TUO’s Kinetic Merino 200 ¼ Zip Hoodie pairs a built-in hood and facemask with ultrafine merino wool for the ultimate baselayer, now available
Most baselayers ask you to layer around their limitations. TUO’s Kinetic Merino 200 ¼ Zip Hoodie doesn’t have any to work around.
The newest addition to its merino wool lineup is built to solve a problem most hunters have just learned to live with: needing three different pieces of gear — a base layer, a hood, and a facemask — to handle one cold morning.
One Top, Three Jobs The Kinetic Merino 200 folds a base layer, hood, and facemask into a single top. The three-piece hood adds warmth and blocks sun, a built-in facemask handles the wind and cold on your face, and a quarter-zip neck lets you dump heat the second you start working up a sweat.
A Hood That Actually Fits
The hood is where the real engineering shows up. Most hunting hoods are an afterthought, a shapeless piece of fabric that either swallows your face or blocks your peripheral vision the moment you turn your head to check a shooting lane. TUO cut the Kinetic Merino’s hood from multiple fabric panels and shaped it to the human head, so it sits close and stays out of your sightlines instead of fighting them. You get the warmth and sun protection without ever losing track of what’s moving at the edge of your vision.
“The hood and facemask are definitely standout features,” said TUO Marketing Director Steve Allie. “A quarter-zip design with a hood and built-in facemask built into one top is unique on its own. You’re getting the benefits of three pieces of gear without wearing three pieces of gear.”
Fabric Developed to Disappear Against Skin
The fabric doing all the work is a 95% merino wool, 5% spandex blend at 18.5 microns — fine enough to sit next to skin all day without the itch people associate with old-school wool. TUO calls the 200-gram weight a sweet spot: light enough to wear alone on a warm afternoon, substantial enough to anchor a layering system when temperatures drop. Flatlock seams keep every stitch line smooth against the skin, so there’s nothing to chafe under a pack strap or harness. The facemask gets its own attention. “It’s the lightest merino we’ve ever used,” Allie said. “It’s super stretchy, breathable, and it actually stays put on the bridge of your nose. And because it’s so lightweight, it disappears into the collar the second you don’t want it on.”
Why Merino, and Why This Merino
Merino wool comes from Merino sheep, a breed that originated in Spain and is now raised primarily in Australia, New Zealand, South America, South Africa, and the U.S. Fiber diameter, measured in microns, is what separates good merino from great merino — most merino wool runs in the low-to-mid 20-micron range, and finer fibers mean more of the wool’s natural benefits packed into every inch of fabric. At 18.5 microns, TUO’s Kinetic Merino sits well below that average. For reference, a human hair runs 50 to 100 microns — this stuff is a fraction of that.
That fineness is what makes merino worth building a baselayer around in the first place:
Temperature regulation — merino adapts to what your body needs, holding warmth in the cold and breathing when things heat up, which is why the Kinetic Merino 200 works equally well as a standalone layer or a mid-layer.
Sun protection — merino fibers carry natural pigments that absorb UV light, giving the fabric a built-in layer of sun resistance.
Odor resistance — the same natural wax that keeps a sheep’s coat water-resistant also keeps bacteria, mold, and fungus from taking hold in the fabric.
Moisture wicking — merino pulls perspiration away from skin the same way it does on the sheep it came from.
Elasticity — unlike traditional wool, merino holds its shape instead of stretching out and staying there.
Softness — no break-in period, no itch. It feels good against skin from the first wear.
Hypoallergenic — merino wool is certified asthma- and allergy-friendly by Allergy Standards Limited (ASL), for hunters who need that.
KINETIC MERINO 200 ¼ ZIP HOODIE FEATURES:
- 95% 18.5-micron merino wool, 5% spandex (body)
- 65% 17.5-micron merino wool, 35% nylon mesh (facemask)
- 200-gram fabric weight
- Single jersey fabric for exceptional breathability
- Naturally regulates temperature, manages moisture, and resists odor
- Flatlock seams for next-to-skin comfort
- Quarter-zip for ventilation, temperature regulation, and easy layering
- Ergonomic 3-piece hood with unrestricted peripheral vision — protects against sun, adds warmth when layering
- Integrated ultra-lightweight mesh merino facemask
- 1 zippered chest pocket for essential storage
- Ideal as a standalone piece or layering essential
- Sizes: SM–3XL
- Patterns: Deadfall and TUO Verse
MSRP $159.99