I'm sick off buying cheap and nasty clothing which only last a few months so have converted to better quality sustainable items where I can. Icebreaker items are super comfy and are also merino based materials. There merino crew socks are amazing, I've worn of a series of flight and don't smell after multiple days of flights.
Referee gets $20 off first order. 20% off next order for referrer.
Not plain black, but might fit what you're looking for.
https://www.icebreaker.com/en-au/mens-tops/nature-dye-merino…
Yep, the other cheaper brands (e.g. Macpac and Kathmandu) have caught up and I don't really see how icebreaker have innovated enough to justify the high prices.
We lived in Auckland from 2012-2016 and they have two outlets there. The prices were always far more palatable at 70-80% off. At 30-40% off there aren't that many bargains.
I had a merino top from mountain designs and it was prickly and itchy. It wasn’t nice to wear. But when I feel the icebreaker stuff, it’s much finer and doesn’t itch.
When we backpacked South America, and bought alpaca clothing from markets, the stall holders always went on about 100% pure baby alpaca and some was. But it was coarse and itchy. The stuff in the nice shops there, which was 4x the price, was soft and floppy and comfortable.
There are different grades of thread and raw animal wool, you often get what you pay for, but Icebreaker definitely are expensive.
Also reminds me of the beef at the Queen Victoria market, you can get $15/kg porterhouse steak. But it’ll be chewy as hell, because the beef grade is bad (old milkers).
Don't get Mountain Designs mixed up with Macpac and Kathmandu. Most people here in Australia don't seem to want to cotton on to the fact that their sales strategy is even more aggressive than Kathmandu. They are mainly UK based (where I'm from) and you'd be hard pushed to oay for anything that isn't less than 80% off the apparent rrp. They are sharks IMHO.
Don't get me wrong, Icebreaker are still the best for merino but it's not as clear cut as it used to be.
I ended up buying quickly before I head to work:
Merino Anatomica Boxers
AUD $27.49
Merino Hike Medium Crew Socks
AUD $27.99
Merino 200 Oasis Short Sleeve Crewe Thermal Top
AUD $62.99
Only 30% off on the oasis top buy closest to what I want. Next stop is amazon cheapies to try, or MacPac like carleast says.
There jackets are awesome.
Anyone got links to the cheaper brands (other than Katmandu and MacPac)? I'd be curious at checking out ones people have had good experience with. Personally, best value I've found are from Aldi (when available).
I paid many hundreds of dollars for IB's almost a decade ago (always < 50-60% discount) and they are still going strong; some have small holes. Sports/black socks are starting to get a bit loose but still no holes - bloody incredible! I did have to replace one dud pair of black socks.
I would have never guessed they now include mixed materials for baselayers, etc to reduce input costs. I have a beautiful waterproof jacket that is merino inside but has the non-water proofing material outside. And a Mayfair jacket is a timeless classic.
For quality alternatives, there are IB outlet stores and also keep an eye out for discounted end of line stock. E.g. I bought merino wool jumpers from David Jones for ~$20 which are great quality and make perfect baselayers (obviously you need to know your baselayer/normal size) - I'm wearing one now.
Icebreaker is a brand I love but as a OzBargainer I only buy when it is more than 60% off. At Smith street outlet 75% off can be found and even I don't live in Victoria, doing one icebreaker outlet shopping alone will justify the return air tickets in the pre-covid old time.
I actually did same thing before Melbourne outlet existed, I went to NZ outlet while on holiday, in some random empty industrial zone on a weekend, and by public transport before uber :)
Thanks OP
Well they definitely aren't cheap. I attended the launch of their special downstairs space in Little Bourke street a long time ago.
I've spend thousands in Icebreak mostly a decade ago when they were made in NZ.
Now I look and the gsm numbers are way down, the prices are way up.
Example, I want something similar to my plain black baselayer "Skin200" t-shirt which is 100% merino.
Now I can only get a 146gsm model with 13% Nylon made in Vietnam.
Or worse their "Cool-lite" fabric: Body: 50% Merino Wool, 33% TENCEL™, 12% Nylon, 5% LYCRA®,
Everyday prices for pure merino brands on Amazon are cheaper than sale prices on Icebreaker.
In saying that, I'll try to find a bargain or two.