January 15, 2016

Merino Wool Explained

In the world of outdoor gear and clothing, Merino Wool is the buzz word on everybody’s lips. But are you fully aware of why brands like Mons Royale, Kari Traa and Vallerret (had to put it in there;-) and many other big brands are raving about merino wool as material? If not, this blog post will fill in the blanks.

It’s a fiber thing

The main key secret to Merino wool’s success lies in its exceptionally fine fibers, which make it the softest wool available.

For many years we’ve worn traditional wool clothing. Most of us will agree that wool beats synthetics out of the ring on performance. But remember that sweater grandma knitted you? Warm, yes sure. But itchy as hell and a heavy beast to carry around. It all comes down to differences in fibres. Let’s break it down in bullets:

Traditional wool: Thick fibres make it warm. But it’s heavy, itchy and takes forever to dry
Synthetics: Plastic fibres make it lightweight and fast drying. But it’s clammy, very stinky and highly flammable.
Merino Wool: Thin fibres make it warm in cold weather, cooler in warm weather. It’s soft, light, breathable and doesn’t stink when you break a sweat.

Regulates to body temperature

If you’ve ever worn a merino thermal/shirt/long johns you will know how even a thin layer of wool will keep you toasty warm but completely dry and comfortable. This super advanced technology is naturally developed by Merino Sheep – we’re in awe.

Merino wool regulates to body temperature when you wear it close to your skin – like on your hands – and has a natural ability to transports moisture (sweat, let’s be honest) away from your skin, unlike many synthetics. That’s called “wicking” and is why many athletic/sports brands are fanatics about merino wool.

Is it itchy? Seriously?

No. Unlike many other types of wool, Merino wool is super soft on your skin – and your hands – due to the fine fibres as stated above. It’s not as soft as the softest of fleece, but it’s pretty close.

We made this infographic a while back that outlines the overall benefits of Merino wool:

Why Merino wool is perfect for Photography Gloves

We’ve chosen 100 % Merino Wool as inner in our Photography Gloves solely for performance:

Even a thin layer of wool will keep your hands warm. This means that we can design a fitted glove ensuring a great feel with your camera without compromising on warmth.
Wicking will keep your hands dry on warmer days out. Wave sweaty fleece glove hands goodbye.

Get your own pair of photography gloves with merino wool

Watch out for different qualities in wool

Not all Merino sheep are created equal. In fact, as a consumer keep in mind that the qualities of 100 % Merino Wool can vary quite drastically especially in regards to softness. In the process of selecting Merino Wool suppliers, we experienced first hand the differences in the qualities of the material samples we received – all with the label “100 % Merino Wool”.

Some merino wool suppliers practice mulesing, which is a practice of mulesing which is the removal of strips of wool-bearing skin from around the breech (buttocks) of a sheep to prevent the parasitic infection flystrike. We do not work with suppliers who practice mulesing making our wool cruelty-free.

So that was a yarn about Merino Wool. During Winter, I practically wear merino wool from top to toe. Nothing beats it in my mind when you’re out and active, but it’s also really great for those colder days sitting still working with your laptop. Office wear. Well, at least when you’re an entrepreneur where every day is casual Friday – merino is warmly welcomed in my office.

Capture later,

/Stine

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Help With Sizing

FIND YOUR SIZE:

Measure around the widest part of your hand with a relaxed open palm.
Measure from base of hand to the tip of the middle finger.

PEASE NOTE: We design our gloves to be snug for best camera feel possible. This sizing chart reflects snuggly fitted gloves.

Unisex Size Guide		XS	S	M	L	XL	XXL
Hand Girth	cm	18 - 20	20 - 21	21 - 22	22 - 23	23 - 25	25-28
Hand Girth	inch	7.1 - 7.9	7.9 - 8.3	8.3 - 8.7	8.7 - 9.1	9.1 - 9.8	9.8-11.0
Hand Length	cm	16.0 - 17.5	17.5 - 18.5	18.0 - 19.0	19.0 - 20.0	20.5 - 22.0	22-24.0
Hand Length	inch	6.3 - 6.9	6.9 - 7.2	7.1 - 7.5	7.5 - 7.9	8.1 - 8.7	8.7-9.4
EU Size Equivalent		EU 7.5	EU 8	EU 8.5	EU 9	EU 10	EU 11
Unisex Glove Models: Markhof Pro 2.0 \| Skadi Zipper Mitt \| Ipsoot \| Alta Over-Mitt \| Merino Liner Touch \| Primaloft/Merino Liner \| Urbex \| Powerstretch Pro Liners

Female Size Guide*		XS	S	M	L	XL
Hand Girth	cm	16.0 - 17.5	17.5 - 18.8	18.5 - 20.0	20.0 - 21.5	-
Hand Girth	inch	6.3 - 6.9	6.9 - 7.4	7.2 - 7.9	7.9 - 8.5	-
Hand Length	cm	15.5 - 16.5	16.3 - 17.2	17.0 - 18.5	19.0 - 20.0	-
Hand Length	inch	6.1 - 6.5	6.4 - 6.8	6.7 - 7.3	7.5 - 7.9	-
EU Size Equivalent		EU 6	EU 7	EU 8	EU 9	-
*This size guide is specific only to W's Nordic Photography Glove

Please note, our gloves are designed to fit snuggly to give you the best camera feel without compromising on warmth. If you prefer a looser fit, please consider to go a size up.

As we learn more and more about gloves we also learn that all hands are different. Some people have long skinny fingers and slim wrists, others have wide hands with short fingers.

Our gloves wont fit all even with the right measurements from the sizing chart – but we try!

What size should I get if I'm between sizes?

For many, the best option will be to go up a size if your measurements are in between sizes.

If you are between sizes or if your hands do not fit into the measurements on our sizing chart, we recommend prioritizing the fit for the girth measurement. The girth is the most important measurement and if the girth size on the glove is too small, you won't be able to fit the glove.

Should I size up for my liner glove?

If you’re considering pairing a liner glove with your photography gloves, we recommend choosing the same size liner as photography glove. We designed our liners to be thin and fit inside of our photography gloves so we recommend your normal size in liners. There are two exceptions to this:

Exception #1: If you are at the very end of the ratio size in the sizing chart, e.g. 1 mm from being a size Large, then we advise going up a glove size if you plan to often wear the liner with the gloves.

Exception #2: If your personal preference is to wear fairly loose gloves, then you should also go up a size when adding a liner. We don't recommend this as you will compromise dexterity with loose gloves and our priority is best possible camera feel. But you know best what you like!

House tip: Make sure to choose a liner size that is snug/tight on your hand for the best Fliptech performance when wearing liners and gloves together.

What’s the fuss about Merino Wool?