WIRED favorite apparel company Unbound Merino has kicked off its Black Friday sale with deals on our favorite merino wool clothing. This is the only sale of the year for Unbound Merino (though you can sign up for the mailing list, which offers coupons and deals), and it’s a great chance to round out your travel wardrobe with some excellent merino wool.
From casual, everyday T-shirts, to underwear, socks, and great merino travel pants, Unbound has a little something for everyone. We’ve combed through the site and found a few of our favorite deals. Be sure to see our guide to the Best Merino Wool T-shirts, Best Merino Wool Clothes, and the Best Base Layers for more great merino wool options.
What’s So Great About Merino Wool?
Merino wool is great because you’re stealing a sheep’s ability to keep itself warm or cool based on the temperatures it’s in. This is a process often referred to as thermoregulation. Merino sheep have thinner, softer wool than what most people think of when they think of wool. The sheep evolved this soft coat to keep them comfortable across a wide range of temperatures. The result is a fabric that’s comfortable to wear next to your skin. For the softest tees, look for fabrics that are either superfine or ultrafine—anything 17 µm or higher—like Unbound’s T-shirts.
Wool is sustainable, too. One sheep can produce 4 to 5 pounds of wool per year. While cotton has its place, and so does the occasional synthetic garment, merino wool is a remarkable fabric that’s the cornerstone of my wardrobe. I don’t think you can have too many merino pieces in your closet, but they’re not cheap, which is why we’re featuring these deals.
What’s So Great About Unbound Merino?
I like Unbound’s T-shirts because they’re 100 percent merino wool, no synthetics involved. That means all the antibacterial, odor-resistant, moisture-wicking, temperature-regulating goodness of merino wool … just works. I’ve found Unbound’s T-shirts in particular to be very quick-drying and wrinkle resistant, two of the reasons I think they’re the best merino T-shirts for travel. The company’s pants also have a very high wool percentage (95 percent), and they roll up nicely, making them very packable. Do you need special travel clothing? No, but Unbound’s merino wool is naturally odor-resistant, which means you need fewer pieces in your bag. The company also offers a 30-day guarantee. If you don’t like it, you can send it back.
How to Care for Merino Wool
Most merino products come with care instructions. Unbound Merino’s T-shirts should be washed cold with like colors, then laid flat to dry. Whatever you do, don’t bleach them and don’t tumble dry them. The latter is especially destructive. I do it to every wool T-shirt I test, and it makes me sad, but I know some of you won’t listen and will do it anyway, so I have to know what happens so I can warn you. Don’t tumble dry. Just put it on a drying rack. It doesn’t take more than a day. Seriously, you just spent $80 (on sale!) on a T-shirt; take care of it. Properly cared for, high-quality merino clothing like Unbound’s is incredibly durable and will last for years. Throw it in the dryer and the pilling starts almost immediately.
Do I always lay them flat to dry? No. When traveling I usually hand-wash in the sink and then drape them over the shower curtain rod to dry, which hasn’t seemed to have much negative impact. The issues with hanging wool to dry is that it will stretch out from the water weight. This is particularly true with 100 percent merino, like Unbound’s T-shirts.
I’ve never had a problem storing merino in my closet between wears, but for long-term storage, I recommend you take precautions against moths, which are notorious for eating holes in wool. I have lost merino garments to moths. I make sure to wash and thoroughly dry whatever I am storing, then I seal it in a compression bag. Another option is to put your merino garment in a cotton bag or otherwise wrap it in cotton and then put it in a plastic bin. It’s very important to make sure that the garment is completely dry before using any of these storage methods; otherwise your wool will smell musty and moldy. Other options include storing your garment in a cedar chest, which is a good natural deterrent for moths, or use moth traps or lavender sachets, which will repel the moths.
Unbound’s T-shirts were my introduction to the brand, and they’re still one of my favorite merino T-shirts. This T-shirt is incredibly soft, and because it’s 100 percent merino wool, it’ll stay odor-free for ages—as long as five or six days in my testing. This depends on local temps, what you’re doing, etc. I also love that the cut of Unbound’s crew neck merino T-shirt is not overly technical, like many merino T-shirts. This is just a regular, stylish T-shirt that doesn’t make you look like an Alex Honnold wannabe. It’s also lightweight and packs down to a tiny roll, which is perfect if you’re looking to simplify down to one bag. (Really, is there any other way to travel?)
The final thing I love about these is how fast they dry. In most climates, you can give it a wash in the sink at night, roll it up in a towel, wring it dry, lay it out flat, and it’ll be dry by morning. Speaking of, Unbound’s T-shirts do need to be babied a little. To help them last a long time I recommend hand washing and line-drying. Also note that while I like the merino crew neck, the V-neck is also on sale for $80 ($10 off).
Courtesy of Unbound Merino
Unbound Merino
Relaxed Merino Travel Pants
Unbound’s merino travel pants are a light and comfortable merino blend, with plenty of stretch and freedom of moment, thanks to the 5 percent elastane. These have a more formal look, and you might even be able to pull off going to office in them, depending on your office and how far your boss’s definition of “business casual” stretches. I’ve worn them to nice restaurants without a second look, and yet they don’t scream “I’ve got money” when you’re stumbling back to your hotel room at 2 am.
As you would expect from anything Unbound makes, these pack down fantastically small. You can pack two pairs of these for every pair of jeans. Again, for serious travelers looking to live out of a single carry-on bag, that’s huge. The only downside is that these are on the thin side, not something you’d want to wear alone in cold climates. If you’re like me and have to deal with winter, throw a good base layer underneath them and you’ll be fine. The slim fit pant is also on sale if that’s more your style.
Save More With a Bundle Deal
Courtesy of Unbound Merino
Unbound Merino
Travel Pants T-Shirt Bundle
One of the best ways to save on Unbound Merino T-shirts and pants is to go for the T-shirt bundles and other combo packs. Right now you can get the Travel Pants + T‑Shirt Bundle for $270 ($48 off). That saves you an extra $10 over buying the T-shirt and pants on sale individually. There are quite a few other bundles as well, including the T-shirt 3-pack for $220 ($50 off) which is $20 cheaper than buying three T-shirts on sale, and the boxer briefs pack for $75 ($15 off).
Other Great Deals
Courtesy of Unbound Merino
Unbound Merino
Merino Boxers
I know what you’re thinking: Wool underwear, isn’t that what 19th-century lumberjacks wore? Probably. Those lumberjacks were smart. They may not have had nice soft merino underwear like Unbound’s merino boxers, but at least they knew that wool underwear was warm without being hot, great at wicking moisture, and capable of several wears without undue odors. The women’s underwear is also on sale; editor Adrienne So tried it. The fabric is thick and even made its way through the dryer without warping and twisting.
These Unbound boxers are 84 percent merino wool, 12 percent nylon, and 4 percent spandex, for a soft, stretchy, comfortable fit. They’re 180 GSM (see our merino guide for exactly what GSM means), which makes them nice and light. The inseam here is 5.5 inches, and there’s no tag, which is nice.
Courtesy of Unbound Merino
Unbound Merino
Ultralight Travel Backpack
Unbound recently branched out beyond merino clothing to create this travel backpack. I haven’t had a chance to thoroughly test this quite yet, but I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks, and so far I’m impressed. This is a very well thought-out pack that strikes a nice balance between included organization, and leaving enough space to let you do your own organizing. I particularly like the pen holder and the tech pouch. I also like that when you don’t need it, it lies admirably flat inside another bag. It’s surprisingly comfortable for its size. At 15L, this is not a huge pack, it’s designed to be a supplement to your main luggage with just enough room for everything you need for the day.
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Courtesy of Unbound Merino
Unbound Merino
Long-Sleeve Merino Crew
I prefer the short-sleeve T-shirts, but if you want a long sleeve, this is the T-shirt for you. It’s essentially Unbound’s short sleeve T-shirt, just long sleeve. All the same descriptions apply here, and many of the same multipack bundles are available. You can grab a 2-pack of long sleeve merino tees for $180 ($46 off).
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