Embers Merino Zip Print Topo - First Look

Embers Merino Zip Printed 'Topo' - First Look

 

Price: £49

Weight: 220 grammes (medium)

Features: Zip-neck, long-sleeved, lightweight merino wool baselayer top made from Mountainskin 185 pure merino jersey - 185 grammes per square metre, 18.5 micron fibres), 28cm YKK zip with rubber-tipped puller, seamless underarm panel, flatlocked stitching throughout, embers embroidery at hip, 5cm high collar,  slight drop tail, topo print on sleeves.

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What's It For?

Like all baselayers, it's designed to be worn next to your skin and manage the moisture you produce when working hard, erm, let's call it sweat. It's also intended to be comfortable and will have some, insulation value, though because this is a lightweight merino, it's really intended to be suitable for all-year-round use. 

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The Techy Bits

Merino's really taken off over the past few years, but it's worth going over the basics again, because they're what make merino different from synthetic baselayers. Merino wool is made from the wool of merino sheep - yes, obviously - and has extremely fine fibres. This means it doesn't scratch like traditional, coarser wool, so even if you find most wool uncomfortable, merino should be fine against your delicate skin.


It has anti-bacterial properties, which means you can wear it repeatedly, without stinking. It feels warm when the weather's cold and cool when it's hot. And it's also fire retardent. Its big difference compared to synthetics, is the way it handles moisture - whereas most polyester baselayer wick water outwards, merino wool primarily absorbs it and holds it away from your skin, so you stay comfortable, even when the fabric becomes damp. It's also slightly exothermic, so generates a small amount of heat when it does get wet.

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How It Performed

At £49 for a baselayer, you're entitled to expect something pretty good and so far, the Embers top hasn't disappointed. It seems reasonably well made, with non-chafing, flat-locked seams throughout, and sports a slight drop tail for extra nether region protection. The underarms are seamless for, well, underarm comfort as are the tops of the shoulders for pack friendliness. Where it does fall down a little is with some slightly basic stitching around the zip area - we'd expect a slicker finish at this price - and the use of a label inside the collar, when a flat heat transfer would make more sense.

It's also our favourite style - long sleeve and collar for sun protection / warmth plus zip for instant venting - and has a close body-hugging fit. Basically it does what it says on Embers' sizing chart. Looks nice too with unusual contour line prints on the sleeves and shoulders. And the YKK zip is reversed for a clean look.


All of which wouldn't matter a jot if the top didn't perform. The good news is that so far it's been excellent. It's very comfortable and the fine weight fabric means it should be fine in warmer weather and also suits hot-blooded, fast movers.

As usual with merino, it handles moisture well, though the finer grade fabric, does means that lots of sweating will eventually overwhelm it - if you have a steam bath type of metabolism, you may be better off with a good synthetic - though it still remains reasonably comfortable, even when quite damp. Smells like wet sheep mind, though not unpleasant...

The other big plus is that you can use over and over again without stinking the place out. We wore it five days running and it was still fresh and fragrant even then. That's great for multi-day trips and treks when you don't always have the option to wash clothing regularly.


Speaking of washing, the one downside of merino is that it's a little less durable than synthetics. We suggest you follow the washing instructions carefully and also avoid mixing merino garments with zips and Velcroed stuff where possible. So far the Embers top has survived two machine washes without shrinkage or damage. We'll report back if that changes. One thing we did notice is that some of the print lines on the sleeves are starting to crack and with further use, may start to wear off, so we'll be keeping an eye on those.

Initial Verdict

We like merino, it's real feel good stuff, and the multi-wearability rocks. The good news is that the Embers top, so far, is up there with the best we've tried in performance. The beautifully soft lightweight fabric adds versatility - wear it in hot or cold conditons - and touches likes the seamless under and over-arm areas do help to justify the asking price. We do have a couple of quibbles with the finish, but that shouldn't make any functional difference and we are being a little picky.

We also like the topo print, but  for £45, you can have what's basically the same design but in two-coloured mode and without the print. So far then, so good.

Lightweight useability, nice format and all the usual good quality merino attributes.  Collar stitching clunky,  label instead of heat transfer. Durability of print?

Embers Merino web site

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