PAKA Ultralight COOLPLUS Crew Review

Author: Ryan Humphries

Every now and then, a piece of gear shows up that feels…well, for lack of a better word, enchanted. This has been my experience with the PAKA Ultralight COOLPLUS Crew—a shirt that performed so well in both heat and cold, I half expected it to glow blue when orcs were near.

Specs:

Size: Small (I’m a 38” chest, 21” arms, 30” waist and small was perfect)

Color: Andean Moss

Price: $139

Materials: 50% Baby Alpaca/ 30% Cotton / 20% Coolplus® Polyester

Company Background: Long story short 🙂 A man by the name of Kris Cody was backpacking through Peru and on his journey he picked up an alpaca sweater. Wearing it in just about every climate possible, Kris was blown away by its versatility.

Coming back to the states, his friends and family were also more than stoked on his new threads…so he got to work. The short term goal, partner with and create jobs for hundreds of weavers in Peru, giving back to the land that he fell in love with. The long-term goal, put ALPACAs on the map when it comes to animals who create a material that’s lightweight, stink-resistant, crazy soft, and itch-free.

Fun fact, you can trace every PAKA item to the exact herd of alpacas where the wool was sourced. Kinda like farm to table, but with sweet ass garments.

Why Alpaca? I had the same question, so I cheated and I asked ChatGPT to compare the major animal wools in use and give me a breakdown. Here’s that breakdown:

Alpaca Wool

• Feel: Silky-soft, almost buttery. No lanolin → hypoallergenic and itch-free.

• Warmth-to-weight: Warmer and lighter than sheep’s wool, hollow fibers trap heat efficiently.

• Breathability: Excellent—adapts well across hot and cold environments.

• Moisture: Less absorbent than merino but still wicks well. Dries faster.

• Durability: Stronger fiber → less prone to pilling than merino.

• Odor resistance: Very good, though slightly less than merino’s natural lanolin-based defense.

Merino Wool (sheep)

• Feel: Fine merino (16–18 microns) is soft, but can still itch for very sensitive skin.

• Warmth-to-weight: Excellent insulator for its weight, though not as warm as alpaca gram-for-gram.

• Breathability: Superior moisture absorption—up to ~30% of its weight—keeps skin drier in humid conditions.

• Odor resistance: Gold standard—lanolin + fiber structure neutralizes odors extremely well.

• Durability: Weaker than alpaca; tends to pill and develop holes faster, especially in ultralight fabrics.

Cashmere (goat undercoat)

• Feel: Ultra-soft, luxury hand-feel, often “buttery.”

• Warmth-to-weight: Very warm but less durable—prone to pilling.

• Moisture & Breathability: Decent, but not as versatile as alpaca or merino.

🐫 Camel Wool

• Feel: Coarser, more rustic, though baby camel is much softer.

• Warmth-to-weight: Very warm, insulating even in desert cold.

So yeah, comparing it across the current wool placeholders (although I didn’t know camel wool was a thing) it looks like the secret is not so secret anymore. Alpaca is good stuff.

But you probably didn’t want to read my AI breakdown so I’ll share my real-life experience as a human!

The first time I wore it out, it was a test. I was headed to a backyard BBQ in Denver in about 80º heat. Typically I’d throw on a tank top and call it good but I wanted to see what this magical fabric had in store. Most in attendance that night were wearing tanks, or at least short sleeves, but not I, no I had this long sleeve crew on, but somehow, I wasn’t overheating.

It wicked moisture, stayed breathable, and never clung. I was asked “Dude, a long sleeve?” to which I replied, “Yes, but it’s alpaca!” Good conversation starter 🙂 By the end of the night, even after a few full karaoke performances I’m happy to report that I had:

-No swampy back.

– No weird pit stank.

So it’s nice and cool on a hot day. What about keeping me warm in the mountains? Alpacas are a high elevation creature who have evolved to live between 10-14K high and withstand temps at night dropping below freezing. How do they do this? Well, they grow their own little warm suits. 

In July a couple of Engearment writers and myself camped for a couple nights in the mountains around Buena Vista. As soon as the sun dipped behind the ridge, everyone grabbed jackets. I didn’t. I had my PAKA crew on, and standing by the fire, I stayed shockingly comfortable. Not warm like a puffy jacket, but warm like… a quiet confidence.

Like the feeling you’d get if Galadriel herself had handed you an elvish base layer and said, “May it protect you from both flame and frost.”

The blend of Royal Alpaca and recycled COOLPLUS polyester is clearly doing some behind-the-scenes wizardry. I would say it’s softer than merino, doesn’t itch, breathes better than it has any right to, and is damn near immune to odors. (I say this as a fairly odiferous human with a good sniffer). I can not only pick up when I smell, but I recognize when those around me have gone too long without a shower. This particular sweater was also hand-finished in Peru and made from regenerative fibers, so the karma coming back to you is real. 

Final Verdict: The PAKA Ultralight COOLPLUS Crew isn’t just a base layer. It’s a year-round adventure staple. Magical in the heat. Mysteriously warm in the cold. And lightweight enough to disappear into your pack or onto your back. If there’s such a thing as real elvish wool, this might be it. Also, for all you hippies who don’t think you stink, I have two things to say. 1. Yes, you do. 2. Get yourself some PAKA!

Ryan Humphries

Growing up in southeast Missouri, Ryan spent most of his days playing in the woods, swimming in creeks, capturing wildlife, and dreaming of adventure. His asthma kept him from playing a lot of sports as a kid, but it didn’t stop him from achieving the ranks of both Eagle Scout and a Black Belt in Taekwondo by the age of 16.