A lightweight and versatile merino muscle tank experiment [#522]. The natural performance of 16.5 micron top-capped merino (75%) is intimately blended with bioremediating Ciclo poly (25%) to create a drier and more open merino fabric. Merino naturally thermobuffers to stay comfortable in a wide range of temperatures, but this weight and blend is a true year round daily driver, wearable from the peak of summer to the depths of winter.

Daydry Merino Ciclo Jersey

Fabric Story

Nature and technology intertwined in pursuit of lightweight perfection. A 150gsm jersey made with 75% super soft 16.5 micron top-capped merino and 25% Ciclo branded polyester intimately blended together to a luxuriously soft, dry and breathable performance fabric.

The magic starts with the merino of course, because nothing in nature performs as well. We use a 16.5 micron, top-capped Australian RWS certified merino for that extra softness, plus all the hygroscopic thermobuffering and odor resistance wool is so good at. At 150gsm though the fabric is quite light so it needs to be blended with something to strengthen it up, and if you are blending you might as well add some extra performance.

Merino excels at handling water vapor but doesn’t handle liquid water quite as well, something polyester is exceptional at. Poly both absorbs almost zero water (just 0.4% of its weight) and also wicks it across its surface quickly to speed up drying times. When blended with merino it can also create a slightly less bouncy yarn, which in turn allows for the fabric to be knit into a more open structure for better breathability. In particular we use a Ciclo branded polyester that meets Oeko-Tex Ecoports certification. This polyester includes a biodegradable ingredient that stimulates microbe metabolization in environments where materials like wool naturally break down. Or at least that’s what they claim, we take these claims with a big grain of suspicion, but there does seem to be enough there to at least merit testing it out.