Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew

Review by Erin Trail

The Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew is an ultralight Merino Wool base layer that offers next to skin comfort and performance.

Details

• Composition: 85% Merino Wool, 15% Nylon
• Weight(s): 125 gsm
• Micron gauge: 18μm
• Raglan Shoulder Seams
• Gusseted Underarms
• Cuff thumbholes

Detailed Review

I am a size medium on the Ibex size guide and found that the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew fits true to size. The arms are on the longish size, which works for me, as the thumbholes make for nice little hand warmers when I don’t want to wear gloves.  The shirt has an athletic cut with a slim fit.  The length of the shirt is also perfect for me, hitting just below the widest part of my hips.

For testing, I’ve worn the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew in a wide range of activities:

• Alpine skiing (as a baselayer)
• Fall and winter running (both on its own and under a jacket)
• Fall and winter cycling (under a jacket)

First of all, I love the color that I ended up with: Prismatine. It is a gorgeous, vibrant turquoise color that brings a bit of cheer to the dreary brown winter we’ve been having in Colorado. The Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew is very soft against the skin.  I’ve worn this shirt nearly weekly for the past month and have never experienced itchiness or skin irritation while wearing it.

As a base layer, I have had the best success with it as a running shirt and under my cycling kit. For running, it is the PERFECT layer for 50 degree days where you start out cold and wind up a bit warm as the run goes on. The longer arms and cuff thumb holes provide perfect hand protection for when you’re starting the run.  The sleeves are stretchy enough where I had no issues peeking at my watch for paces or time checks.

I’ve also worn the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew beneath technical fleece jackets / cycling jerseys or beneath windproof jackets on runs and bike rides ranging from 21 degrees to 50 degrees. The shirt breathes extremely well and is light enough where it’s very easy to pair with warmer layers to mix and match gear for conditions.

The Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew, being ultralight, is sightly see-through and also more delicate that I’d expect.  It washes well (machine wash delicate in a mesh bag).  But it has shown a significant amount of wear right out of the gear testing gate.

My first test in the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew was a fall run, wearing the shirt as a base layer beneath a technical fleece jacket and a running vest. The run was for a total of one hour with temperatures in the mid-20s. After this run, I noticed some significant pilling and binding of the back bottom seam – the seam basically (and weirdly) merged with the shirt fabric and fused together.  The only fix was to delicately cut the fused fabric away from the seam so the shirt could lay flat again.  The second use was a fall run in mid-50 degree temperatures, as a standalone shirt with a running pack over it.  After this run, I noticed that I had significant pilling along my underarms and the sides of the shirt, likely from my running movement.

I also did a longer bike ride where I utilized the thumb holes to help keep my wrists warm.  The thumb openings were really stretched out after 1.5 hours of gravel riding and haven’t fully shrunk back after washing.

I have had excellent experiences with the wearability and durability of other Ibex items and was bummed to see these signs of wear.

So where does that leave me and this review?

I do truly love the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew as a cycling base layer.  I’ve been training for a gravel race at the beginning of February and I’ve been wearing this shirt the most for cycling.  It hasn’t shown much additional wear (except for the aforementioned thumb hole stretching).  I also really love how it feels and how it easily layers in under other technical cycling jerseys and jacket. It really has been excellent for this portion of my testing. As a bonus, it looks really nice in a cafe as you enjoy post ride waffles and coffee.

For running, I will probably still wear it on those perfect 50 degree days because the shirt felt SO good during those test runs.  But I will be using this shirt knowing that I will see a fair amount of wear from running – a big tradeoff for a garment intended for technical uses.  Because of this, I would recommend the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew for activities that don’t have a lot of upper body movement.

The Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew is available for both men and women in four colorways.  Men’s sizes range from S to XXL, women’s sizes range from XS to XXL.

Erin Trail

Trail Boss of Stoke

Erin Trail on her mountain bike at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race

Erin Trail on her running at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race