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    Why I ditched ioMerino for another brand. And why I’m an idiot for doing it.

    January 13, 2019 3 min read

    Why I ditched ioMerino for another brand. And why I’m an idiot for doing it.

    By Outsider, Sputnik

    "I’m not paid to wear ioMerino, and not paid to say nice things about them, but I do get gear sent my way from time to time which is nice. So obviously, I wear it quite a bit. It helps that I absolutely love it. But I don’t wear it exclusively. I still wear Nike running shorts, for example, mostly because ioMerino don’t make shorts. But when it comes to socks, boxers, leggings, Tshirts, tanks, tops, and hoodies, etc I almost always wear ioMerino when I’m outside in the elements - whether i”m running, hiking, kayaking, riding or road tripping.

     

     Outsider Kat wearing her Ultra Long Sleeve in Dazzling Blue

    In recent times though, I’ve seen an awful lot of people wearing those fancy toe socks. They’re very popular, and people really seem to love them. I even had a few pairs from before ioMerino made socks, stashed away in my cupboard. So recently, I fell for the oldest trick in the book: everyone's wearing them so they must be amazing. I signed up for a 50km trail run, put on my toes socks instead of my ioMerino socks, and off I went.

     

     

    When I got to the first river crossing early on in the race, I did what I always do - run right through it. While everyone else was tiptoeing their way across trying to avoid getting wet feet, I just splashed on through like usual without thinking about it. Because that’s what I’d do in my ioMerino socks. 

     

     

    Big. Mistake.

    Everyone and every body are different, but for me, my toe socks did not even go close to managing the moisture as well as my ioMerino socks do. They may look fancy with those cute little toe bits, but they caused me all sorts of problems for the rest of the race. And afterwards, my feet were cracked and blistered from being soaking wet for 3+ hours out on the trails. That never happens with my ioMerino socks, not even in the pouring rain in the middle of winter. Lesson learned. ‘Popular’ does not necessarily equal ‘better’.

     

     

    Sadly, I’m a slow learner, and a few weeks later I made a similar mistake. I was running on the beach after meeting some people I would be guiding across Cambodia on an adventure tour, and instead of wearing my ioMerino T-shirt, I’d decided to wear my Angkor Wat Half Marathon top. It seemed like a good idea to show off my Cambodia cred. But it wasn’t. 

     

    Image: Run All the Trails tee  

    My ioMerino top is super fine and soft and comfortable and never, ever causes me any problems with rubbing or chafing on my… ah… you know… come on guys, surely you’ve had a bit of nipple rub before, right? Well, my ioMerino never causes this issue, but as I was running home along the beach, I started to feel that abrasive rub. Damn. The only solution was to run shirtless on the beach, and while no one really needs to see me lumbering down the beach half naked, I figured I could get away with it on a relatively warm morning with not too many people around. So I tucked my crappy, synthetic, abrasive top into my shorts, and on I ran.  

     

    Image: Altitude Tee in Red and Altitude Southern Cross Tee 

    What I didn’t count on, was one of the local dogs would consider that flapping piece of material an invite to attack me. Like a red rag to a bull, that dog, which in fairness was quite a bit smaller than a bull, charged me and tried to bite my top flapping in the wind, biting me in the process. Twice. The bites weren’t anything serious, but it did remind me that wearing ioMerino has many benefits - including a few beyond the obvious ones. Like no nipple rub, and no dog bites. 

    I think it’s safe to say I’ll be sticking to my ioMerino from now on."

    Let customers speak for us

    from 1812 reviews
    Comfort and smart enough to wear out

    Comfort and smart enough to wear out.

    brendan finnigan
    Glacier Tracksuit Pants
    Worth the expense

    Best and most comfortable merino clothing for the UK and Canada winter. A must buy is the base layers. Tops and leggings. Very happy with my purchase.
    Easy to care.
    Can't wait to use my gear for next trip to Finland 2025.

    Graham White
    Altitude Tee - Southern Cross
    Spot on

    Great slogan as well. As used by owners of e72.au

    G Daly
    Universal Nature Tee
    Perfect

    All set for winter!

    G Daly
    Altitude Crew
    Fantastic for the Camino/long hikes

    I wore this tee on the Camino and loved it. I hand washed it every second night and by morning it was always dry. I love the dazzling blue colour, the higher neckline was great for preventing sunburn and the sleeve length was perfect. I only had two tees with me for 42 days and I never tired of wearing this tee. It has kept its shape and has plenty more wear left in it.

    S.
    Universal Tee - Explore All The Places
    Walked the Camino in them

    Fantastic for hiking and everyday use. I bought two pairs of the bikini briefs for the Camino (40 days of walking) and they were fantastic. They dry really quickly. I would hand wash out a pair at night, roll them in a towel to get the excess moisture out, hang them up and by morning they were always dry. The hot pink colour made them easy to find in my pack too. Love them!

    SUSI
    Zodiac Bikini Brief
    Altitude Boxers

    The boxers themselves are excellent. Great material and a great fit. What set ioMerino apart was the proactive customer service. I was very impressed

    David Fell
    Altitude Boxers - Ready for Adventure
    Best ever socks

    These are the best socks I have ever had. Cushioned and extremely comfortable, they fit in my shoes like much thinner synthetic socks, they can be worn for days before they need washing and they don’t walk down into my shoes.

    Maggie Ramsay
    No Show Socks
    A great investment

    This jumper is going to be my new best friend, even in Australian spring/autumn (or Melbourne summer!).
    In Norway at present - well and truly minus- and it performs wonderfully as a layer, or a quite-dressy top indoors.
    I'm really pleased with the quality, and it's NOT made in China!

    D W
    Pinnacle 2.0
    Altitude Zip

    Perfect for when riding my bike. Long sleeves are great for keeping the sun at bay. I find it breathes well and wicks very nicely. Highly recommended.

    Neil Penny
    Altitude Zip
    Works for me

    This is my 2nd pair. I don't see myself as a leggings bloke so wear shorts over them. Perfect for recovery, camping, bush walking and around the house. Woll on the skin works for me.

    Richard W.
    Pace Compression Leggings - Original
    Excellent product

    Excellent, comfotable, dry, long lasting merino socks. I love them for trail running and casual no show in shoes or 3/4 boots.

    Richard W.
    No Show Socks
    Best Pants EVER

    These Tights are the best - I have six pairs. They keep me warm and dry in the winter, but I also wear them all through summer ( see below 34 degrees and very happy) I mean, how can millions of sheep be wrong? As far as comfort and fit they are true to size and the most comfortable pants I own.

    Minnie
    Pace Compression Leggings - Outsider Edition
    Loving this Gaiter

    With Io Merino and cold weather it is a pleasure looking forward wearing their gaiters. So soft and has this silk like texture to their high quality Merino and lighness having around neck. Sits great and comfy and make one look forward to just enjoy wearing it. Colours!! Such a great selection and really fab to add colour to whatever wearing with and stylish too. The logo is comfortable too as can wear showing or not and still looks good on show too. I have them in two more colours and gifting one. The colours on this Merino superb with fabric and shades are different to anything I have seen before. Makes for great feel to adventuring outdoors or being extra snug indoors.

    Grace I
    Altitude Neck Warmer
    Best Ever Merino wear

    I have worn Merino for years with a big brand and trying Io Merino I can't look back, they are that good. Did not know what I was missing! The texture is smooth and beautiful, so comfortable and with durability to the fabric. The team at Io Merino are just fab if need to make contact and online ordering smooth and reliable process. Tip: I always wash Merino in wash bag to keep.as new and avoid snags in machine and handwashing is a great option too. I added two more colours as I live in Merino long sleeve tops in cooler weather bike riding or everyday wear as lightweight and warm and can layer easily without bulk to stay warm. So good having colours! and styles to choose from first time ever with Merino I have seen and to experience high end merino I never had before. Look forward to adding other styles for warmer weather..

    Grace I
    Altitude Crew