Why We Chose The Smartwool Merino Sport Ultralite Short Sleeve T-Shirt: Merino wool and Tencel blend, relaxed fit, lightweight.

So-called because of its light weight of 120g, we’re big fans of Smartwool’s Merino Sport t-shirt here at Outdoors Magic. More specifically, we like the women’s ultralite version, and all of the effective, no-fuss features that come along with it.

From Tencel performance fabric and responsibly sourced Merino wool to the looser fit and the raglan sleeve; here’s a breakdown of what Smartwool’s women’s Ultralite t-shirt has to offer, including how it got on during our Outdoor 100 gear testing in the Scottish Highlands.

Who Is The Merino Sport Ultralite For?

This is a sports t-shirt, and as such, is best suited to activities such as trail running, hiking, bikepacking, or even just general gym use. It is, however, relatively understated so could work just as well for everyday use too, when you’re looking for something a little more long-lasting and multi-functional.

Materials and Construction

There’s a 50% Merino wool and 50% Tencel build here, the latter being an environmentally-friendly material made from the pulp of eucalyptus trees. This creates that ultra soft feel to the t-shirt whilst also adding to its durability in the long run. It’s also a naturally antimicrobial and highly breathable fibre too.

Merino wool – as you may already know – is also a natural material and similarly benefits from anti-microbial and anti-odour properties. It’s also famous for its ability to wick away sweat whilst maintaining warmth throughout the body. Thankfully, this particular type of merino wool has been ZQ-certified, ensuring a higher level of environmental standards and animal welfare than your average wool. 

Features

The women’s Merino Sport 120 comes in a regular fit which – for some odd reason – is quite rare for women’s technical clothing. More often than not, you’ll find a wide array of super clingy sports t-shirts, but very few looser, more relaxed fits. So in that sense, we’re liking the wider market the Sport 120 brings here. It also just feels nice sometimes to have a more draped, floaty feel when you’re out on the trail, without the need for added bulk. 

There’s also a Raglan sleeve design which basically gives you a wider underarm area than most sleeves. This, in turn, means you’ll have a wider range of movement for your arms, as well as a comfier overall fit. In theory, it also means there should be more room if you wanted to squeeze a thermal underneath on colder days.