Men's Merino 250 Base Layer Bottom

My husband loves these long John’s. They are soft and warm. They wash nicely and the fit is great. They are not bulky, gently form fitting under his pants. He works outdoors at times during his day and they keep him warm throughout the cold winter days.

I took a chance having never heard of this brand and bought one shirt, pants, boxers, beanie, and the neck gator. I can’t speak to longevity yet but I will update if I see more than normal wear by the end of this season. What I can speak to is the incredible thermal regulation these provide, I have the 250 gram weight and they are warm but more importantly when I go inside from the cold I can wear these for hours without overheating which was a big issue I was having with my previous layer choices. I have had issues in the past with regular wool making me itchy but all of these items are up there with the best feeling fabrics I’ve ever tried and definitely the softest and best feeling thermals I’ve ever owned. I got the green color which I think is the perfect shade of a slightly dark and rich green, really beautiful color fabric. I ordered what I thought would be my normal size and the fit is perfection, perfectly well fitting without being too tight anywhere, this was another big surprise for me. Just going off of inspecting the items initially they do seem well made and durable given the more delicate nature of the fabric. Obviously high quality cotton is much more durable if that is what you are looking for and it can be fairly comfortable feeling too but it cannot regulate temperature like this wool, for me that is priceless and these exceeded my expectations for the conditions I put them through. I found this product on my own after looking at another more well known and expensive brand, I paid full price for all of the products and this is my real opinion about them. It’s hard to differentiate between 5 star reviews anymore so I think it’s important as a real customer to point this out and when a product is actually good quality or not.

This review compares the Elementex Midweight (bottoms - Black/Small) to two other well-known brands. I purchased three pairs of midweight bottoms, a brand that rhymes with StartWool (SW) and a house brand form an outdoor retailer with the initials R-E and I. Primary use of these bottoms is as a base layer when doing active outdoor winter sports like ice climbing and snowshoeing in the Sierras and keeping the chill at bay during the windy evening camp fires and cold tent camping. I chose the Elementex (E) brand because of its thickness (250g), it great price and a handful of good reviews. With the (SW) pair being OVER twice as much money… and the (REI) pair being double in price… the short review is that these (E) are a HECK of a bargain and 95% as nice as the (SW) brand and 50% better than the (REI) brand. THICKNESS: Compared to (SW) the E’s are almost as thick, so close that you could not tell unless comparing them side by side. (SW) appears to have a little more loft and a slightly higher thread count? (tighter weave??) End result is (SW) feels just a hair plusher, but not worth the crazy price (in my opining) unless you can get the (SW) pair at a really DEEP discount. The (E) pair was twice as thick as the (REI) brand and made the (REI) ones feel like a lightweight thickness as compared to a midweight. No comparison to the (REI) pair, as they were twice the price and half the thickness. CUFFS: The (E) pair has a very sturdy elastic waist strap sewn into the wool. It is burly and would almost be overkill but I had no issues while wearing them. The (SW) is more subtle in stretch, more like the wide band at the top of women’s yoga pants, but much taller and plusher feeling than the E’s. The REI version was like a typical band you would find on name brand boxers. All three felt comfortable with the E gripping the most and the REI the least. For the ankles, the E had the thickest, tallest cuffs to seal out the drafts, SW the next and REI the least but all worked just fine and had no issues. FIT: Snug, seemed true to their size chart, I got mine a wee bit smaller so the inseam would be shorter and these are stretchy to begin with. Thick curve hugging with snug ankles and waist. DURABILITY: I have not worn any pair more than a few weekends so I will chime back in if I have any concerns on failures. The E’s come with a 30 day warranty, and I have read reviews that the SW waist band has quality control issues, but SW does replace them when that happens. REI of course has a 365 day guarantee on anything they sell so nuff said there. PACKAGING: The bottoms came in a nicer box than I had expected. Simple cardboard with clear sizing and laundering directions inside. Garment tags are both sewn on and printed so if you are not a tag fan you may have to do some trimming. It was very nice not to see or have to fight any plastic in the packaging!!!!! SUMMARY: If you are looking for a base layer that is 95% of what the SW brand is without dropping a whole Ben Franklin on a pair of long underwear, then the E’s seem to get my vote. I thought they were just as good, and at half the retail price… works for me. If anyone can compare them to the Ice Breaker model, I would love to hear about it as I am a fan of their wool products as well. Hope this helps… go have some fun!!!

A bargain at the price. I bought them to try and expectations were low. I was amazed (really) at how well they worked and how well they were made. What is going on here?! This isn't normal anymore. When was the last time quality was offered at a value price? I wear these under my dry suit, to enter 40 degree water (steelhead fishing) and I can remain in the water for hours, comfortably. I bought enough to last the rest of my life, just in case they stop making them. Seriously.... Do yourself the favor if you get cold easily.

Product as described. Good quality. Good quantity. Great value.

Real wool, well constructed, pretty much everything you would hope for out of a good set of merino wool thermals. Durability may be something of a weak point. The pants started falling apart early on, with holes appearing in the legs and the seat area becoming easily worn before long. I managed to get a few years out of them, but it now demands replacement. The top has had no such issues despite nearly equal use. The top I'd eagerly endorse without reservations. So it's clear, I am planning to buy the pants again and give them another try, because I can't find a different comparable option at the moment. They were good enough that I'll take one more roll of the dice in hopes that the first pair was something of a fluke. But considering this is somewhat of a utility item, the information deserves a customer's attention when making a buying decision.

I got these a couple days ago and have wore them the last two days in below freezing weather here in Nebraska. I am a 70 year old male who walks on an average of 4 miles a day regardless of the weather. These are a game changer. Extremely soft and warm. I couple these with a flannel lined blue jeans and unbelievably warm and comfortable. I am 6' tall and weight 175lbs. I order a medium and they fit nice. Hope this helps? I am ordering another one today.

Now that I've worn these a few times - If it's cold outside, I will be wearing these period. I have tried a half-dozen or so brands of long-johns and long underwear over the years including Hanes, Carhartt, Duo-Fold, and a few others... But nothing comes close to these. I considered shopping for a SmartWool base layer instead, but for the price difference I can't imagine those are much better, if at all. These are incredibly soft, and clearly wick moisture. Tag inside the waistline says made with "Woolmark" brand "Merino Extra Fine" material. They sourced some quality material, and you can tell. The length of these cuts off right around the ankles depending on your leg length for your size. Perfect for layering into a boot, or leaving just above the boot.

Very comfortable.Thought they would be warmer.

Always pleased with products from Meriwool. Easy to clean and comfortable.

This is some very nice underwear. Comfort, material are top notch. I wish Meriwool would offer these in a 6 or 9 inch boxershort version, cause in my opinion it would be a major step up from the underwear they offer now, wich are great nonetheless. I highly reccommend these products who value quality and natural clothing.

Fits as expected. Soft feeling. Very warm. Have worn outside in intense west coast of BC winter stormy windy weather with temperature at -9 and these kept me nice and warm while fly fishing in the river under my waders.

**5 year update - I have used them every winter and on many camping trips and these are still holding up. No pilling, no holes. I wash them in the machine with cold water and I've never put them in the dryer. Easily one of my best Amazon purchases ever.** These are so comfortable and they wick moisture like nothing I've worn. I went from very wet to almost totally dry without changing - it was hard to believe. They're quite warm I wouldn't wear them under joggers for a winter jog, but they were perfect as the only base layer at -1 to -5 Celsius, maybe even a bit colder. They were a tiny bit on the loose side, but I'm sure that'll change with washing. Great product! Highly recommended.