I have a BPL merino baselayer hoodie that is great - I love the versatility that I can put on the hood easily and it creates a continuous protected area btw torso and neck....
As we all know its now discontinued

1) does anybody else make similar merino or synthetic baselayer hoodies?

2) on a side note - if its ever so slightly loose on me - can i boil it (its wool..) to shrink it a bit??

Mike

http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/MensClothing/Hoodies/PRD~5020-574/mec-merino-lightweight-2-hoodie-mens.jsp

Ibex Hooded Indie --

http://shop.ibex.com/Apparel/Mens-Long-Sleeve/M-Hooded-Indie

About 1 1/2 oz heavier than the BPL hoody.

REI had the Ibex Indie on sale at about $60 or so last fall; Ibex puts them on sale sometimes, too, at their website.

Edited by JRScruggs on 01/23/2012 15:40:33 MST.

You should checkout the Ibex Hooded Indie - http://shop.ibex.com/Apparel/Mens-Long-Sleeve/M-Hooded-Indie

It isn't the cheapest option, but it has worked well for me in a variety of applications.

Richard,

Do great minds think alike?

Edited by jamespjc on 01/23/2012 15:37:54 MST.

Yep, but I'm drawing a blank right now on a winning lottery number.

Suggestions from other brilliant minds are welcome.

Eric's suggestion of the MEC Merino Lightweight 2 Hoodie is an excellent one. MEC may not be well-known outside of Canada, but they make excellent gear that is affordable and very well designed. I actually like my T3 Hoodie more than my Patagonia R1 Hoodie. I've been using MEC gear since 1993 and have never been disappointed. You can't have non-MEC items shipped overseas, but all MEC gear is available to people outside Canada.

Alternatively, there's an Icebreaker hoodie on STP right now that looks pretty cool. No zipper though, so it might not work that well as a BL.

+1 on the Ibex Indie Hoodie. $70 at Wilderness Exchange. Not sure about shipping to where you are.

http://www.wildernessexchangeunlimited.com/apparel-mens/insulating-layersfleece/ibex-outdoor-clothing/mens-hooded-indie-pid-5926.cfm

I/O Bio Merino makes one 160g/m2 weight, their Contact 1 Glory Hoody (love mine).

Patagonia is re-releasing their Merino 1 line for the spring (i.e. Feb 1), though I doubt we'll see a hoody. Their Merino 2 is ~200g/m2.

+1 on the I/O Bio Contact 1 Glory, I have the hoody and a non hooded 1/4 zip, and love them both.

Also going to vouch for the I/O Bio Contact 1 Glory (that's a mouthful to type...yes I type with my tongue).

I love mine. In a small it weights 6.8oz and the only gripe is that the sleeves are about a half centimeter too short for the thumb holes. This isn't a gripe at all, it's just that I've noticed there's the slightest of tension on my thumbs when using the thumb holes.

Mine has held up far better than any of my other merino products which all have small holes in them after a trip or two (Buff, stoic, icebreaker...)

The I/O Bio is near perfection. Great hood and I love the trim fit.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=37939

+1 on MEC. I too have the MEC T3 Hoodie. Even with shipping from Canada it is cheaper then the R1.

"Eric's suggestion of the MEC Merino Lightweight 2 Hoodie is an excellent one. MEC may not be well-known outside of Canada, but they make excellent gear that is affordable and very well designed. I actually like my T3 Hoodie more than my Patagonia R1 Hoodie. I've been using MEC gear since 1993 and have never been disappointed. You can't have non-MEC items shipped overseas, but all MEC gear is available to people outside Canada."

These guys make good stuff.

Slightly lighter material than R1 Hoody and slightly more snug fit.

Spider Light Hoody

thanks guys - lots of stuff there

the lighter weights of the I/o and SAG seem to be more what im looking for

MC

Try either Patagonia or Icebreaker. They both have hoodies as well as pull-overs that Re great for the price
.

Melanzana micro grid hoodie

The NW Alpine and Melanzana are in a different class, IMO.

Sure, their weight is not dissimilar to even the 160g/m2 hoodies, but they're designed for vastly different climates.

I love my NW Alpine Spider Light. It goes with me when my I/O hoody is too thin. I'd hate to have this in the summer or in the desert – it breathes well, wicks fast, and dries quickly, but it's not comparable to the LW merino hoodies.

For reference, I'd put the NW Alpine Spider Light as an R.75 - heavier than a cap 4, but lighter than an R1.