BW "Woolpower Zip Turtleneck 200" Merino Wool Shirt, Green, Surplus

A high turtleneck shirt is just about the most practical shirt for cold and wet weather, and with the use of high quality merino wool it becomes perhaps the ultimate long sleeve undershirt ever made. These are used surplus from Bundeswehr – a one-off lot still in totally serviceable condition.

This turtleneck is designed as a base or mid layer garment, it functions just as well as a lone undershirt or with another shirt underneath. Add a heavier mid layer on top of this and you'll stay dry, warm and comfy even in the coldest arctic winters!

The cut is really smart, and the sleeves are generously long and end in elastic, thumbholed cuffs that keep your arms protected no matter how bad the weather gets. The collar is extra thick to provide good protection from the wind. The half-zipper not only makes getting in and out of the shirt easier, but it also gives you a quick way to adjust heat levels when you're getting hot with action.

Size

These are used, and they have been washed, so we will give simple sizes with our own measurements of the unstretched chest circumferences (at the armpit level) and back lengths (top of the collar down to hem). The fabric is stretchy, of course. These will fit bipedal people from all walks of life and sexes.

There is also some variance inside the sizes, depending on how the garments have been used, washed, and dried. Some of the hems seem to hang higher than what they originally probably did, and this shrinkage is probably due to incorrect drying methods after they were washed.

Materials and construction

Woolpower 200g/m² 60% merino wool, 25% polyester, 13% polyamide, 2% elastane. A wool blend of this type is far more wear resistant than pure wool, but just as moisture wicking and comfortable against bare skin. If required, wash at max 60°C / 140°F . Better yet, just air the garment out for a day and the wool will cleanse itself!

Note: we do not recommend tumble drying wool clothes. If you wash these, you might want to dry them on a flat surface after reforming them to their original size and form.

Merino wool is moisture wicking, fast drying, and self-rinsing. These garments are also machine-washable, but washing is usually unnecessary – as wool cleans itself. When not in use, air them out and give them a good shake after that. You only need to wash the clothes if you see stains or they start to smell like the insides of a Tauntaun. This will require lots and lots of continuous use without airing, and probably storing them in a closed plastic bag or such.

Woolpower uses their very own in-house developed material, Ullfrotté Original, a terry-knit lofty fabric that actually consists of up to 80% of air! The smooth outer surface contains more polyamide fibers, making it wear resistant, while the inside is covered in lofty terry loops that makes for great insulation, comfort, and warmth.

All Woolpower garment pieces are circularly knitted, a special manufacturing process where sleeves for example are seamless tubes. Due to this Woolpower garments have far less seams than standard clothing. The less seams you have, the more comfortable the garment, and of course less of a chance of a seam ripping!

Woolpower uses 100% mulesing-free wool from the Argentinian Patagonia and Uruguay.

Condition

These are high quality but used garments, so there are a few signs of use also. There might be some pilling on the parts that get the most friction, and some garments have well-made repairs that do not affect their function negatively. The laundry tags say most of these are made during 2016-2018, and there might be a few older but well preserved items in the lot also.

These come in two different colors, but we will do no further sorting, as the garments are otherwise the same. Some of the Woolpowers are in so-called Swedish green, while others have a grayish Feldgrau-type color.

German surplus

Made in Sweden, worn in Germany and probably on some missions at other places, too.