perfect merino wool shirt for hot weather but expands to a complete collection, including athletic gear, hoodies, pants, shorts, socks, and more.

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Unbound Merino is a Canadian clothing brand focusing on high-quality, stylish clothing made from ultrafine merino wool. Unbound Merino's clothing line is designed to be timeless and adaptable to any environment, making it perfect for travelers who want to pack less and still look great.

Whether you're hiking atop a cool mountain or exploring a new city, Unbound Merino's clothing line offers simplicity, versatility, and performance.

Unbound Merino's area of expertise is clothing for travel and life abroad. Their classic style, designs, and fabric technology are ideal for expats living abroad in hot and humid countries.

They design clothes for people who are on the go and want simplicity and no-fuss comfortable clothing. Their collection of merino wool travel clothing is fashionable and practical. They recognize that expats need wrinkle-free, stink-free, comfortable, durable, and quick-drying material while maintaining style.

• Headquarters: Ontario Canada
• Founded: 2016
• Unbound Merino sources all its wool from Certified ethical and humane independent farms in Australia.
• The company is dedicated to creating durable clothing that can perform well in hot tropical weather, endure heavy day-to-day use, and last a lifetime.
• Their clothing line incorporates the unique performance properties of Merino wool into practical clothing for hot weather with classic styles.
• Unbound Merino clothing is tested to stand up to the rigors of travel and expat life abroad.

Yes, Unbound Merino has a stellar reputation, and the company stands by the clothes they sell. You get 90 days from the delivery date to check your new clothes' performance, quality, and fit. If you are unhappy, you are eligible for a full refund.

Additionally, Unbound Merino offers replacement of any clothing purchased from them that doesn't stand up to the everyday wear, tear, and rigors of daily life overseas.

Unbound Merino wool clothing is a game-changer in hot weather. Thanks to its hygroscopic properties, sweat vapor and liquid wick away quickly, creating a dry and cool microclimate next to your skin, even on hot and humid days. The natural properties of merino wool allow it to regulate body temperature, keeping the wearer cool in hot weather.

Synthetic materials like Dri-fit work well in wicking sweat away from the skin but do nearly nothing with sweat vapor generated by your body in humid environments. Cotton fabric is the opposite; great with sweat vapor but terrible at dealing with liquid sweat. Cotton shirts stay wet and heavy with sweat.

In contrast, Unbound Merino wool is highly absorbent. It can soak up 35% of its weight in moisture while wicking sweat away from your body. Clothes stop feeling damp and clingy to the skin, keeping you dry and comfortable.

This unique ability makes Unbound Merino clothing an ideal choice for hot weather clothing.

Merino wool's efficient sweat absorption and evaporation keep you feeling cooler and more comfortable in hot weather and create an inhospitable environment for stinky bacteria to grow.

Additionally, merino wool has a waxy coating called lanolin. This natural antibacterial agent prevents the spread of bacteria that cause clothes to get stinky. The lanolin works in concert with merino's natural amino acids cysteine and arginine. These natural antimicrobial amino acids blow up the cell walls of bacteria, preventing them from multiplying.

These two natural features are why merino wool clothing doesn't smell compared to polyester or cotton. Unbound Merino clothing's hygroscopic properties, combined with its breathability, moisture-wicking, and quick-drying abilities, make it the perfect choice for anyone looking for comfortable and odor-resistant clothing in hot weather.

Tropical weather comes with tropical rain. Whether riding a motorbike in Thailand, touring temples in Cambodia, or heading to the market in Vietnam, the rainy season in Southeast Asia means you'll inevitably get wet. Trying to dry off after getting caught in a flash rain storm is a pain in the ass- doubly so if you're wearing a cotton shirt.

Cotton is thick and heavy. Generally, the thicker the fabric, the more moisture it can retain and the longer it takes to dry. Unbound Merino lightweight fine-spun Merino wool clothing trounces cotton in quick dry ability. In fact, starting at ultra-fine 16.5 microns and weighing just 150 gsm, Unbound Merino lightweight t-shirts dry as quickly as any synthetic performance fabric of comparable weight.

One of the biggest benefits of merino clothing in scorching weather and sun is the abilitytoprotect against UV radiation.The unique structure of the merino wool fibers creates a natural barrier against the sun's harmful rays.

The natural UV resistance properties of merino wool provide the rough equivalent to SPF 30+ protection.

Hot, sweaty, sticky, AND itchy sounds like you are describing a terrible medical condition. The last thing you want when living in a hot country is too tight, rough, or scratchy clothes.

Unbound Merino works closely with their growers to select the finest fibers for their clothing, making them a fantastic choice for next-to-skin layers that won't irritate or itch. Gone are the days of itchy, heavy, and bulky traditional wool you might remember from a sweater your parents made you wear decades ago.

The secret sauce is how Unbound Merino spins their fabrics- the finer the fiber and the softer it is to wear. Unbound Merino clothing starts at just 16.5 microns. Superfine fibers are so light that the wool bends when they touch the skin, causing no irritation or itch.

Unbound Merino's modern wool clothes only use luxurious fine-spun lightweight merino wool that is non-itchy, as soft as cotton, and super comfortable to wear even in hot climates.

When you combine Unbound Merino's breathable and fast-drying fabrics with its anti-microbial and anti-stink benefits, you get clothes that almost clean themselves. Merino wool naturally stays fresher and cleaner for longer than other fabrics and doesn't need to be washed as often. I simply hang my Unbound Merino shirts out in the open next to a fan or, even better, near the air conditioner. I can go WEEKS of without doing laundry.

Ideal for minimalist wardrobes, with Unbound Merino, you can enjoy the benefits of easy maintenance without sacrificing style or comfort.

All Unbound Merino's apparel is made using a high percentage of merino wool. One of the practical benefits of merino wool is that it is naturally wrinkle-resistant, unlike other fabrics like linen or cotton, requiring ironing or steaming.

Merino wool fibers are crimped to function like a tightly coiled spring, which tightens back into shape after being pulled. This allows Unbound Merino clothing to be packed in a suitcase or backpack without worrying about wrinkles.

Additionally, removing any wrinkles is effortless - mist lightly with a spray bottle, and they will disappear within 10 minutes. The wrinkle resistance adds to the effortless upkeep making Unbound Merino's clothes perfect for travel or everyday wear.

The high-quality construction and tight weave of superfine merino wool are incredibly stretchy even after wearing the same shirt for several days straight. This feature adds to Unbound Merino's durability- their clothing will retain the same drape and shape for years.

Merino wool's ability to stretch with your body as you move and bounce back into shape makes Unbound Merino great for workouts, hikes, or even yoga. My Unbound Merino Active t-shirt is made with a naturally stretchy knit that allows for a trim fit but without feeling tight or restrictive while I'm working out.

The elasticity of merino wool ensures the shirt moves when I move and doesn't constrict my movements.

I'm a bit of a travel wear minimalist when I move countries. I've lived in over 12 countries and visited 50+ with only carry-on luggage. Fitting my entire wardrobe into just my carry-ons avoids extra baggage fees, waiting in line at baggage claim, or worse, dealing with the hassle of lost luggage.

Even if you don't go to the same extremes as me, Unbound Merino wool clothes are some of the best men's clothes for travel. Merino wool is naturally compact and packable, allowing you to pack more clothing options in the same amount of luggage space.

Perfect for longer trips or digital nomads, the anti-wrinkle and odor-proof properties of merino wool make laundry a breeze.

One piece of Unbound clothing is adaptable to multiple situations, allowing you to wear one item for different outfits without taking up too much space in your luggage.

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Ok. Affordable may be a stretch. The extra cost of Unbound Merino seems expensive at first glance, but its value makes it worth the investment. Unlike other clothing, Unbound Merino's high-quality construction ensures durability that will last years. A single merino t-shirt will last longer than 4 or 5 cheaper cotton t-shirts.

Plus, its unique properties of merino wool mean that it doesn't retain odor, so you can wear it multiple times without washing, making it perfect for travel. Versatile and stylish clothes mean you can wear the same clothes for various activities, from working out in the morning, a social setting during the day, or dining at a fancy restaurant at night.

Overall, the quality, durability, and versatility make Unbound Merino worth the price, plus the company offers money-saving bundles like this 3-pack of Unbound Merino wool t-shirts or this Hoodie you can pair with a v-neck t-shirt.

Unbound Merino not only makes some of the best lightweight clothing for men, but you can wear Unbound Merino clothing with a guilt-free conscience. Unbound Merino aims to encourage people to buy higher quality clothing pieces and fewer of them, promoting a more sustainable approach to fashion.

While many companies talk a good game about being eco-friendly, Unbound Merino invests money in certifications to ensure their clothes are made with sustainable and ethical practices.

The company sources its wool from independent, mulesing-free wool farms in Australia, guaranteeing cruelty-free treatment of the sheep. Unbound Merino's Merino wool is also Woolmark® certified. It adheres to the highest standards for fiber content, performance, color fastness, and dimensional stability.

The company is also certified by RWS (Responsible Wool Standard), ensuring their wool meets animal welfare and land management standards. Their WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production) certification means their processes use safe, lawful, humane, and ethical manufacturing.

The benefits merino wool has several advantages over cotton clothing. The moisture-wicking properties of merino wool clothing are a fantastic choice to keep you refreshingly dry in hot weather.

In contrast, cotton clothing sucks up moisture like a sponge but releases sweat slowly. You end up feeling damp and uncomfortable.

Additionally, Unbound Merino wool clothing is odor-resistant. It can be worn for extended periods without washing. In contrast, cotton clothing often requires frequent washing due to its tendency to trap odors.

High-end performance synthetic fabrics like Dri-fit match merino wool's ability to regulate your body temperature by wicking sweat away from your skin to evaporate. However, some cheaper or generic synthetic fabrics do not breathe well, making wool more comfortable to wear in humidity.

Merino wool really pulls away from Dri-fit when it comes to handling stinky odors. My Nike Dri-fit shirts get funky after walking around town to grab lunch, and smell terrible after one workout. My Unbound Merino t-shirts can go days or even weeks without a wash and still not stink.

Unbound Merino's versatile styling can work as casual wear, workout gear, or even a date night outfit. Wearing compression Dri-fit clothes in public makes it look like you are heading to or from a sweaty gym.

Lastly, merino wool is a natural, renewable resource. Workout clothes made of synthetic fabrics are made from non-renewable resources, spew microplastics into our oceans, and contribute to the pollution of our planet.

Merino wool is more versatile than linen. While both are lightweight and breathable, linen wrinkles like made and is a pain to maintain. On the other hand, merino wool is wrinkle-resistant and easy to care for, making it an excellent choice for travel and everyday wear.

Linen's stiffer structure has a more sophisticated drape. Still, the natural stretch and elasticity of merino wool make it a fantastic choice for athletic wear. You would look ridiculous wearing a linen shirt to the gym.

In terms of comfort, linen, and Merino wool fabric are great options for hot weather. Linen's open weave and lightweight nature provide a breezy feel. At the same time, Merino wool is softer and more comfortable against the skin than linen while still keeping you cool and stink-free.

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