Arc'teryx Ionia Merino Wool Shirt SS

A super comfortable, easy fitting merino blend t-shirt. Perfect for hiking, travel, chilling out at the winery.

”Hi. My name is David, and I am addicted to merino shirts.” Yeah, that would be me at the Merino Anonymous 12 step meeting. My closet is loaded with a variety of merino and merino blend shirts… t-shirts, polos, henley,  button down, in short- and long-sleeved styles. 

I ran across this shirt at REI during their anniversary sale, and decided to give it a try.  

This shirt is made of a blend of 87% merino wool and 13% nylon for durability. The fabric is super soft and lays on the skin beautifully. The fit is “generous” which work for me since my body is also “generous.” The cut is long which I appreciate, but might not be to everyone’s liking. 

The fabric is very breathable and handles perspiration really well. It stayed comfortable during all day hikes, and dried out pretty quickly when cooling off. The shirt is machine washable (cold/gentle) for easy care and cleaning. I have been wearing it a LOT for six months or so, and it still looks and feels like new. 

Arcteryx also makes long-sleeved and hoody versions of this shirt, and with several logo styles. They do not appear to have a women’s version of this particular shirt, but they do make a merino blend t-shirt for women called the Lana shirt. 

My only complaint is that this shirt is pretty expensive for a t-shirt, as is usual for Arc'teryx. But if you can find it on sale somewhere like I did, you will enjoy wearing it. (Note: as of this writing, it is on sale for Labor Day at REI)

This is a great looking shirt, and I have found myself not only wearing this for hiking, but for travel or hanging out for a bit of wine tasting at our local Sierra foothill wineries. Really, I love the feel and look of this shirt so much, that I find myself looking for excuses to wear it!

Background

Hiking in the Sierra Foothills, and on the Northern California coast. Travel both in the car and in the air.