Ibex Indie Hoodie & Shak Vest

Under new management, Ibex is once again producing merino wool products. Originally from Vermont, the land of Ben and Jerry's and Bernie Sanders, Ibex now calls Boulder, CO home for a more of an outdoorsy image of climbing the Flatiron rock naked, in scuba gear or on roller skates. There are a few places in the US where people are more active than Boulder so positioning one's business in the heart of that makes a ton of sense.

I received the Indie Hoodie and the Shak Vest from our own Trevor Hansen for review. The reason?

They did not fit him... more on that later.

Ibex Indie Hoodie

Ibex's Indie Hoodie is an interesting piece. At 185 gm2 weight, it is slightly thicker than the 140 gm2 fabric that I am more used to wearing while biking. This heavier feel pushed the first use scenario to cooler temperatures that took their sweet time arriving this year. The idea of a hoodie on a bike ride seemed silly at first, but soon found its application on a particularly cold morning ride.

The size medium hoodie on this 5'9" reviewer fit relaxed but not too baggy. Larger than most mediums for base layering, it has a similar fit to the jersey like merino gear from both NF and Mons. The quarter zip has a nice ventilation option, giving the Ibex hoodie high functionality. Ibex likes to silk screen their info onto the fabric for a tag-free experience and it pays off when it comes to comfort against the skin. The 100% merino wool is ideal against the skin and there no tags to tickle you.

One of the extra features of the Indie hoodie are the thumb holes on the cuff to help with layering. It is a testament to the designers' attention to detail.

On the bike, the slightly looser fit of the medium gives me room to move and warmth to relax on cold rides. The hood actually fits under a helmet without affecting the fit too much. If the winds are freezing your ears off, this is a great feature. For someone looking to do a quick lunch hour spin on the North Shore, the feature-rich Ibex hoodie may not be the go to garment, but if you find yourself in the backcountry in unpredictable weather, a top with a well-designed hoodie and thumb holes may mean the difference between being really cold or being comfortable. Not to forget, mountain biking is life but so is hiking and skiing and all other shitty weather activities, not discounting gardening in the backyard. A warm, function-rich top is a great way to increase your exposure time to the elements. The styling of the Indie hoodie is on the "meh" side. It looks like a base layer on its own so if you don't want to be zapped by the fashion police, you may want to top it with something else... read on.

Ibex Merino Hoodie $170 USD

Ibex Shak Vest

I haven't been a vest guy all my life so I don't have a vest routine or persona. I know people who rip arms off of any long sleeve piece they can get their hands on. The punk is alive and well in the 40+ crowd. When the Ibex Vest showed its sleeveless face on my office floor, I had a chuckle and put it right on. The Shak Vest is a heavy, 375 gm2 piece of fabric for the most core heating combination possible. Initially I struggled to find a use for this amount of warmth but a couple of frosty mornings in the fall defined the best use case. The size medium vest is on the looser fitting side. As a second or third layer this works well but if you want an against-the-baselayer hug from the vest, I suggest sizing down. This is when I also realized the fashion faux pas that would be the solo baselayer hoodie unzipped to reveal the chest forest, the Shak vest complemented the look by creating a visual layer that was far more pleasant.

Climbing, I found the hoodie-vest combo too warm regardless of the temperature. The heat my body generates and the retention from the merino was a little uncomfortable. The sweat did not feel cold as the merino wool wicked it and warmed it. The warm, wet feeling lasted 30 or so minutes before it evaporated and I was as dry and odourless as I started the ride.

I wish the weave was lighter and the vest was more packable for the conditions I ride in. It will easily pack in a backpack or a hip pack but it will take up a decent amount of space while doing so. Your riding weather and body heat may differ.

The zippered pockets were welcomed by my cold hands and the chest pocket was great to see especially when the time came to stashing my glasses. The stitching is heavy duty and it feels like the vest will last a lifetime if cared for (especially if my 10+ year old Ibex base layer is any example).

Ibex Shak vest

The Ibex of old is long gone and is now a direct to consumer operation. The website also has a decent amount of information on the ethical side of things: where and when and how much energy is being used to achieve what. The undeniable truth of raw materials traveling the world to get to different production stages gives one an uneasy feeling. Australia to China to Turkey to US is a long journey for a vest to travel just to be worn for an occasional mountain bike ride. I don't feel great about any part of this process. But I do take solace in the fact that both the sheep and the people who work it into the final products seem to be cared for. At least we are told they are. I may not be purchasing a new merino product every year anyway, and the these look to be lifetime products. If it lasts as long as other Ibex stuff of the past, it'll be a decade before I may consider another one. That is some good mileage for sure.

Overall, I am impressed with the non-mountain biking specific stuff from the new Ibex. The feature rich products would be right at home when the temperatures hit minus frosty. There is no doubt the hoodie and the vest combo will get regular use this winter, on and off the bike.

Ibex Merino