Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew Review

Feel warm and dry in the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew, courtesy of its very lightweight, 125 g/sm wool/synthetic blend Nuyarn fabric that breathes and dries out incredibly well. The four-way stretch of the fabric also makes this top a standout for comfort, paired with a raglan sleeve and an excellent thumb loop design. The Pro Tech Crew is perfect for three seasons, and even summer use at higher altitudes. Just be mindful that it is a base layer that needs to be cared for; the lightweight fabric just can't take the abuse of heavier synthetics.

Warmth

The Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew is a very light base layer, coming in at a mere 4.7 ounces for a men's size “large”, and the warmth it provides may be more than you'd expect from a base layer so gossamer. Naturally, heavier wool base layers will be effectively warmer, but none would match the breathability of the Woolies Pro Tech.

The best use of the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew may be in three-season settings or when you're planning to produce some to work up a serious sweat while hiking, ski touring, and similar activities. In these scenarios, you'll get a serious increase in warmth retention, and the Ibex won't hold onto too much of your perspiration. But for more static pursuits or deep into winter, we'd pick up something heavier.

Breathability

Breathability analysis results for the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew were absolutely top-rate. This base layer uses a very lightweight 125 g/sm wool blend fabric. Wool is already a breathable material that pulls moisture from the surface of your skin, especially when spun at such a light weight. The slim fit further helps wick perspiration off the skin and out through the top, helping you feel as dry as possible.

Lab tests support our in-the-field findings. Air can easily move through the fabric of the Woolies Pro Tech Crew when worn alone, but when sandwiched under a mid-layer, hot air will collect, keeping the wearer warm. Excellent on-the-line dry times also suggest this layer doesn't absorb a ton of water and will dry quickly without holding onto moisture.

Comfort and Fit

Sleek and slim are apt words to describe the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew. The tighter fit is what we prefer for base layers, as it promotes the efficient movement of perspiration from your skin's surface through the fabric.

The wool/synthetic Nuyarn blend itself is soft and very, very stretchy, eliminating any pinch points throughout. Well-designed raglan sleeves move the shoulder flatlock seams away from the crest of your shoulder, which is important if you're wearing a backpack, as it prevents anything from being smashed against the pack's shoulder straps. Gusseted pit areas help prevent the Pro Tech Crew from stretching out when you, for example, raise your arms.

Durability

Durability isn't the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew's strongest suit, and this is often the biggest compromise when using such high-performance, lightweight fabric. The presence of synthetic fibers, which are spun around merino wool fibers, does help, but there's no getting around that 125 g/sm is a very lightweight fabric, coming in at half the weight of some of the heavier merino tops in our lineup.

Worn underneath other layers, the relative delicateness of the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew is less of a problem than if you wear this top as your only layer. We'd suggest just being mindful when using, same with any wool base layer. During our testing, we didn't come across any premature wear issues. Excellent build quality most likely helps, including the use of strong flatlock seams throughout, gusseted armpits to prevent stretching, and raglan sleeves.

Drying Speed

On the line drying times for the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew are exceptional for a wool-blend top, only beaten by ultralight synthetic performance fleeces in our lineup. This top would dry out a meaningful amount if needed during a sunny lunch stop on an all-day hike or a backpacking trip, enhancing both comfort and warmth once you put it back on. Since you most likely want to air dry the Woolies Pro Tech on the line to extend its lifetime, this makes it all the more convenient knowing it'll be dry and ready when you need it.

Excellent dry times usually boil down to the fabric not absorbing a large quantity of water that then needs to evaporate off, as well as the fabric itself promoting evaporation rather than trapping water within its fibers. Wool can have the issue of entrapment of moisture, but the fabric of the Woolies Pro Tech is so thin as to be much less of an issue. The “Nuyarn” blend is also marketed as staying loftier than straight wool, which would also help expose the fabric to more surface area and thus faster evaporation.

Layering Ability

Because of its very lightweight fabric and slim fit, the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew performs well as a base layer for a variety of temperatures. Several other small features also aid its layer-ability, including its very stretchy fabric, reverse-tapered cuffs with thumb loops, low-profile flatlock seams, gusseted pit areas, and raglan sleeves. All these comfort points help keep this layer feeling good next to your body without it getting bunchy or twisted and feeling like you need to take everything off to adjust. The fabric itself slides easily past all but the catchiest of mid layers without issue.

As with any other layer, be careful, as the very lightweight construction makes it prone to damage from interactions with abrasive surfaces, tree branches running into you, and perhaps friction against gear like backpacks and climbing harnesses. The Pro Tech Crew would be an excellent choice as a lightweight sleeping layer on particularly cold nights, sleeping in the backcountry.

Should You Buy the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew?

If you're on the hunt for a lightweight, technical-performance wool-blend layer, the Ibex Woolies Pro Tech Crew is an excellent pick. We were dazzled by its light weight, high relative warmth, excellent breathability, and insanely fast dry times. Because it's meant to be worn safely underneath burlier layers, we're comfortable with the compromise of a more delicate top that needs a little more attention when both wearing and washing.

What Other Base Layers Should You Consider?

The Burgeon Alpha Direct 90 Hoodie is really the only base layer in our lineup that can come close to the warmth-to-weight ratio, being just a hair heavier on our scale. It's even more delicate, though, and the same durability concerns apply. The Helly Hansen Lifa Stripe Crew and Patagonia Capilene Midweight Crew are both synthetics that will both withstand some bushwhacking abuse. If cost is a major issue, look into the Merino Tech Crew, a 100% merino wool layer which also comes in at a very light weight.