Kora M’s Neema SS Crew Review: Yak Wool Provides Extra Comfort and Warmth

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The Lowdown

If you are in the market for an athletically cut t-shirt that moves with you, repels odor, dries quickly, and will help with temperature regularity as the seasons change, the Kora M’s Neema SS Crew T-Shirt is worth a look.

Overall
4.5

Pros

  • Soft, comfortable fabric that wicks sweat and stays fresh
  • Thin but does a great job regulating temperature
  • Ribbed design moves with you
  • Length means it stays tucked when worn as a base layer

Cons

  • Body-fit design may look great on people with athletic builds but, for me, the shirt is better worn beneath something else
  • Like merino wool, it requires a bit more care than synthetics or cotton
  • It’s pricy

For the last year, I have been rather obsessed with clothing made for merino wool. It is light, warm when you need it, cool when you need that. It repels odor and dries incredibly fast. I was interested when I learned that the Kora M’s Neema SS Crew T-Shirt adds yak wool into the mix. Here’s a look.

Kora M's Neema SS Crew in blue

For the most part, I’ve opted to purchase clothing made from 100% merino wool. That goes for my long and short sleeve t-shirts, my hoodies and vests, and even some of my pants. Sure, some companies mix in materials such as nylon to increase their garment’s durability.

Still, I had decided that if I were going to move toward a “merino life,” I would try to do so as a purist and go for 100% merino.

Kora M's Neema SS Crew label.

Kora takes a different approach, and I was eager to check it out. The Kora M’s Neema SS Crew is made from a 148-gram fabric containing 40% merino wool, 20% yak wool, and 40% Coolmax polyester. As the company explains, the “combination of yak and merino provides body temperature regulation and odor resistance, and the addition of the Coolmax Eco keeps the body dry.”

Like merino wool, yak wool is naturally odor-resistant. At the same time, it is as soft as cashmere. And while the special properties of 100% merino wool still seem almost magical to me, pure yak wool fabric is reportedly 40% warmer, 66% more breathable.

And yes, like most merino wool clothing, it needs to be washed in cold and then air-dried.

Kora waxes poetic about the material:

Yak wool is hollow, allowing for air within the fiber to increase insulation. It is also very fine, trapping air between the multiple fibers to keep you warm. Yak wool is highly flexible, which means it is comfortable against your skin since the fibers bend and adapt to your movement. A looser knit allows for better airflow and moisture management, keeping you cooler in warmer weather and drier too. These natural properties allow for our Hima-Layer fabrics to perform incredibly well in a variety of conditions.

The Kora M’s Neema SS Crew T-Shirt is available in your choice of light grey or sky blue. Its cut is described as “body-fit.” The shirt contours to your body and has a rib-knit construction with enough stretch that it comfortably moves with your body. That, of course, means the shirt is intended to be worn against the skin as a stand-alone t-shirt or as a base layer. For me, however, the design is a bit of a mixed bag. I’ll explain why shortly.

Kora describes the M’s Neema SS Crew T-Shirt this way:

From being worn on its own in high summer to a base layer for all your winter sports, this ultra-thin and light short sleeve tee are versatile and adaptable to every activity. A super-soft, short sleeve base-layer in our all-new lightweight Hima-Layer Neema fabric.

Even though I am a merino wool purist, I like the feel of the material. It is soft, thin, and light but still keeps my core warm as the weather begins to cool.

I like the small, colorful tags that Kora puts on the sleeve and one side at the bottom. Some people have complained about these tags, but I like how it adds a subtle splash of color to an otherwise monochrome shirt.

I also appreciate that the small logo on the back between the shoulder blades doesn’t stand out too much.

Side view of the Kora M's Neema SS Crew in blue.

The ribbed design means separate panels on each side are sewn to the front and back panels.

This is great for letting the shirt move with you but does feel a bit off initially.

Sleeve on Kora M's Neema SS Crew.

The sleeves on the Kora M’s Neema SS Crew T-Shirt are long and come all the way down to my elbows. The shirt itself is long, too, going down below my butt. I love the latter design since it means when I wear the shirt as a base layer, it can be tucked into my pants, and there is no way it will become untucked regardless of how much I move.

Man wearing Kora M's Neema SS Crew.

I’ve worn the Kora M’s Neema SS Crew T-Shirt a few times, and it does seem to be as effective as pure merino wool when it comes to temperature regulation and odor rejection. And while the fabric is relatively thin, the combination of merino and yak wool means it keeps you warm in the cold and cool in the heat.

All of that is fantastic and will make the Kora M’s Neema SS Crew T-Shirt a fantastic base layer this winter. Unfortunately, the “body-fit” ribbed design doesn’t flatter my middle-aged, “not fat but not in shape” body.

So, while it will be great under other garments, I can’t see wearing it as a stand-alone t-shirt. Someone who has an athletic body will likely have a different experience and will enjoy using it as either a base layer or a stand-alone t-shirt, but for me, the shirt will have to be hidden under something else. (Raina told me so.)

If you are in the market for an athletically cut t-shirt that moves with you, repels odor, dries quickly, and will help with temperature regularity as the seasons change, the Kora M’s Neema SS Crew T-Shirt is worth a look.

The Kora M’s Neema SS Crew retails for $90; it is available directly from the manufacturer.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

What I Like: Soft, comfortable fabric that wicks sweat and stays fresh; Thin but does a great job regulating temperature; Ribbed design moves with you; Length means it stays tucked when worn as a base layer

What Needs Improvement: Body-fit design may look great on people with athletic builds but, for me, the shirt is better worn beneath something else; Like merino wool, it requires a bit more care than synthetics or cotton; It’s pricy

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.