Duckworth maverick snorkel hoody - Duckworth Maverick Snorkel Hood - Mens

Full-circle "Made in U.S.A." Rambouillet apparel! With Ibex moving more and more of its production to Vietnam, Duckworth's products have taken on increased appeal. This is my first Duckworth piece and I am pleased with the quality, fit and weight of the shirt. I am 6'2" tall and 180lbs (34" inch waist) and the Men's "Large" was a little tight at first (though I am new to semi-fitted Merino apparel, every Merino or Rambouillet top I've owned to date has been loose fit) but following several wearings the shirt has become like a second skin and the fit is perfect. I typically wear a Merino tee underneath it, something that doesn't conflict with the Maverick Hoody's semi-fit nature. The weight of the shirt is very light, 140g/m, the lightest of any Rambouillet or Merino shirt I've ever owned. Given this, I have a feeling that it won't be long before I'll have to begin the routine process of darning that I've come to accept is part and parcel of owning any piece of lightweight 100% Merino or Rambouillet apparel. The sleeves are just long enough (another inch of length would be preferable given my long arms) for me to be able to utilize the thumbies and the length in the body is perfect. One surprise was the bottom hem: there isn't one! The shirt instead relies on a sculpted/countered edge that is reinforced with a flat stitch. This is different from any other shirt of any material that I've ever owned. I actually like it since it makes that part of the shirt very lightweight. It was just a surprise given that Ive never seen this technique applied to any other shirt; there's (almost) always a folded and stitched bottom hem.

Over the last ~six years all of my tops and non-cycling-specific non-chamois'ed boxers have been 100% Merino or Rambouillet. However, over the last year I've begun experimenting with Merino or Rambouillet pieces that are reinforced with modest amounts of Nylon, Polyester, Spandex or Polyamide. Based upon these experiments I have come to the conclusion so far that the only truly "anti-stink" wool garments are those that are constructed of 100% percent wool. The only exception to this I've found seems to be the addition of a small percentage of Spandex, which doesn't seem to compromise the "smell factor". However, adding even a small percentage of nylon, for instance, creates the conditions that require the garment (particularly if it's a shirt) to be washed after every fourth of fifth wearing. In marked contrast, I can go through weeks or months of daily wear of a 100% wool shirt without needing to wash it. In fact, its common that the only reason I ultimately end up washing a 100% Merino or Rambouillet shirt is to remove food or salt stains that have accumulated. As long as a 100% wool garment is hung up nightly for airing-out, accumulated perspiration odors just don't occur. This is definitely the most remarkable feature of 100% Merino or Rambouillet clothing and is what, in my opinion, makes them so preferable over synthetics. The fact that I'm not polluting water with microscopic bits of plastic when I do wash my 100% wool garments is another major advantage.

All in all, I will definitely be purchasing more Duckworth clothing in the future!

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.