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abela
523
Nov 17, 2018
Hey all, I have had the oppertunity to test out the sweater for the last couple of weeks, and thought I would share my thoughts. First, a bit of background... I have been testing outdoor Yak wool garments pretty much since they hit the market, from most of the brands out there (very very few) that have released outdoor Yak wool garments, including Peak to Plateau and Kora, the two most well known brands. I have over 1,000 days of wearing different garments from those two companies. So, all that to simple say, I have tried out pretty much all of the different 100% Yak wool, and blended Yak-&-whatever-fabric garments out there. I used the very first Peak to Plateau garments (from their kickstarter campaign) to their second generation fabrics (Yak+Eucalyptus) and now this latest Yak+Merino blend. Kora, the premier Yak wool garment maker in the market, switched to using Yak wool + Merino wool a couple years ago for their higher-end garments. They, as PtP discovered, realized that 100% Yak wool was just too susceptible to fiber break down. I am not sure why PtP decided to go the route of Yak+Eucalyptus for their second generation, instead of just going with Yak+Merino, my guess is a cost issue, but it is really nice to see them finally make the switch to using Merino wool, so, huge props to Massdrop for their involvement in making that happen! So, backstory explained, what are my thoughts on the Massdrop x Peak to Plateau Yakino Wool Sweater? I like it. It is a really clean looking garment. I have started wearing it as an around-town garment. Unlike most other 'outdoor' garments, which are designed more for performance than looks, this really is a nice looking garment. Oh, btw, I got the 'Gray/Black/Red' version. I am not usually a "striped" garment kind of guy, but this is a clean enough design that I have enjoyed wearing it around town. The previous PtP garment, the Yak+Eucalyptus version, was a really soft to the touch fabric, but this new Yak+Merino version feels even softer on the skin. What is sweet is that they have gone with a 50/50 blend. That is uncommon, even for PtP, which used a 65% Yak / 35% Eucalyptus in their current line-up of garments. Kora, on their blended garments, uses 70% Merino / 30% Yak wool. By going with a 50/50 blend it should mean that the garment will be a lot less likely to break down during washing of the garment, which is the big killer of Yak wool garments. One thing to note is that this garment is not a tightly woven garment. This makes for a softer garment, a more luxurious garment, a slightly stretcher garment (which can be good if you need a non-athletic style garment ;), but on the downside is that the garment will let in more air, and not be as warm as a garment with a tighter woven design, and may (?) be more susceptible to thread pulling (??), not an issue that I have had with mine in the last couple of weeks, but maybe over time. So, would I use this out on the hiking trail? Nah, probably not. While the 50/50 blend is really nice, the amount of air that flows through the garment just seems to nullify any thermal aspects that might be gained by the blend mix of wools, as great as they are. But, for a nice around town garment that looks really good, that can be worn over just about any shirt, even a nice dress shirt, to help add a bit of warmth, and still look good, yep, perfect situation for this garment. Totally worth buying for mild-weather conditions, and/or around town, but not for out on the trail in colder conditions. All in all, I am really liking mine. If you are somebody that likes super soft around the town shirts, and made of unique fabrics, that looks really good, and hey, at $100 bucks, awesome price for a nice shirt, I'd say go ahead and hit that "Join drop" button and pick up one of these.
memtkmcc
33
Nov 17, 2018
abelaVery balanced and informative review, thank you. I have skipped the Kickstarter campaign out of fear that who knows if the quality will be good, then after seeing the backers feedback bought the post Kickstarter several base layer variants plus neck warmer and beanies for me and my wife, then was so pleased with fantastic quality of the 100% Yak that bought even more! I agree that 100% Yak is more fragile but if you are careful, it works excellent. Me and my wife never had any issues, besides single little hole made by one of our dachshunds. 100% Yak is amazing! Still curious to try this variant. The stripes are an excellent match to their Yak socks I have backed on Kickstarter. I can say only the best things about PtP high standards and excellent customer service. Keep up the good work! Cheers!
abelaI appreciate your website, reviews, and that you took the time to post this on MD. I have the beanie/neck warmer from the last run, and they are still going strong. I'd have purchased this blind, hoping to use it as a nice 2nd layer for cold weather hiking/backpacking, if it wasn't for this review. I feel that the beanie is too thin for me to be thermally efficient in colder weather, and the wind whips right through it. When paired with the neck warmer, however, as a sort of Balaclava setup, it's worked really well for me to keep my ears warm. I was worried that the sweater would be the same way, and that I'd have to always wear my 250 merino layer under it for it to work the way I wanted it. Nothing against the quality of the items, though, as mine have both held up well, and I even bought a second set for the old hag that lives with me! They've been great for around town, and at work.
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