Odlo's Synergy fabric combines a merino wool inner knit with polyester outer and is intended to give the best of both worlds, but does it work?
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Odlo Synergy Top
Tested
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Price: £
we're not sure...
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Weight: 187 grammes (men's
large)
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Features:
Long-sleeved crew-neck base-layer top using combination of
merino wool and polyester , flat
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Comfortable and odour resistant.
Lack of zip and collar, though these are available on a
different garment, small sizing.
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The
Concept Odlo, along with a couple of other brands, notably Macpac
and Helly Hansen has taken to combining merino wool with synthetic
fibres with the aim being a 'best of both worlds' solution to
baselayers.
A merino lining - 34 per-cent - is teamed with a wicking polyester
outer - 66 per-cent, doh - so the merino should provide comfort
against the skin plus a high degree of odour resistance. The exterior
polyester fibres are reckoned to transport moisture efficiently for
rapid evaporation of sweat plus are tougher than the fine, soft
merino fibres, so giving greater durability.The top is part of Odlo's
cold weather range, but given the joys of British weather is pretty
much fine outside high summer.
Features We've already covered the fabric, otherwise this top
is a simply, long-sleeved crew with flatlock seams and no seam
directly on top of the shoulder. There's a transfer instead of a
potentially scratchy label at the neck and that's about it really.
In Action To be brutally honest, this is the first baselayer
from the Norwegian company that we've been impressed by. Previous
Odlo kit we've tried using PES, their polyester fabric, has wicked
poorly and with any sort of high tempo activity ended up as a soggy
mess. We've also seen lab test results that bear this out.
With
that in mind, we were prepared to be pretty unimpressed with the
Synergy kit as well. The good news is that we were in for a pleasant
surprise. The inside and outside of the garment are visually
different with the merino inner layer a lighter colour. It didn't
feel as soft and luxurious against the skin as pure merino, but was
still comfortable and a definite step up from the shiny, slick feel
of some synthetic fabrics.
It also seemed to wick better than previous Odlo fabrics we've
used. Maybe that's just the added comfort of the merino and its
ability to absorb moisture, but we reckon that while it's not quite
as effective as the very best pure synthetics when it comes to
wicking performance, it's significantly closer than other Odlo kits
we've used.
As a big bonus, the merino also seemed to endow the whole garment
with pong-free performance over several days, always useful on a long
trip or if you can't be bothered with the washing. What, us? We would
have preferred a collar and zip-neck design, but that is available in
the same fabric.
The merino / polyester combination is more than a marketing gimmick
and this is is the first Odlo base layer we've used that we'd
actually consider buying. The merino is comfortable against the skin
and anti-pong too which for once the outer polyester fabric appears
to live up to its claims of dissipating moisture.
Not quite as effective as the top-wicking synthetics, but not far
behind either. Sizing seems to be on the small side, which is worth
looking out for, and we'd go for the zip-neck option in preference to
the less versatile crew.
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Performance
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Value
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