I was quite excited to try out the Icebreaker wool thermal after reading great things about their stuff on a few forums. Taking the shirt out of the box, it was clear that it was a well-made garment, but also clear that these shirts are sized pretty radically. I typically wear small or medium shirt''s depending on manufacturer, but after finding that both Smart Wool and 33 Degrees'' wool base-layers fit about perfectly in size small, I decided to get the Oasis in a small too. The icebreaker fits much, much differently. The shirt''s arms comfortably fit my frame but without even lifting up my arms, I could tell that the shirt was not long enough. If I lifted up my arms, my stomach would be exposed and the shirt wouldn''t stay tucked in.Would be a great shirt for a short person with long-arms, but if you are tall and somewhat lanky like I am, Smartwool or 33 degrees is the way to go.
This 200 weight Icebreaker solves all those issues. The neck never loses shape and the body never wrinkles or gets loose due to the elasticity of the fabric. The sleeves and seams stay put and the whole shirt is as good on day 3 as day 1. It still does not stink in the field. Its light enough to not be prone to sweating out by exertion, but warm enough to wear alone in cool weather.
I had some concerns upon purchase. There were old reviews of this shirt that mentioned heat transfered label on the shirt coming off with wear, the shirt does not reccomend machine drying, and the sizing, which is based on chest size seemed off from other clothes. The shirt now uses a high quality embroidered logo on the chest so the heat transfered logo is no longer an issue. I have continually machine washed and dried this shirt and it holds up even better than Smartwool, which reccomends a machine dry. Finally, the sizing is dead on if you use the chest sizing. At 6''2" 205, I wear an XL or sometimes a L in loose clothing. My chest size is exactly 46" which Icebreaker says is XXL. While different than other manufacturers, their sizing recommendation was dead on. This shirt is tighter than the Smartwool medium weights but not Underarmor tight. The ad picture is an accurate representation of fit if you follow the sizing recommendations. MEASURE YOUR CHEST BEFORE ORDERING. Once you get the shirt, cut out the label on the inside of the body, its annoying.
All in all this is the best wool base layer made. Better than Smartwool, Patagonia, Minus 33 degrees, or anyone else.
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This shirt is top-notch! This piece is a little thin to be wearing alone on cooler days, but excellent when it''s warmer out, as well as when layered with outerwear for skiing, hiking, and so on. The fit is a little snug, but not UnderArmour tight, as long as you give yourself a little room. I''m 6''3" and a lean 180lbs, and I went XL just to be safe. Turns out the sizing was right on; the shirt hugs around the chest, shoulders, and arms, but doesn''t constrict at all. The seams lay flat to the skin so well that it feels like one solid piece of fabric. On top of all that, it looks nice enough that you can wear it as a standalone piece in most any situation, as long as the climate permits. I can''t wait to hit the slopes with this on!Read Best Reviews of Icebreaker Men''s Oasis Crewe Bodyfit 200 Here
I have a lot of different technical wool clothes and Icebreaker is the best by far for high performance activities. I can wear them when I mountain ski at -20C with just a windproof vest on it and it keeps me warm and the most important point: dry. Any other tech first layer hasn''t ever managed to keep me dry and that is a very important issue in very aerobic and cold conditions like mountain skiing.They don''t make me ichy, they are confy and you can''t feel at all that is wool. They don''t smell and you can reuse them a lot of times without washing or feeling unconfortable.
I''m also a minimilastic runner ( I run with barefoot shoes) so I appreciate a clear contact with nature and icebreaker provides a natural feeling that doesn''t isolate you from the environment that surrounds you.
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Icebreaker of course is top quality. about as non-scratchy as you''ll get with a wool product. Lasts forever. I like the tight fit so I can use it under all types of other clothes (shirts, sweaters as well as jackets). Only downside of icebreaker is it ain''t cheap. But i bought three of these to replace some cheap ones I had bought that I just wasn''t wearing cause they weren''t that comfortable.
