Women’s Icebreaker Cool-Lite™ Merino Motion Seamless Tights – Gear Review

We sent our friend Thuc a pair of Icebreaker’s Cool-Lite™ Merino Motion Seamless High Rise Tights. While they sound like a mouthful, the tights themselves proved to be a stylish, comfortable, and functional staple for hiking.

The Lowdown

I’d never owned a pair of merino tights – only a selection of merino tops – so I was very keen to try these out, especially as they’re from Icebreaker; a brand renowned for their premium merino wool from happy, cared-for sheep, their commitment to a responsible supply chain, and their value of environmental sustainability.

I’ve worn these Motion Seamless High Rise Tights for hikes and bike rides around Jindabyne and Kosciuszko National Park as well as for overnight camping trips in Namadgi and Brindabella National Park; so classic rugged Aussie environments.

I’m also known for thrashing my gear; I like to say that I’m just too focused on the activity and the adventure to worry about my clothing!

Here’s how the tights performed.

Fit

These merino tights are form-fitting with no slipping down and no sagging. I find them very flattering, especially on the legs.

The shape retention is excellent. I can wear these tights three to four times with minimal issues and each time I wash the tights, they bounce back to their original shape.

My favourite part of the fit is the waistband; it’s wide and sits up high so it holds you in snuggly, without digging in. I never have to adjust it.

Comfort

Wearing these tights almost feel like wearing nothing. There’s a gusset and the material stays close to your skin even while you’re moving so that the tights are never a distraction.

I find that I hold extra fluid and get a little puffy when hiking and camping. As the adventure goes on, I can sometimes find other tights becoming too tight in some places. But this isn’t a problem with these merino tights as the fabric is stretchy.

I find them to be a stylish, comfortable, and functional staple for hiking. They also perform and blend in outside of the outdoors too; think the gym or the yoga studio.

Breathability

Icebreaker’s Cool-Lite™ combination of merino wool and TENCEL™ makes for a beautiful, soft, and lightweight fabric that’s super breathable.

Because the fabric also has excellent thermoregulation properties, these tights keep me cool while hiking and warm while chilling at camp. They also feature knit zones around the back of the legs for extra ventilation (no sweaty back of knees here).

I’ve even slept in mine and they perform well as thermal tights. This is a big win for me as I love to pack as little as possible.

Odour Suppression

Apparently, odour molecules get trapped in the merino fibre and are less readily detected by the human nose.

All I know is I’ve worn mine non-stop on overnight hikes (hiked in them, slept in them, woke up and hiked in them again…) without a complaint from my partner!

They seem to be able to withstand continual wearing over long periods of time, making them a versatile space saver. 

Conclusion

I find myself increasingly reaching for these merino tights as the weather in Canberra cools. Their performance has been impressive so far and I love that the tights’ thermoregulation means I can wear them all day in comfort and keep my pack weight down. 

Does it all sound too good to be true? Maybe a little, because I do wish that they had pockets! Plus they aren’t particularly affordable for the average Explorer at $179.99 direct from Icebreaker.

All in all though, if you’re after a quality, flattering pair of merino tights, look no further. 

Thuc was sent the Icebreaker tights by Icebreaker and was allowed to keep them afterward, the views are her own.

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