Love the Earth, Love Yourself, Love Green Gear

Romance is in the air. Why not treat your loved one to a sweet ecofriendly treat? Here are just a few ideas:

Take a romantic walk with a 27 ounce Klean Kanteen - it fits a whole bottle of wine!

Present your sweetest with wool underwear and watch them enjoy the soft luxury of merino next to skin.

Outfit your honey with a new bag for travel. Women love our OLovesM clutch and purses made from reclaimed yoga mats. Everyone loves our Green Guru Gear billboard and blow out messengers.

Whatever you choose, Love the Earth, Love Yourself, and you will Love Green Gear.

Day Six: Holiday Savings and Durable Gifts

We are halfway through the 12 days of Green Gifts and Tips! Today, we're highlighting green gifts on sale. First, we just announced that all orders placed before December 19 will ship for free. No coupon code necessary. Next, check out our merino wool jackets on sale for 10% off. Finally, visit the clearance corner for great deals on closeout products, including the women's climawool glove, a softshell warm when wet cold weather glove perfect for gift giving. $39 (regular price $70)

Tip of the day: Give durable gifts. Heirloom quality toys and quality clothes will last longer than plastic junk. This will certainly please your gift recipient, but it also keeps waste out of the landfill.

Warm Wool and Winter Foodstuffs: Day Three of Green Gifts and Tips

Why not add some wool to your holiday gifts? Ibex merino wool is super soft, breathable, and sustainably harvested. Buy the renzo beanie pictured above for $32.99, wool glove liners for $23.99, or wool underwear for $22.50 (Women's) / $28.00 (Men's) as stocking stuffers.

For the athletic person on your list, give a Shak Jersey they are sure to love. Shaks are getting rave reviews! Men's full zip $145.00, Men's pullover $125, Women's full zip $140, Women's pullover $125.

Tip of the day: Take a trip to the farmer's market. You might be surprised at the local flavors you could add to your holiday table. Here in Ohio, I will be able to get local potatos, salad greens, mushrooms, squash and meat at a minimum.

Don't know where to find local farmers? Check out www.localharvest.org! It has a database of small farms searchable by food type and zipcode. Happy Eating!

Ibex Jersey reviewed in New York Times

The fashion and style guide at New York Times featured fleece and wool gear today.

About the Ibex Shak, the review says "“Gorgeous!” is how Ms. Chism described this pure merino wool hoody. “I felt very posh in it.”...The wool was “breathable and very thin” but cozy. She was surprised at how soft and “not itchy” it was. Ms. Chism also laundered the top in her washing machine, and then placed it flat to dry, per its care instructions. It dried “beautifully,” she said, and “didn’t wrinkle or stink like wet wool.”"

Buy a women's or men's Shak at BayingHound.com and get free shipping with code freeship50.

Lovin' the EcoClutch and Shak Full-zip

When our new fall gear came in, I decided to try the EcoClutch and Shak Full-zip. Both pieces appealed to my laid back eco-chic style. After a few months of use, here are my thoughts:

The EcoClutch is a very small handbag with tons of style for only $29.95. After two and a half years of carrying a big diaper bag, my daughter finally potty trained and I wanted a new purse. I am walking and riding my bike often and carrying just a small amount of "stuff" appeals to me. The EcoClutch fits just what I need for day to day use: a billboard wallet, phone, keys, and lip balm. It's comfortable to carry over the shoulder and easy to throw in a bigger bag or bike trailer. Here it is at the coffee shop today:

(Sorry about the blurry pic. I still haven't figured out how to use the camera in this phone well.)

What surprises me about the EcoClutch is how durable it is. I'm not very kind on purses. When I wrote "throw" in the previous paragraph, I was serious: I toss the handbag on the floor, in the bottom of the trailer, wherever. I expected with this kind of abuse that the yoga mat material would scuff or smudge, but it still looks brand new. Or brand re-new, I should say, as the material is in the second cycle of reuse after being a yoga mat scrap.


My other fave from the fall line is the Merino Wool Shak Full-zip Jacket. This is a lightweight merino jersey with a zip down the front and single pocket. Once the weather finally turned cool here in central Ohio, there is rarely a day I don't have this jacket on for at least part of the day. I wear it around the house, on walks, hikes (above), and bike rides. I am wearing it right now layered over a QuT.

The jacket is breathable and lightweight but still provides considerable warmth. The cut of the jacket is body hugging without being tight. It fits true to my usual size and hasn't shrunk or stretched through multiple washings. It dries in about 4 hours hung on a line or clothes rack. The small pocket is just enough for a cellphone or keys, all I usually need at the playground or on a walk. In sum, the Shak Full-Zip is so comfortable and designed just right for everyday use. Right now, the full zip is on sale for $119 (women's) and $123.25 (men's).

Ibex Jerseys 15% off!

Now through November 1, Ibex Shak Jerseys for men and women are on sale in the Baying Hound store. They are 15% and still qualify for free shipping with the freeship50 coupon code. Try one today and fall in love with soft, comfortable, breathable merino wool.

My Day with USPS, or the things I do for customers

Mail delivery came around 10 AM. Our faithful carrier Maria had an Express package to return to me. It had a note on it (not official form, just handwritten) and she explained that the regional post office could not ship express to the APO address of our customer. Maria told me I could go in to the post office for a refund and ship priority.

I attempted a refund online through the usps.com service we had used to print the label. Because it was beyond 48 hours after shipment (it's Monday, we shipped early Saturday), no refund was available automatically.

So, I load up our daughter, the package, and my wallet in the bike trailer and ride 4 miles to the post office. I get there and there is no bike rack. Plenty of security pylons, but those are easy to slip our lock right off. Bugger. Thank goodness for the newspaper machine that had a relatively secure loop I could lock through.

Bike secured, I walked into the post office with daughter, package, and wallet. I wait in line 20 minutes. When the postal worker calls me up, I explain that I need a refund because the postal service cannot fulfill my shipment needs and he gives me a blank stare. I ask for the manager Maria told me could help. More blank stare and then some mumbling.

The next associate over says, "You can't do that." I ask for clarification and he rudely tells me they can't do anything about packages shipped online. I request the manager Maria told me about. "Well, he's higher than her," my blank stare associate says. And the next one over says "Carriers don't know anything about this."

I eventually leave with my daughter, package, and wallet because I am getting no help. I know from experience that this post office and staff is often like this - no attempt at customer satisfaction and no flexible solutions.

Tonight, I will again pack up daughter, package, and wallet and drive to the airport 24 hour post office because the staff at that office has always been competent, kind and helpful. I am confident they will find a way to get my customer his Ibex gear quickly.

As soon as I get a moment (I've already spent over an hour on this today, not including writing this post) I will find a way to contact the local post office, speak to a manager, and let them know how disappointed I was with the service. Of course, I'll also need to leave feedback with the online system because if the service told when I input the address that express was not possible, I might have avoided all this trouble. Whew!

Ibex Wool T-Shirts added to Clearance

We just lowered prices and added Ibex T-shirts to the Clearance Corner. Get an Echo T (at left) for $40 or Qu T (below) for $60! These great prices make it a super time to try merino wool! We guarantee you'll love it.

Ibex Merino Wool Balance Underwear - it's the best!

Hi, I'm Rachel and I love wool underwear. There, I said it. This review has been long in the making mostly because I have had to overcome my fear of writing about "unmentionables". But the time has come because Ibex merino wool underwear are too fantastic to keep covered any longer.

Over a decade ago I purchase my first pair of Smartwool merino wool socks, my first forray into wool underthings. They felt so soft, cushioned perfectly, and never allowed a blister on my feet. Slowly over the years I acquired more pairs so that now I never wear cotton. Remarkably I have only worn through one pair of these socks.

When it came time to decide which items of Ibex merino wool clothing to test for Baying Hound, I was intrigued by wool underwear. I tried on a pair and my feelings resembled those after my first experience with smartwool socks: I never want to wear cotton again. Wool does the same thing for my bottom that it does for my feet: it breathes, never rubs or irritates and stays comfy even when wet.

Ibex briefs and thongs have a comfortably snug waistband of superfine merino wool. Shaping and stretch is provided by specially designed knit patterns so that only a single flat-stiched seam is found toward the back of the crotch. There are no tags to irritate the skin. These features combine to make a pair of underwear that doesn’t bunch or sag, staying put exactly where you want them. The measurements in the Ibex size chart are true to fit.

The material is an exclusive 17.5 Merino Wool blend of 85% Wool/10%Nylon/5% Spandex. The predominating wool draws moisture away from the skin so that even during vigorous hiking there’s no buildup of sweat. On a recent trip to the New England coast, I hand washed my briefs and hung them to dry. In less than two hours they were ready to wear again. Even if you don’t have time to wash, merino wool has antibacterial properties that will keep body odor at bay.

Most people are attracted to wool underwear for the performance specifications. Ibex goes the next step further by ensuring the design is eye catching as well. The inside hem of the women’s styles reads: "I am sick of four walls and a ceiling, I have a need for the sky and business with the grass". Both men’s and women’s are cut to be flattering in appearance and feature the Ibex logo on the outside hem.

They come in burnt red, black, and warm green regularly for $21.38. Men’s briefs are available for $26.60 in black and kelp brown.

These underwear are current specials available for only $19.99 and come with a free trial of Guyot Designs Microbites utensils through July 1!

Ordering Klean Kanteen and Ibex Wool

We're working on a new order for Klean Kanteen stainless bottles and Ibex wool fall line. If there's something special you want, contact us soon!

Congratulations to Echo T Winner!

IDyeYarn is the winner of our Echo T-shirt contest!

Her tip was "We try to buy local products and produce as much as possible this cuts down on the waste for travel (ours and the makers) and it puts money back into the local small buisness economy."

Thanks to everyone who entered. Another contest will start soon. Be sure to subscribe to the blog and/or our newsletter so you can enter the next one.

Ibex Echo-T Review

So what's all this hype about merino wool? In my outdoor pursuits (cycling, backpacking, general use) I've been wearing synthetics for years now. I perspire heavily, and I find cotton to be very uncomfortable, especially in the summer. I've been wearing synthetic underwear and shirts as I really like the wicking properties and comfort factor. The downside to synthetics is that they can be the cause of strong odor after heavy exertion. I find this to be true even of the high end products that are supposed to prevent this.

The one exception to my synthetic wardrobe are wool socks. I've been wearing merino wool socks from Smartwool since I was in high school with great success. Not only do they resist odor (more on this) but they are incredibly durable and last a good long while even under heavy use. I would estimate their lifespan is 5-10 times that of a comparable cotton product. Rachel has had a similar experience with her wear of wool socks. With this in mind, we decided to find a product made of merino wool that we could carry. After much research, we settled on Ibex Merino Wool clothing.

For product evaluation purposes, I decided to try out an Echo-T from Ibex. This is a basic t-shirt made with retro styling. The Echo-T comes in a choice of base colors with accents on the neck, sleeves and back in a contrasting color. The one I chose is Coconut Shell/Burnt Red.

The fit is very nice on me. While it is not a fitted garment, it is certainly not overly baggy. It has enough length to reach below the waist, and the quality of manufacturing is excellent.

Of course the highlight of the shirt is the material from which it is made. It is made in the USA from 100% New Zealand Merino wool. The weave is very tight, and the fabric has a pleasant natural stretchiness to it when worn. Like synthetics, it wicks perspiration away from the body. It also has very nice temperature regulating properties. So far I have found it comfortable in all temperature ranges I have worn it in (50 F - 75 F). It insulates in the cooler temperatures but breathes very well at the same time for wear in hotter temperatures. Being only April, I have not tried it anywhere very hot yet. I will update when I do, but I expect the same results. The shirt also has all of the anti-odor properties as advertised. Even after heavy perspiration and wear, there is no detectable odor. This fact was verified by family members (lucky volunteers) who happened to be close at hand after a long cycling session. The material wicks very well, but it does take a little longer to dry than a synthetic fabric. However, the thermal properties are unchanged when wet (unlike cotton).

My final opinion is that this is a really well made t-shirt that is comfortable, stylish and attractive for many different settings. Also, I expect that this shirt will last far longer than a comparable garment made of cotton or a synthetic material. The price is higher than you would pay for a regular t-shirt, but not much different from a high end synthetic made by Patagonia, Marmot or any other top end manufacturer. It is a nice way to try Merino wool clothing without the extra expense of the Ibex Qu-T.

Finally, this is a nice sustainable product. Merino wool is harvested from the same sheep year after year. Ibex certifies its suppliers as providing a quality product that also comes from sustainable, environmentally friendly and humane production methods. Synthetics can be made from recycled material, but the majority come from new production of fabric with fossil fuels (crude oil) as the base source.

Check out the Echo-T, I think you will be very satisfied.

Win an Ibex Echo T!

On Earth Day, April 22, we will give away an Ibex merino wool Echo T. If you want one of these great next to skin wool t-shirts, leave a comment below with an eco-friendly living tip. We'll pick our favorite and announce the winner here.

Entries limited to one per person. Winner can select men's or women's model in any size and color in stock. Employees and family of employees are not eligible. Contest ends 11:59PM April 21, 2008.

Ibex Clothes locked and loaded

Despite having pneumonia, I spent the day working at the computer and finally have the Ibex gear loaded onto the website.

We are extremely pleased with the quality of the Ibex products and sure you will love them too. Next week a newsletter goes out with a special coupon - sign up at right if you want to be included!

If you want to learn more, read All About Ibex.

Ibex Wool Clothing is on its way!

Ibex just emailed me the tracking number for our order. The QuT, EchoT, and loads of other items will be here soon. It is estimated to arrive this Thursday and we hope to have everything listed for sale by next Monday.

What am I looking forward to the most? Undies. Don't knock 'em 'til you've tried 'em - merino wool underwear rocks. It is super soft, antimicrobial, lightweight, and breathable.

Baying Hound becomes Ibex Dealer

For weeks we have been doing product tests and having conversations with potential new vendors. We finally decided on our next product line: Ibex Clothing.
Ibex is a sustainable business manufacturing merino wool clothing for outdoor recreation and everyday use. Their materials are the highest quality and the design is top notch as well. Part of our business philosophy is to partner with others who share our sustainable business practices, and Ibex certainly does. We are placing our first order now and you can expect to see items in our store soon!