Best merino wool hoodies for men and women

Hoodies have got a recent surge in popularity and are a wardrobe essential going way beyond sportswear. They can look very stylish if you choose a good fit, opting for higher quality materials such as merino wool. Merino hoodies tend to be slim-fit, rather than oversized which can make them look professional enough to wear to the office if paired with a dress merino wool pants or over a short merino wool dress.

If you want the short version, here are our top recommendation for 2020:

Our pick for men

Wool & Prince French Terry Hoodie

75% Merino Wool

Don’t let you full by the minimalist aspect of what seems a “simple” hoodie at a first glance. Yes, it is high price tag. And yes, the quality matches it. Thomas has it in deep black which gives a look both chic and casual. It’s a hoodie he can actually wear in the office, which in my books makes it the perfect street wear.

Material: 97% Merino Wool, 3% elastane for durability and stretch
Care: Machine wash, dry flat
Features: Hood, zip and pockets
Price (estimate): $165

See on Wool & Prince

Our pick for women

The Icebreaker Women’s Dia Long Sleeve Zip Hood Fleece

87% Merino Wool

Icebreaker is one of the safest choice in the merino wool world and that is a relevant factor considering the price tag attached to a hoodie.
This hoodie is a good all purpose jacket: perfect pre- and post-training layer, can be worn for cold mornings outside, sunny afternoon hikes, cozied up by the fire, from September to May!

Material: RealFLEECE 87% Merino Wool, 10% Nylon (for strength), 3% Lycra (for shape retention)
Fabric weight: 200 g/m2 (very lightweight for a hoodie!)
Features: adjustable hood with drawcord and zip to regulate body temperature
Cut: hip length, meaning it layers easily
Care: machine washable in cold water. Do not tumble dry.
Estimated price (currently some options in sales): $130 – $220

The Icebreaker RealFLEECE collection brings a bit more chic so this hoodie has a lifestyle finish allowing to be worn for other activity such as travel of on the way to work. The touch of Lycra helps for shape retention. We love the fact that it exists in various color options.

See hoodies on Icebreaker | See on Amazon

Here are a couple of things to consider when choosing your merino wool hoodie. Below you will find a short list of good alternatives to our top pick above.

The advantage of merino wool for outerwear garnements

The number one reason than merino wool is a superior material for clothing wear is the fact that it stops the growth of odour-causing bacteria. But the reason it is particularly good for hoodies, is that it is awesome for layering. While hoodie falls under the category of outerwear, merino wool hoodies tend to be fitted as opposite to loose. You can be warm in Winter while feeling comfortable under your jacket, as opposed of feeling like a bulky snowman.

In summary, merino wool hoodie are lightweight, warm, and just as comfortable as your favourite sweatshirt—but gives you a put-together look.

Material and fabric weight

Merino wool clothing are often associated with a number ranging from 140 to 320. This is the weight of the wool in grams/square centimeter. Hoodies are typically classified as what we call “outer wear” or “mid layer”. While t-shirts typically range from 140 to 200 g/m2, you would want to get a 360 to 400 for clothing you would be wearing in the Winter.

Because they have a heavier grammage per square meter, hoodies tend to be less fragile than thin merino wool t-shirts. It means it is safer to go for a 100% merino wool fabric for a hoodie than for a t-shirt, for example. Note that some brands still choose to add a touch of lycra especially around the cuff or the hip waist for a tighter fit and more stylish cut.

Cut and style: the features to look for

The hood: to keep your post-sweat hair under wraps. They can have drawcord to adjust it which can be useful when cycling in windy weather condition or keep your head warm when your hear are wet such after your swimming training session.

Thumbholes: they tend to make a hoodie look more sporty but thumbholes help keep your sleeves in place and your hands warm.

Kangaroo pocket(s): after the hoodie, pockets that join are the biggest garnement feature that differentiate a hoodie from a sweater. They work great as a hand warmer when there are no thumbholes and generally bring a real cozy factor.

Zip: Zips in hoodies are very common. They make layering easier, putting it on and off simpler when the weather swings between Summer and Autumn temperatures. They allow for some body temperature regulation, because you can leave them unzipped in warmer weather, zip them half-way in moderate climes or zip it all the way up when it gets colder.

Durability and care

Merino wool hoodies can be expensive. This is because the base material – merino wool – is more expensive than cotton because like all our favourite organic things, merino wool grows really slowly. Obviously, you do want make sure your hoodie stays in tip-top condition. All the options listed below can be safely machine washed because we believe in convenience even though a hoodie doesn’t need to be wash as often as underwear! So you want to be mindful of that. Hanging merino wool clothes into the fresh air can sometimes be as good as washing it. It is true anti-stink magic!

Note that it is actually best to wash the garment after wearing it a couple of time to remove any short fibers from the fabric in order to avoid future pilling.

Don’t forget: Ensure all zippers are closed.

Be sure to not put it in the drier as you want to be careful about the shape. It is typically best to lay your merino wool flat to air dry. This is particularly true for hoodies as they are heavier than a t-shirt for exemple. Hanging them could result into bad form share as all the water would pile at the bottom.

Also great for men

The OLIVERS Apparel, Mens Merino Wool Performance Porter Hoodie

The OLIVERS Apparel, Performance Porter Hoodie

90% merino, 8% core spun nylon (for strength), and 2% spandex (for a bit of stretch)

Plus points: Odor Resistant, Water Repellent, and Temperature Regulating
Made in the USA
Feature: No zip but a hidden zippered pocket is located on one side to securely carry your wallet, keys, or phone. Best for: urban style, cycling to the office. Exists in blue.

Price (estimate): $148

All Birds chunkie merino men hoodie in white

Allbirds Men’s Wool Hoodie

100% chunkier merino wool

Feature: Zip and hood. Looser fit and chunkier knit. It is perfect as a top layer vest in colder weather. Dryclean only – Though you probably won’t need to do that often! Also exists in blue and black.

Price (estimate): $175

Minus33 Merino Wool Men’s Kodiak Expedition Full Zip Hoody

100% Merino Wool: anti-stink technology meaning this naturally breathable jacket is the ultimate post-sweat layering piece

Weight: 400 g/m2, 18.5 micron
Feature: hood, zip, and thumbholes to help keep your hands warm and your sleeves down for easy layering. It is a traditionnal more sporty hoodie.

Price range (estimate): $175 – $190

Buying options:
See on Minus33

Also great for women

WoolX Women’s Zoey Merino Wool Sweatshirt

100% Merino Wool

Plus points: If you like thumbholes, this WoolX hoodie is a great alternative to our Icebreaker top pick. The black makes for a more dressed sweater.
Fabric weight: 400gm (heavyweight), 17.5 micron
Made in the USA
Features: a double thickness hood to feel extra snuggy (yet not adjustable), a high quality YKK zipper, thumbholes to help keep your hands warm and your sleeves down for easy layering.
Care: Machine washable

Price range (estimate): $149

Buying options:
See on WoolX

Fitted Fleece Hoody Jacket for women by Smitten Merino

Fitted Fleece Hoody Jacket from Smittenmerino

26% merino wool, 69% modal (beech tree fibre) and 5% spandex/stretch (fleece fabric)

Machine washable in cold water. Do not tumble dry.
Just as comfortable as your favourite sweatshirt—but gives you a put-together look! It is the thickest hoodie of our list of recommendation list.
Features: Thumbholes to help keep your sleeves in place and hands warm. A large Hood Keeps Your Post-Sweat Hair Under Wraps

Cut: Relaxed fit and hip length to layers easily and gives you room to breathe. Exist in black.

Price (estimate): $217

Women' merino callie hoodie in dark grey

WoolX Callie Hoodie – Midweight

100% Merino wool inside85% Australian Merino Wool 12% Nylon – 3% Spandex

Weight: 230 g/m2
Cut: relaxed fit with large hand warmer pockets. You’ll love cozying up in this hooded pullover. Exist in black and grey.

Price (estimate): $99

2 responses to “Best merino wool hoodies for men and women”

Ian S says:

December 30, 2019 at 11:55 pm

Best merino hoody I have ever seen or worn is made by Trew out of Nuyarn (same fabric that Kuiu uses, where they take the twist out of the yarn). The Trew hoody has a full-length zip and 2 zipped side pockets. Very high quality and it looks terrific. I wear it all.the.time.

Bryn says:

June 2, 2021 at 8:18 pm

I really love the Aviator merino hoody! It has 2 zip pockets and the cuffs can fold over into little mittens…perfect for me as I get cold easily!