Over the past year I’ve become a big fan of many Scandiwegian sports brands, which provide merino base layers with great design and features. These include Ulvang, Janus, Woolpower and Devold. I’m also a fan of hoodies, which are a useful extra layer on the bike. So, when I saw this merino hoodie, I jumped at it.
The Devold Expedition is a technical dual merino layer, comprising 90% merino and 10% polyamide. It’s also fairly heavy at 235gsm and has a high neckline with an almost balaclava-style hood rather than a hood with a drawstring – very handy under a bike helmet.
The company claims its merino features ‘Aquaduct’ technology, allowing moisture to transpire from the inner layer to the outer (but doesn’t all wool?).
I bought from SportsPursuit, which always entails a bit of a wait, but when the Expedition arrived, I was very pleased – the fabric has a nice woolly moss-stitch feel with a huge amount of stretch, giving the best of both worlds. It’s also very long and covers the small of your back and your butt nicely due to the extended back. The thumbholes keep the top well tucked in inside your gloves.
I wear this top both on and off the bike – it’s attractive, a great colour, and suits my everyday life as well as cycling.
My Expedition cost 47.76 euros reduced from 87.80 euros from SportPursuit, with flat-rate shipping of 9.99 euros. Devold stockists are hard to find, but the top is currently available from AlpineTrek in forest green for just under £78 and in black from Bike24 for just under £90.
Devold Expedition hoodie: *****