Western Rise StrongCore Merino Tee Review
I've had this tee in Storm since October 2023, and it has quietly become the shirt I pack first for any trip. Not the most stylish thing I own, but when travel involves flights, heat, and hiking, this is the one that comes along. Reviewing it now is bittersweet: Western Rise closed for good in 2026, so this review is partly a recommendation and partly a eulogy.
Usability & Features
The fabric is the whole story. It's core-spun, 18.5 micron merino wrapped around a nylon core, 170 GSM. On paper that's heavier than a summer tee should be, but it wears noticeably lighter than the number suggests. My Alchemy Equipment polo is only 10 GSM more and feels like considerably more shirt.
The odor resistance is not marketing fiction. I just did two days of hiking in the Dolomites during a proper heatwave, buckets-of-sweat conditions, and the shirt had no smell at the end of it. That's the party trick that makes it a travel essential: one tee covers several days of wear, which changes how small you can pack.
It's also just comfortable in transit. The cut is on the looser side, which costs it style points but makes it the shirt I want on a long flight or a trail.
Aesthetic & Design
This is where it gives something up. The fit is more relaxed and the crew neck does nothing for me, I'm a V-neck person, and Western Rise never made one. Next to my Unbound Merino V-Neck it looks plain. But they've ended up in different jobs anyway: the Unbound is the city shirt, this is the one that gets sweated through on a mountain. Style is in the eye of the beholder, and on a trail nobody is judging your neckline.
Durability & Care
Nearly three years and a lot of machine washes in, it's still going strong. No holes, no thinning, no shrinking, no seam issues. Some reviewers worried the thin fabric or seams wouldn't last; mine shows none of it. The nylon core seems to do exactly what it promises, since pure merino tees rarely survive this kind of treatment unscathed. Credit where due though, my Unbound shirts have held up just as well.
Final Thoughts
I would have bought a second one at the full 98 USD to have in reserve for when this one dies. That option is gone: Western Rise shut down in 2026, so the only way to get a StrongCore now is secondhand, and I'd genuinely tell you it's worth the hunt if trail-and-travel is your use case. The closest living alternative I can point to is Unbound Merino, though their shirts lean more city than trail.
Who is it for: anyone who packs light and sweats hard. Who should skip it: if you want a sharp-looking merino tee for city wear, look at the Unbound instead.
