Merino Wool: Ultimate Dressed-Up Travel Shirt

[leadin]I love merino wool. You can wear it for days without stink or clamminess, perfect for long trips and international travel.[/leadin]

Merino’s legendary antimicrobial properties make it a great material for long days of wear, so it is prized in activities like mountaineering and hiking. It stays warm when wet and can be comfortable in warm weather.

But most merino wool clothing is quite “tech” oriented, with base layers, sweaters, insulation, and jackets making the lion’s share of merino products.

Enter Libertad Apparel, a company that has made a dressy “travel” shirt that has the benefits of merino wool materials.

Libertad sent over a shirt for testing, and so far I’m impressed. Far from the typical “safari” style travel shirt, the Libertad looks like a nice dress shirt out of the box.

Fine Material For Business Or Pleasure

Libertad weaves the merino cloth from 18 micron yarn, which is quite fine and results in a fabric that feels much like a cotton or linen dress shirt against the skin.

It also looks a lot like a cotton dress shirt.

This is a shirt that puts fashion right up there with function. It’s a shirt that will fit in under a suit or paired with a tie.

But with a simple, solid color palette, classic tailoring and easily rolled and button sleeves, it’s the kind of shirt you can wear in pretty much any urban environment and fit right in.

Versatile Travel Shirt

I’ve worn the Libertad shirt several times in varying temperatures, and agree with the company’s claims that it can be worn across a wide range of temps.

Anywhere around room temperature, or even a little above or below, and this is a comfortable, good-looking shirt.

However, it is a long-sleeve shirt; when the temperature soars, it’s just too much shirt for me. Anything above around 90º F and a long-sleeve is more than I want to wear.

Fortunately, the Libertad cuffs are easy to roll and stay up above the forearm as long as you want. The fabric is light and airy, and for moderate temperatures, this is a wool shirt that will be comfortable.

If you see a lot of train or rickshaw rides in your future and want a shirt that will fit in at nice restaurants and even business meetings, check out Libertad. The brand is fund-raising now on Kickstarter, where the shirts are available for $97 … not cheap, but not bad for a nice dress shirt.

Given that it’s made from high quality merino wool, the shirt is reasonably priced and should be a favorite for long days of wear when stink resistance is a priority.