Some things you can live without – mojito’s, for example, or baby oil back massages. Wool clothing is not one of those things. Maybe it’s because I lived in Iceland for a few years, but you’ll have to pry my marino layers out of my cold dead hands.

There are a number of myths about wool, and Icebreakers embodies the best of them. They’re odor resistant, non-itchy, very thin, and comfortable as hell in both hot and cold weather.

I wear my lightweight underlayer and/or a midweight layer in spring, the lightweight tee’s in summer, and a slightly thicker underlayer plus an overlayer in the fall. Wintertime I wear all of the above, layering as needed depending on how active I am, but honestly I don’t usually go without except in the summer – if needed.

Thanks to a good Icebreaker layer I can wear a lot less – which means I’m more comfortable, carry less weight, stink a whole lot less, and can be more active in a wider variety of environments. If you’ve been doubting if wool’s worth it, I encourage you to spring for some Icebreakers. You’ll thank me.