I purchased this Midweight Minus33 XXL top and the matching Minus33 Mindweight XXL bottoms a while ago for to take on a week long elk hunting trip into the great alpine wilderness of Eastern Washington. I knew it was going to be COLD up there and I am not someone that easily stays warm in the elements. Cutting wind, snow, ice, frigid rain... you never know what is happening next. I decided to save my review until after I'd put these to the test.
I was looking for 100% wool base layers in something my size and was very pleased to find these, not only in my size, but made for a woman. Bless you, Minus33!! I've spent a lot of very cold, miserable winters wearing other "thermals" that either didn't help at all or made me sweat so much becuase they did not breathe that I was uncomfortable and froze anyway. They seem to be well made, I found no flaws in the initial "once over" nor after I put them on and wore them. I had no issue with the elastic as one person had reviewed. They wore well and laundered nicely... even in a bucket of ice cold stream water, being poked with a stick and hung over the camp stove to dry... if you can call that laundering.
Both the top and bottoms came in the mail quickly, and when I tried them on, I was very pleasantly surprised. It was SO nice to put these on and have them fit so well. I am long through the body and tall, and these fit like they were custom cut for me. Stretchy and cozy, I was immediately happy. The crew top was long enough in the hem to fit my long body nicely and the sleeve was long enough that the cuffs actually came down to my wrists. The bottoms were also cut nicely, long enough for my long legs, fit me VERY well all around, perfect through the butt and crotch, waist line high enough to not worry about "cracking out" when I bend over, which has always been the price of having to wear men's thermals (not to mention no "front door" to have to sew shut!). The material did feel just a little bit itchy when I first yanked them out of the package and tried them on, but that went away after a gentle wash and dry.
I can honestly say that these Minus33 100% wool, midweight base layers made all the difference in the world this last season. NEVER before have I been actually WARM when out in the elements for any length of time. The 5 mile hike up into camp in a foot of snow would have rendered me a sweaty, wet, frozen mess before but this time I was comfortable and toasty, even when we stopped to rest and cooled down. I had packed polar fleece thermals with me just in case these weren't enough, but those never made it out of the pack. I was so toasty in these, I often just wore them by themselves with a down vest for hiking around in, carrying my heavy outer wear in a back pack to put on over them when I got to where I would be sitting.
They really proved their worth in the wet, too. One morning I slipped, lost my footing, and fell into the creek and had to hike back to camp just wearing them, carrying my outerwear and my gear. My boots were soaked but I was also wearing 100% wool socks. I wasn't exactly warm along the way but I wasn't frozen by the time I got to camp. My Dad was an ice fisherman and he always, ALWAYS wore his wool and told me that there was nothing better, especially if you ended up wet. I wish I'd have listened to him years ago, I wouldn't have spent so many winters shivering.
These came home in great shape after a week of crawling around in the elements being worn constantly as under wear and as only wear. I literally lived in these things and wouldn't hesitate to buy another set. Thank you, Minus33 for an absolutely outstanding product.
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I really like this base layer. I work outside in the winter and this wears really well as an under layer. It's not super soft but it's comfortable and definitely a warm and important layer for outdoor activity
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I love everything about this shirt but it's itchy at the momentI just bought it. I read someone's review of a similar product of this brand though, and they said that the itchiness went away. Hopefully that will happen, because it's a decent price (compared to smartwool), cushy, fits well, etc.
Here's an update one year laterI love this but it already has holes in it!!! So frustrating, given how much it costs!
Honest reviews on Minus33 Merino Wool Women's Ossipee Midweight Crew
I have tried wool base layers from Smartwool, Ibex, and Minus33 so far in order to survive Northern Michigan winters. Ibex tends to be the best made (and made in US!) but it is a bit thin for really cold weather. I used to wear Smartwool exclusively but their quality has fallen off in the last couple years. Minus33 is quite competitive with Smartwool, less pricey, a bit thicker but not quite as soft. This shirt fits me very flatteringly and keeps me warm, and I probably wear it for longer than I should. I'll buy another soon.
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I hope these last me a long time, because I wear them a lot. I can count on them to keep me warm and they are very comfortable. They look well made. I feel this product was money well spent.
