Where Can I Find Quality 100% Merino Wool T-Shirts, Shorts and Pants to Revamp My Carry-on Travel "Wardrobe" in Sydney?

bargainerpro on 02/08/2023 - 20:20

Good day, fellow bargainers.

The title pretty much says it all.
Where can I find quality 100% merino wool t-shirts, shorts and pants to revamp my carry-on travel "wardrobe" in Sydney?

This is because I'm about to embark on several international trips for work, and most of them are pretty casual-businessy as far as clothing goes, and I want to be able to travel with a carry-on only.
As such, it seems like Merino wool is the bees' knees when it comes to packing light and not looking the fool, but I have no idea where I could go in Sydney to buy 100% Merino wool t-shirts, button shirts, shorts and other similar stuff without being "sporty" or paying 200 bucks for a simple shirt.

Any recommendations, please?
I have 2 months to buy at least 5-6 t-shirts, 2-3 shirts and maybe 2 shorts and 1 pair of pants, in addition to a layer or two for those chillier days of the year.

Thank you all.

Fashion & Apparel Clothing

Comments

  • jv on 02/08/2023 - 20:32
    +3

    Try Cotton On

  • garetz on 02/08/2023 - 20:37
    +2

    Its very hard to find quality 100% merino that wont break the bank. I used to buy from cheap places but you get what you pay for.

    I would look at https://www.charlestyrwhitt.com/

    https://www.mongrelsocks.com/
    does 100% socks, gloves and beanies.

    • bargainerpro on 02/08/2023 - 20:51

      I tried, but they only have outerwear in Merino.
      Nothing as far as t-shirts and shirts go :(

      I'm not opposed to paying 100 bucks on a quality item but don't want to be scammed paying 200 for a t-shirt, either, if you know what I mean.

      Plus, I'd love to be able to try it on in person first and see how it fits my body before pulling the trigger on over a thousand dollars worth of clothes…
      I'll def have a look at the mongrelsocks page for socks (although I'm pretty good on socks as I've migrated to Merino a long while ago, just never pulled the trigger on shirts, t-shirts, and pants/shorts).

      Thanks.

    • bargainerpro on 02/08/2023 - 21:31
      -1

      Thanks!! I will definitely visit their stores and give the Ts a go. Yes, it's expensive, but I wasn't expecting anything to cost less than 100 bucks each, to be honest…

  • mauricem on 02/08/2023 - 21:44
    +4

    See if you can find icebreaker on sale, for me its the gold standard in fine merino

    • bargainerpro on 03/08/2023 - 09:02

      Thank you!

      • alebox on 21/08/2023 - 10:57

        if you are in Sydney, there is an outlet in birkenhead which usually has pretty good deals

        • bargainerpro on 21/08/2023 - 11:09

          Birkenhead Point, yes I know the place. Which store there, though?
          I've been there a few times, but it was to buy sneakers for my wife and I and some cheap Levi's, but haven't seen much else that interested us.
          Thanks!

          • alebox on 21/08/2023 - 22:37

            @bargainerpro: there is an icebreaker outlet there

            • bargainerpro on 22/08/2023 - 09:08

              @alebox: Holy crap! How did I miss that??!?!!
              Thanks, I'll certainly pay them a visit!!!

    • Sinnerator on 03/08/2023 - 09:17
      +1

      oofff
      $110 to $270 per t-shirt (rrp)

  • sumyungguy on 02/08/2023 - 22:21
    +3

    Paddy Pallin stocks Icebreaker & Smartwool. Per @mauricem, you pay more for Icebreaker but it's totally worth it. I'm a convert to lightweight travel. For a leisure trip it's long sleeve collared shirt plus travel pants for the flight, with a t-shirt, shorts and thongs in my carry-on. For colder climates I do add base layers and an outerwear jacket. If I was working business casual I'd add an extra poly/cotton collared shirt. Merino shorts and trousers are pricey and not as easy to launder overnight in your hotel room as synthetics. I learned something new last month - heated bathroom floors are great for drying clothes.

    • bargainerpro on 03/08/2023 - 08:39

      Thank you very much for the detailed response. Very high-quality and extremely helpful!

      I'll look up the brands you (and others) recommended. Hopefully they have their products in stores in Sydney so I can try for size.

  • pasey25 on 02/08/2023 - 22:31

    https://www.toorallie.com.au/

    • pasey25 on 02/08/2023 - 22:32

      Oops my bad, I assumed they’d have shops in syd. Looks like melbs only

      • bargainerpro on 03/08/2023 - 09:02

        Yeah. Thanks, though :D

  • Meije on 03/08/2023 - 08:30

    Check out https://seagale.fr/en/ if you don't mind buying online

    • bdl on 03/08/2023 - 09:39

      I thought they sold IronWolfs for a minute then

  • Gunnar on 03/08/2023 - 09:07
    +1

    Another for ice breaker here, you get what you pay for. Failing that macpac. Also pay attention to the weight, makes a big difference to how warm (or not) it will keep you

    Just be mindful, merino is primarily used for hiking so the t shirts are going to be more designed for a casual out door aesthetic. If you want a dressy (even smart casual) shirt stick to cotton, merino won’t sit as nicely on your body when you need to dress up.

    I wouldn’t bother with merino shorts or pants because you can get away with a synthetic material for both. Your pants can cop a lot more of a beating before starting to smell than your tops will.

    • bargainerpro on 03/08/2023 - 09:23

      Thank you very much. I really appreciate the insights. What would you recommend as far as button shirts go but for materials that won't wrinkle just at the sight of it? I have some shirts I absolutely love, but they wouldn't survive a life of travelling being packed for so long, and I might not have ironing supplies (the iron itself or the board) in some places I'm going to, and might need to react quickly to meetings and all.

      As far as pants/shorts, anything you'd recommend? I normally wear jeans, but it'd have to be the one I'm flying with, and the other clothes will all have to be lighter (and easier to wash and dry).

      Thanks again.

      • Gunnar on 03/08/2023 - 15:18

        Shirts are hard to pick for what will and will not wrinkle. A non iron shirt would work, as well as a polyester one. The latter thoigh you’d have to get a good fit as they can be hit and Miss. it also means wearing polyester shirts.

        Pants I use jeans when I travel (save for hiking). Dark jeans can be dressed up or down easily. Shorts I’ve found golf shorts to do a great job for being easy maintenance but not being active wear.

        I’ve done a fair bit of travel and long hiking and finding the balance between being functional but not looking like it’s too casual and not costing the earth is tough

        When I go away on the non hiking trips I tend to just go with cotton shirts and t shirts (sometimes polyester) and then hang them up when I get to the destination. Trousers and shorts are jeans and golf shorts. My merino gear is for jumpers and warmer layers, where the merino really gets a workout is in hiking (but I also go into very cold climates).

        The two bits of kit that is great for cold is a merino jumper for warmth and then a wind stopper on top to keep the wind out and add a layer of water proof. It won’t keep you dry in a downpour but it will handle most rain

        • bargainerpro on 03/08/2023 - 17:58

          Thanks! I don't like the idea of not washing my clothes after wearing them for a full day, so I'll have to get used to doing laundry (and also the reason why I heard so much good stuff about Merino's antibacterial properties).
          Thanks again for the tips, I'll adopt some of it myself.
          Cheers.

  • dtc on 03/08/2023 - 10:34
    +1

    Aldi do some good merino stuff, not expensive, but you have to wait until its on sale (which was just recently so probably quite a while until its up again). I have Aldi and Icebreaker and the Icebreaker is a bit more comfortable (softer) and thicker but its not really that much warmer (a little bit) and day to day the Aldi stuff works very well eg doesnt smell, dries quickly (and can be put in a dryer when travelling). I take my aldi stuff on my touristing travel all the time

    However its basically only t shirts and long sleeve t shirts

    Uniqlo dont to merino but have some good travel stuff as well esp heat tech if you are going somewhere cold. But, again, its not business wear so much as at best business casual

    • bargainerpro on 03/08/2023 - 10:50

      Thanks for the inputs. Yeah, I was after a combination of Ts (easy enough to find, I reckon) and something that I could have more business-casual looks, with a more business-focused shirt in perhaps a different material.

  • mrdean on 03/08/2023 - 13:50
    +1

    Sydney CBD Kent St shops like Kathmandu, Paddy Pallin, Trek & Travel & a few others should have some merino clothing in stock.

    Don't bother with button shirts for travel, but base layers are great to pack as they take up hardly any room. I took at least 5 of them in my carry on backpack stuffed into a small cotton produce bag.

    • bargainerpro on 03/08/2023 - 17:56

      Thank you!! That's exactly what I was after.
      I'll go pay them a visit this weekend.

  • ChocStrawberries on 03/08/2023 - 17:17
    +1

    MJ Bale has awesome long sleeved merino tees. My hubby has 6 of them, and they still look/feel brand new after 6 months, including a month of trecking around Europe with them. They're not cheap, but worth the money, IMO.

    https://www.myer.com.au/p/mj-bale-nundle-merino-stripe-ls-cr… — as an example

    • bargainerpro on 03/08/2023 - 18:00
      +1

      Thank you very much!! That's not expensive at all, compared to the prices I've been seeing here.
      I'll definitely hop by Myer on my trip to the city this weekend, before heading to the Kent St shops mrdean suggested above.

  • omguleh on 03/08/2023 - 19:07

    Icebreaker has the best merino gear, they are so good for layering.

    • bargainerpro on 03/08/2023 - 20:28

      Thank you, got quite a few recommendations for the brand here, so I'll def have them as number one on my list.

  • Debt Free on 19/08/2023 - 01:05

    Last year I bought 2 long sleeve super fine machine washable merino black tops at Harris Scarfe reduced to $20 each from an original price of approx $120 each— at end of winter clearance. This year I was shocked to pull it out of storage room to find one of them full of holes—- eaten by moth eggs or whatever. It was never worn, just taken out of box and placed into wire drawer. Everything else appeared fine but I washed everything and put all into sun cos it creeped me out. Fortunately my Trenery merino coat remained hole free.
    I will never, ever, ever, ever again spend even 5 cents on any Merino clothing.

    • bargainerpro on 19/08/2023 - 19:12

      I'm very sad to hear that :(
      Yes, apparently bugs LOVE merino wool as it's protein (I didn't know that). You're supposed to put tons of cedar wood balls on the drawer where they're stored to avoid bugs eating them (or go with chemicals if that's your thing).

      Keep an eye out for the rest of your wool clothes, though.
      There's still time to save them.

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