Merino Wool

Raw, crimped white wool with visible lanolin and dirt.

Merino Wool

Why Merino Wool Works

Sheep have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years while living in Siberia’s freezing high alpine slopes and the blistering heat of the Australian Outback. Their wool coats both shelter them from the cold and protect them from the heat. Merino wool base layers do the same against our skin--they regulate body heat and keep you comfortable in a broader range of temperatures. When it’s hot, wool transports moisture and warm air away from the skin and disperses it into the air. When it is cold, it traps the warm air from your body and keeps it close to the skin.

No Smell

“They can hear you twice, see you once, but if they smell you, they’re gone.” Every hunter knows the importance of minimizing human odor and there’s no fabric better at keeping B.O. to a minimum than wool. Wool absorbs 30% of its weight in moisture which then passes through the material and evaporates instead of remaining on the skin.

No Shine

Wool absorbs UV radiation through the entire UV spectrum, unlike some synthetics and other naturally occurring fibers. This means merino doesn't shine from light reflection, which helps hunters evade detection when crossing slopes, gaining ridgelines, and maneuvering through country.

No Sound

Wool is inherently quiet. Wool doesn't flap in the wind, doesn't shear when you walk, or crackle when it's cold. All of First Lite wool products are made with high-quality, low micron fibers and yarns made out of long filaments, which helps reduce any remaining noise.

Person in camo shirt, green cap, using brown binoculars, with large green backpack in forest.

Wick

45F+ Degrees | 150 Weight

From the archery opener in Idaho and desert aoudad in Texas to the humid evening hunts of the Carolinas, the Wick Line is our ultralight merino wool designed for hot weather and high exertion. The airy 150-gram Aerowool® construction provides breathable concealment in the warmest conditions.

Hunter in hooded camouflage top observing mountain landscape through binoculars.

Kiln

20-60F Degrees | 250 Weight

Perhaps the most versatile base layer component within the First Lite layering system, the Kiln simply cannot be beat as a do-it-all layer for any hunter or outdoor enthusiast. With its 250-gram Merino-X fabric, this piece can be either your first or second layer and will keep you warm, comfortable, and odor-free from September through May.

Smiling man in brown hoodie holds a large, tan, multi-pointed deer antler.

Furnace

0-45F Degrees | 350 Weight

Warm, breathable, and the ultimate in comfort, the Furnace 350 line delivers a mid-to-late season option that is perfect and versatile for chasing rifle season mule deer, long still sits in a cold morning stand, or a frigid day shooting limits in the duck blind.

Rugged Wool

0-45F Degrees | 410 Weight

Through years of development, we have built a robust double-knit wool fabric that is both durable on the exterior and soft on the interior, bridging the gap between baselayer and outerwear. This new fabrication has been fittingly dubbed Rugged Wool, and its franchise of products is designed to take you from the house to the field and everywhere in between.

Close-up of gray "FIRST LITE" bow glove and black "CREED ARCHERY" paracord sling.

Accessories

Socks, Hats & Gloves

The benefits of merino wool are also found in our full range of hats, gloves, and USA made socks. Check out our wool accessories below.

Fuzzy tan fabric with a waffle-knit pattern, close-up.

Specialty Wool

We also offer wool products outside of our main baselayer lines. From everyday wear shirts and tops to technical hunting pants, check out the rest of our wool line up below.

Flock of grey Merino sheep with dense, curly wool, pinkish-white faces, some with tags.

Our Wool

Sustainably sourced, ultrafine merino wool built for uncompromising comfort in the harshest conditions.

Cream raw Merino wool with 'MERINO' spelled out by a rustic stencil.

Wool Quality

World's Finest Wool

Merino is not a grade of wool, it's a specific breed of sheep that produces nature's most advanced performance fiber. Where traditional wool measures upward of 25–40 microns in diameter, Merino fibers fall between 11.5 and 22 microns. For scale, a single human hair measures around 40 microns. That microscopic difference is what makes merino wool so soft and wearable in additional to all it's great properties: it breathes when you're working, insulates when you stop, and stays warm even when wet. First Lite builds on nothing less.

Close-up of off-white woolly sheep, some with blue and orange ear tags.

Sustainable Sourcing

RWS Certified

All of our wool suppliers are RWS certified. The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) is a voluntary standard that requires all sites, from wool farms to the seller in the final business-to-business transaction, to be certified. RWS farmers and ranchers are evaluated against animal welfare, land management, and social requirements set in the standard.

Supplier Feature

Glenbrook Station

Glenbrook Station is an award-winning, family-owned merino sheep farm. Sitting on 3,700 hectares on the South Island of New Zealand, this farm produces high-quality merino wool and focuses on sustainable, low-impact farming practices.