RedRam is part of the already established Ice Breaker family of merino wool products. Together they share a passion for creating garments from sustainable and ethically sourced merino wool. If you’re not familiar with merino wool, you should know that it’s a fantastic organic insulator and wicking material perfect for high-performance athletic wear. RedRam and Ice Breaker ethically harvest their wool from sheep farmers in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. In this environment the sheep will experience temperatures from 95F (35C) to -4F (-20C) and grow an enormously dense coat of wool, without such a heavy-duty insulator the sheep would not survive.
I received both the long sleeve and short sleeve top, as well as the companion shorts and long johns. Upon pulling them out of the package and feeling the material I was quite pleased, they’re not itchy at all, the seams all flat-lock stitching so you hardly feel them, the waistband is stretchy but comfortable even the tag looks nice. They really do look and feel nice on your skin. After trying them on my girlfriend pointed out that they’re slightly see through, and that she now understands why guys are so fond of girls that wear “tights as pants.” Don’t worry, I have no plans on leaving the house without real pants on.
I will be testing these over the next few weeks with some fall fishing, and maybe even some camping. Most of all, I’m going to put this ‘everyday’ moniker to the test. Going from the cold streets of Toronto to a stuffed and humid TTC streetcar for an hour and then back in to the cold should test both its warmth and wicking powers in a very real world scenario.
October 24, 2011 by Clive Mathias