I’ve tested the best women’s merino underwear so you don’t have to!
The clothing you wear when tramping (hiking) is a key factor in your comfort and safety. This also includes underwear sitting directly on your skin!
Merino underwear are a great option for hiking – merino dries quickly, is breathable and odour resistant, and just generally feels healthier than other materials (e.g. cotton or bamboo) for wearing down there. But there are so many brands to choose from and they’re not cheap, so which is the best? I’ve tested offerings from some of the main New Zealand brands. Here are my recommendations!
Alchemy Equipment Underwear
Alchemy Equipment kindly sent me their Superfine Merino Underwear to try. They normally cost NZ$50 but do go on sale.
Pros: similar to the Icebreaker underwear reviewed below, these are very lightweight and quick drying. They’re also the stretchiest pair that I’ve tried, which made them so comfy. Alchemy Equipment is a small New Zealand company with an amazing philosophy.
Cons: expensive. The thinner elastic edges might dig in for some people, but I found that because they’re stretchy this wasn’t an issue. I wondered about the longevity due to the thinner material, but they’ve held up for over a year of being my favourite underwear.
Icebreaker Merino Underwear
I bought the Icebreaker Siren bikini briefs to trial. They normally cost NZ$59.99 per pair, but OnceIt was having a sale so I only paid $29.99.
Pros: super lightweight and very quick drying, 83% wool.
Cons: expensive (although the most affordable option if buying through OnceIt). A thinner waistband which can dig in or fold over for curvier ladies. An annoyingly long tag that you need to cut off (not a biggie but means you then don’t have the sizing or washing advice). As of 2017, Icebreaker is no longer a New Zealand company.
Mons Royale Merino Underwear
I tried the Sylvia Boyleg (pictured) and the FOLO Brief from Mons Royale. They both cost NZ$49.95 when not on sale. I honestly didn’t notice that much difference between the two styles, the boyleg errs on the side of a bikini style rather than a strict boyleg.
Pros: nice medium weight (between Icebreaker and Macpac), also with 83% wool. Slightly thicker waistband than Icebreaker which I found comfier. New Zealand company based out of Wanaka (although an international brand now).
Cons: expensive. Still has a long tag but better placed than on the Icebreaker briefs. Not as stretchy as Icebreaker or Alchemy Equipment.
Macpac Merino Underwear
I bought the 180 Merino Brief (pictured) and 180 Merino Boxers (hotpants) from Macpac. Both cost NZ$49.99 at full price, but I got them on sale for $39.99.
Pros: the brief was very comfy. Thickest weight material and highest wool content (95%) compared to the others so nice and warm, although not quite as quick drying.
Cons: expensive (we get it, merino is expensive!). The boxers/hotpants were the least comfy brief I tried by far. They kept riding up, but this is likely just personal preference as I’ve had some friends recommend them as the ones they prefer to wear.
So what’s the best brand to choose??
My personal preference would be the Alchemy Equipment briefs (especially when they’re on sale), closely followed by either of the two Mons Royale styles I tried. If you prefer Icebreaker, definitely check out OnceIt for a much cheaper sale price.
As much as I would have liked to uncover some massive red flags to share, all four brands passed the bar and it’s really about finding what fits your particular body best. I would chose the brief that most closely resembles the style of underwear that you already own and find the most comfortable.
If you have a strong preference for a particular merino underwear, comment below to let me (and others) know which one and why! I’d be interested to hear if there are any winners I missed.
How to avoid ruining your expensive merino
Some common feedback I got from my social media was that some people (not all) found their merino underwear deteriorated really quickly (much of this feedback was specifically about Icebreaker, but I would imagine it would be similar across the board).
Merino is wool – a natural fibre – so it’s really important to avoid using normal washing detergents (and boosters like Napisan), which can cause damage like holes and bleaching. If you want help lengthen the lifecycle of your wool clothes (and when they’re that expensive, you have a lot of incentive to do so!), use a dedicated wool detergent, and a wool/delicate cycle no warmer than 30 degrees Celsius. Don’t wash wool with material that can cause damage (zips, hooks, velcro).
Where to next?
Heuristic Traps in Tramping
Heuristic traps cause fatalities in the backcountry every year. Read this article for an explanation of what they are and how to avoid them.
Where can you wild camp in New Zealand?
It can be a bit confusing knowing where you can legally (and ethically) free camp in New Zealand. Read this article to school yourself on where you should be camping.
Thanks for the research. I am writing from the UK and bought merino briefs online from Howies (based in Wales) and Dilling (a Danish company). Howies briefs are by far the best – the cut is good and the waistband is a proper waistband. Wash really well on a 30 degree cycle. I bought Dilling briefs and boy leg shorts – both washed badly however I must say I did not use the Dilling detergent they recommend: I used a plant-based organic laundry liquid and washed them on a wool cycle and delicates at 30 degrees. Dillings have “woolled up” a bit and definitely shrunk – I stretch them when they come out of the machine. So in the UK Howies are great. Not easy finding merino briefs in the UK. Will try MamaOwl and Cambridge Baby next for comparison. Needless to say – all are expensive!
Thanks so much for sharing Anita! Sounds like expense is similar no matter you location. To be honest I thought they’d be more choice here in New Zealand where we have a lot of merino sheep and use it in our activewear clothing! Glad to hear you’re finding some options in the UK
Any suggestions for full brief plus size options?? I suspect not, but hoping you may have seen some one where!!
No sadly, the biggest size I could find with all of these brands was XL, so it doesn’t look as though NZ has a lot more options unless I’m missing one. Overseas suppliers might have more inclusive sizes but shipping might be $$
Just a heads up for readers – I’ve been a long time merino underwear fan, and only and wore Macpac Merino briefs for yonks, however I’ve found in the last couple of years the quality has really deteriorated and I’ve decided to stop buying them – even on special. They barely last a few months before the merino starts to get holes, especially near the waistband. I wash by hand and wear a size up too – so they are not stretched to avoid putting stress on the fabric.
This was a hard call as they are easily the best design, and most comfy merino I’ve tried.
My advice would be Mons Royale Merino, a tad more expensive but so far quality holds up very well.
Thanks Catie! My Macpac pairs are still going strong but they’re not my preferred ones so I do tend to wear them less often. I’ll be interested to see how they keep holding up! I like the Alchemy Equipment ones the best after trying them all for almost a year so wear them the most often 🙂
Hi, I’d be interested to know which ones have seams on the sides. I find side seams dig in to me when I am lying on my side on a DOC mattress. For this reason I have tended to wear Bendon cotton undies which don’t have seams on the sides, but I am considering getting a merino brief for travelling. It’s hard to see where the seams are from photos on the web which makes internet shopping difficult. Thanks for the reviews!
Kia ora Cheryl! I’ll send you an email with the photos – some have off-centre seams on the sides which might work?
Thank you! Yes off-centre seams usually work much better.
I’ve just sent the email (honestly the correspondence I’ve sent/received about this article has been ridiculous – who would have guessed I’d be sending photos of my underwear to a person on the internet!). Anyway, hopefully you find the pictures of the seams helpful!