Meriwool Merino Thermal Pants - Women's Review

The Meriwool Merino Pants are a 250 g/m² 100% merino wool option at an affordable price. Designed with a comfortable and stretchy fit, this pant will fight to keep your body dry in cold temperatures. Wear it through cool to cold weather under a pair of snow pants or on its own. For the price, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better deal.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

Loaded with 250 g/m² of 100% merino wool, this midweight thermal pant is warm and thick enough to be easily worn with uninsulated or insulated pants. We tested it in single-digit temperatures as a layered system and on its own. Through all circumstances, it kept us as warm as other options with the same fabric and weight.

We tested this pant while teaching all-day outdoors for three weeks during the late Fall to early Winter in Southwest Colorado. We wore them under varying outer layers through temperatures ranging from 0 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. In all conditions, it did an excellent job moving moisture from the skin to keep us dry, keeping us warm in frigid conditions.

We also wore these pants under a skirt while hiking and running in windy conditions during a mid-Fall weekend in Ouray, Colorado. As we hit 13,000 feet, the wind started to blow. The material weave of this fabric offered some wind resistance, keeping our skin toasty, even when worn on its own. The weave isn't super tight, but the fabric thickness is ample.

If you're planning on hitting the resort this winter or you're thinking of a winter camping expedition, this thicker base layer will provide ample warmth when layered appropriately with snow pants. For active sports, it's also a good choice, but only when the temperatures are pretty cold and upper layers have appropriate ventilation. And, if it gets wet, it still insulates due to the inherent properties of merino wool.

Breathability

This pant's thickness is average, with a medium to tight fabric weave. While the Meriwool is protective and warm from the wind, it still provides great breathability. When holding the pant up to the light, you can see the little holes in the fabric that offer great airflow. When worn on its own or with a well-ventilated pant, you'll feel nice and dry. That said, while it's breathable, it's not the most breathable option on the market, given that the fabrics are thicker than the lighter weight options we've tested.

We tested this pant both on its own and in a layered system. Hiking up mountain ridges both underneath a fleece-lined soft pant and on its own up mountain ridges. In both conditions, when temperatures went from freezing to about 50°F, we still felt dry. Warm, yes, but not sweating. We also ran with this pant in 60 - 70°F weather for distances ranging from 5 miles to 15 miles. While we got hot and sweated, the fabric still moved moisture and kept our skin dry. Overall, this pant is breathable and offers a wide range of thermoregulation — similar to any pant made from 100% merino wool. However, it does heat up faster than other lighter contenders with a thinner construction.

Comfort and Fit

The Meriwool Merino is super cozy and comfortable on the skin. Since it has a 100% merino wool construction, there is no itch, and it's ready for all-day wear. It also doesn't stink if you can't wash it for a few days. The only caveat is that it stretches out over time in our experience. The fit is true to size at first but stretches to be a bit larger. As a result, we'd recommend sizing down if you're in between sizes.

On a hike-run adventure, we noticed after just a half-hour of activity that the fabrics began to stretch out. The fabric no longer sat tightly against our skin and sagged around the glutes and knees. We constantly had to pull them up and adjust to get a better fit.

Durability

This pant proved to have lackluster durability because it stretched out during our testing period. After just three weeks, the shape was completely different. We also washed the Meriwool several times and noticed some pilling after the first wash. However, we still don't see any serious holes or tears, even after some serious abuse directly to the face fabric. So, this pant didn't overwhelm us in this metric, but it passed our basic tests. If you seek a more durable construction, check out options made from synthetic materials, which typically feature more durable fibers.

Value

You'll be hard-pressed to find a better deal on a pair of super warm merino wool long john pants. While this pant stretches out with minimal use, it has the same range of thermoregulation and warmth as our top contenders at a fraction of the price. Our conclusion is that the value is exceptional and should be considered, especially if you're on a tight budget.

Conclusion

The Meriwool Merino Thermal Pant is a midweight 100% merino base layer pant with excellent value. While it eventually stretches out with use, you can still enjoy the cute colors and excellent performance at a wonderful price.