Review: Smartwool Men’s Classic Thermal Merino Crew
Price
£63 currently!! RRP £105
Gender
Men’s
Brand // Manufacturer
SmartWool
What we liked
Flatlock seam construction and offset shoulder and side seams designed to help increase comfort and minimize chafing
100% Merino Wool. Toasty yet dry on skin.
Helps keep stink totally under control.
What we didn’t
Heavier than polyester fabrics (but more efficient heating)
The Verdict
THE SHORT READ…
When Smartwool asked if I’d test their Classic Thermal Merino crew, my first thought was: how good can a base layer really be? It’s a thermal. It goes on. You sweat. You take it off. End of story.
I’ve been riding and touring long enough to have a few “perfect” base layers that all sort of do the same thing. So yeah — mild scepticism.
Then I spent a month in the Alps during a properly cold winter. As I write this, it’s –12°C in Avoriaz. Nose-hair-freezing temperatures. The kind that quickly exposes bad zips, rubbish gloves… and useless thermals.
So I put the Smartwool through everything: big splitboard days with friends pushing the envelope, slow family days teaching pizza turns, and plenty of time sitting around huts and apartments pretending to be a productive digital nomad.
It hasn’t left my back since.
THE LONG READ …
The sniff test (aka odour resistance)
This is where things got weird.
Over four weeks, I washed pretty much all my kit multiple times. Socks. Bibs. Midlayers. Undies. But I deliberately didn’t wash the Smartwool. I wanted to see what would really happen.
Reader, it refused to stink.
Swear to the lord almighty, this thing still smells fresh. Not “acceptable.” Not “mountain fresh.” Actually fresh. Any synthetic layer I own starts humming like a festival portaloo after two touring days. This didn’t even clear its throat.
Merino witchcraft.
Point awarded.
Temperature & moisture management
When I first picked it up, I thought it felt a bit heavier than expected. I usually like running two lighter layers so I can fine-tune heat on the go.
But here’s the thing: once I started using it, I stopped thinking about it completely.
No overheating on the up. No chill on transitions. No damp misery creeping in while standing around. Just… balanced. Dry. Comfortable. All day.
For a base layer, that’s the dream. If you forget you’re wearing it, it’s doing its job properly.
Winner winner carbs for dinner!
Fit & comfort
Smartwool talk about flatlock seams and offset panels to reduce chafing. Normally marketing copy goes straight in one ear and out the other.
But this one checks out.
The fit is bang on. No weird rubbing under a pack. No hot spots. No bunching. Just smooth, easy comfort whether you’re skinning, riding, or lying on a hut floor questioning your life trajectory.
The look
Most thermals are aggressively boring. Black. Grey. Maybe a sad stripe if someone got creative.
These are not that.
Smartwool have leaned into some genuinely good designs, and I’m here for it. They look great — and, maybe more importantly, when everyone dumps their kit in one giant hut-floor spaghetti pile, you can actually find yours again.
Underrated feature.
SUMMARY…
The Smartwool Classic Thermal Merino crew is warm without being bulky, handles sweat beautifully, and somehow refuses to smell even when treated with deep disrespect.
It’s been on big days, slow days, and everything in between — and it hasn’t missed a beat.
I’d recommend it without hesitation. And I’ve got a strong feeling this one’s not leaving my winter kit rotation for a long, long time.
Seasons upon seasons.