Western Rise StrongCore Merino Hoodie Sweater Review
The hooded merino sweater from WR promises StrongCore durability with merino hoodie comfort.
StrongCore Hoodie Sweater Review Introduction
Blink and you might miss a product launch. Western Rise has had a busy year with releases. New Evolution products (Evolution Shorts 2.0 review), updates to the Session T (Session T review), a new Kickstarter coming for their first 3-layer rain jacket (as of October 2022). Another new addition is to the StrongCore merino line.
Western Rise has really built this line up over the last couple of years. They’ve got t-shirts, socks, boxer briefs. StrongCore merino promises most of the benefits of merino, but with additional durability due to a clever use of nylon in the weaves. More on that later. What is this newest addition? The StrongCore Merino Hoodie - in sweater form.
This is my review of the Western Rise StrongCore Merino Hoodie sweater. I was able to test this on a couple of trips requiring plane travel (I took it to Tanzania as well as to London).
For full transparency, I reached out to Western Rise and they were kind enough to provide a piece for me to research and review. That said, this is not a sponsored article and the review is solely my own. Western Rise had no input into the contents here.
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Western Rise StrongCore Merino Hoodie Overview
So what’s this new sweater all about? For one this sweater is a pullover, something we’re all used to. But it’s also a hoodie, which adds to the casual nature. It’s meant to not be too stuffy, but at the same time it’s not a zip up which can be TOO casual in many cases and also comes off more like a jacket.
The differentiator here is the StrongCore merino that Western Rise developed a few years ago. Overall it’s 78% merino, a very high percentage for a blend. But the trick they’ve used is to add core-spun Nylon in the threading. Meaning this nylon adds an additional bit of strength (get the name now? StrongCore?) to the overall garment for an increase in durability you might not get from pure merino. This merino is an 18.5 micron single-jersey merino which Western Rise calls “some of the softest we have ever felt”. They’ve designed it for strength, comfort, and for what they say is a great drape in the fabric.
Here’s the tech specs from their site:
• 4-way stretch knit Merino wool
• 209 gsm
• Core-spun knit
• Odor neutralizing
• Temperature regulating
• Moisture wicking
Comes in black, steel (think heather grey), and camel (the version I have).
This is billed as a premium merino product, and is priced as such. It’s $158.00 on the Western Rise site.
StrongCore Merino Hoodie Sweater Features
As with most shirts not named Ponch (Poncho Outdoors shirt review) - there aren’t going to be a lot of features to go over, other than the features all of us travelers have come to expect from merino. So let’s breeze through this section.
Hood? Check. There’s a hood here for some quick weather block but mostly, for me, this is good for comfort at home, in the airport or lounge, and more - on the plane when it’s nap time.
High grade merino? Check. You’re getting all that you know and love from merino here. Natural odor resistance from the threads themselves and the lanolin they contain, plus natural temperature regulation in various climates. I always think this last bit is a LITTLE over blown in marketing, but it IS true to a point. The odor resistance of merino is no joke, however. It’s the real deal.
I’d also say the StrongCore part is also a feature. Merino can be notoriously delicate. Adding a nylon core really helps from a longevity standpoint.
The Good
It’s a nice sweater. That’s important to note here because it’s in a premium price class, but also that’s what it is at its “Core”. (See what I did there?). It’s comfy, warm when you need it, and I wasn’t too hot when the planes were a little bit too warm. It’s pretty soft as promised.
Looks great if you nail the fit. It’s got a casual vibe to it of course because it’s a hoodie, but it’s not thick and hugely oversized to make you look sloppy or like you just came out of your dorm room (No offense meant to the college crowd, you be comfy and do you. There comes a time in life where you outgrow that though and want to look a little nicer while still being comfy). From the front it essentially looks like a normal pullover sweater. And because the hood is fairly thin, it’s not all bulky in the back. That’s good.
Camel color is also fantastic. Looks really great with black or blue jeans/pants. If I want to get overly recommendy here I’d say it also looks great with the addition of a pair of sand colored chukka-style shoes in the already mentioned combo. Or all-white tennis shoes. You’re welcome.
The hood is great for traveling. Plenty of scenarios on the road where it’s handy for nodding off. Planes, trains, and automobiles (Probably dating myself with that reference, but to be fair I was a young kid when that was out, I just like the pop reference), all good scenarios for this aforementioned hood.
The Bad
Not a lot, but I did have a little bit of a beef with the fit (particularly the sleeves) - which is always a very personal thing and could be a “me” problem. I’ll say I’ve had this complaint in the past with another top from Western Rise, the Limitless merino button down (which overall is a great shirt, review here). But for some reason, the patterns they use have really long sleeves. If you’re tall, this will not be an issue.
That’s my only real complaint. In general, it’s big for a S overall, really. You could always risk a wash and see what happens though (foreshadow alert).
Something to mention for the wider audience though - is that this is nice merino. So because of that, they recommend hand-washing only or you risk major shrinkage (Hello, Seinfeld). A lot of their clothes are really great for travel because they stick to an easy-care philosophy. This won’t be an issue because a lot of onebaggers/hard core travelers love a good sink wash. This will be fine there. But also remember, merino does NOT need to be washed that often, especially a sweater. Since you most likely have a t-shirt underneath, you won’t need to wash this a lot if ever. Though keep in mind: often the issue when merino starts to smell when we travel isn’t necessarily from just us, it’s a combo of us and our deodorant. If you switch to an unscented you’ll notice even better performance from your merino. The scents can get stuck in the fibers and since humans ruin everything, it works against merino’s ability to fight it since it’s a chemical. Something to think about.
The Fit Of The StrongCore Merino Hoodie Sweater
I mentioned this above, so I wanted to go a little more in depth with this one. Because there is a bit of a “hack” for a solution.
The S fits me just OK (it’s bigger than I’d like, depending on layering), which you can see in the pictures. And, I’ve got to roll the sleeves a full cuff then still have lots of extra fabric. I compared it to other pullover sweaters I have (RL Polo, Banana Republic) and these are definitely wayyy longer. So for a taller person that still wears a S because maybe they are on the leaner/thinner side, won’t be an issue. For us smaller dudes (I’m 5’6”) you’re going to need to cuff the sleeves. In all honesty, maybe even have them altered that way. I did that with the Limitless as well to make it fit perfectly. If you’re cool with cuffing the sleeves though, no need to alter it. No one can see except you.
Now I say hack - because this is very much a YMMV kind of thing, and you should do it with some extreme caution. The army of Harvard lawyers we keep in the Always Wander back office wants me to caveat this part. But because it was pretty big in areas for a S, I ran it through a wash cycle (no soap) and then into the dryer. But, I watched it VERY closely. One 10 min low-heat, one 10 min regular heat. Well, it shrunk. Pictures updated here but it’s MUCH better for ME and is much more complimentary of my shape vs that oversized version, which kind of made me look a little sloppy. I need to stress that “me” part. Do this at your own risk depending on your comfort level, but it worked very well in my case. You can see the before and after fit-pics in the following shots.
The Improvement Requests for the StrongCore Hoodie Sweater
Shorten up those sleeves. Like a lot. I actually think they are definitely too long when compared to most off-the-rack options. And maybe offer an XS so people don’t need to have to mess around with the dryer, because that could lead to them shrinking the fabric too much and having it not fit at all at that point.
Final Thoughts On My StrongCore Merino Hoodie Sweater Review
I think people are often looking for versatile comfort when they are traveling, but don’t want to look like they just rolled out of bed on a Saturday morning to go get the paper or to go to class after a night of boozing.
For travel related products though, you need some utility. I think the StrongCore merino sweater succeeds here. It looks really good if you can nail the fit, but remains simple (which is WR’s MO really). It’s made of a high enough content of merino to still retain most of the great properties that make merino amazing for travel (mainly the odor resistance to allow for multiple wears). The hood is also a great addition and I like that this is a pullover vs. a zip up. For me personally, and this might be psychological, it makes it seem a little more polished and grown up.
I wore this as my en-route top layer on two different trips - one from NYC to London and one from NYC to Tanzania (that one included 3 stops and 22 hours of travel). This sweater was perfect on the planes and in the airports, and in Nov in London it was great as a daily walk around layer. As comfortable as I was, I never looked sloppy or unprofessional. This is definitely perfectly fine for casual bistros and pub dinners out while on your trip. So if you have a few t-shirts that you can wash, you can really cut down on your top layers you need to bring and use this quite a bit due to it being merino. That’s good for your bag and packing, too. Passed the “My Wife Is A Designer” test as well, she thought it looked solid in this color.
If you’re in the market for a travel friendly sweater or hooded sweatshirt, consider getting the best of both worlds and check this one out. A note on the price - keep in mind the idea here is that this one thing can replace multiple items of clothing. How many depends on you but if we want to pick a median possibility here, you could easily replace 3 items with this due to its multi-wear ability and its hood. So, the price evens out when you think about it that way.
As always with the indy brands, I’d suggest buying directly through their website for best service.
Travel more and travel smarter, everyone.
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Head on over to our Travel Clothing Reviews page for more reviews on Western Rise reviews like the Evolution Shorts 2.0 review, or the Airloft Hooded Jacket review.
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