Merino Wool ¾ Buff

It’s hard to improve on a classic, but this version of the Merino Wool Buff may actually be better than the one that won an Editors’ Choice Gold in 2014. At 18 inches long, it’s a quarter of the length shorter—better for airflow. “It’s just as useful as a ‘normal’ Buff, but it’s less bunchy when you wear it as a neck gaiter,” a tester says. Bunchy Buffs = sauna Buffs, so we appreciated the new length option most during high-output activities, like ski-touring and snowshoeing through deep powder.