Altitude Zip Review

American distance runner Dane Rauschenberg was first introduced to Merino as a performance layer for running a few months ago. And even then, it was regular Merino and not our premium performance MicroMerino® fabrics. It seems up until now many runners have stayed loyal to stinky synthetics and are only just discovering what outdoor lovers have known for a long time now - Merino really is pretty awesome.

Dane recently reviewed our Base Layers to see what all the hype was about. And lucky for us, he only had good things to say. Amongst other things like motivational speaking and writing books, Dane loves to get outdoors and run everywhere from the local backcountry to some of America’s most extreme trails. So he really is the perfect candidate to benefit from Merino. His passion for running grew in 2006 when he set out on a mission to run a marathon every weekend, conquering 52 marathons in one year!

Dane recently reviewed an Altitude Tank, Altitude Zip and Vital Long Sleeve. It’s safe to say he’s tried lots of running gear so we knew this wasn’t going to be an easy test. But our superfine MicroMerino® Base Layers passed with flying colours. According to Dane, he appreciated all the natural benefits like breathability, moisture wicking and odour resistance.

“What I did notice was how effectively it wicks sweat away from my body. ioMerino did a fantastic job of removing sweat from my torso to allow it to cool” he said. 

 

Not only was he impressed with the temperature regulation during a run in milder temperatures, but he was pleasantly surprised by how soft it felt against his skin. Like a lot of people, he admits that before trying Merino, he used to associate wool with itchiness. Needless to say, he was surprised and impressed when he tried ours.

“This ioMerino doesn’t itch one single bit. Absolutely no itching, even when it was directly on my skin”.

 

Although Dane’s current hometown of Portland hasn’t experienced a super cold winter this year, (at least by his standards - he’s originally from Pennsylvania and is used to much colder winters!), as soon as the temperature dropped slightly he was quick to try the Altitude Zip out on a run.

“I actually needed to unhitch the old thumbs and roll the sleeves up a notch because of how toasty it kept me”. 

 

He loved the Vital Long Sleeve so much he wore it to The Endurance Expo Show in Salt Lake City and was surprised by the number of compliments he got.

“Not only does the running apparel and regular day-to-day clothing perform well, it also looks really snazzy.”

Click here to check out the full review