Arms of Andes Alpaca Apparel Review

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Arms of Andes is a unique outdoor apparel company that blends tradition and innovation to create high quality, sustainable gear designed for outdoor adventurers. Siblings Meli and Rensso grew up in L.A. but often visited their parent’s ancestral mountains of Peru. Inspired by the rugged beauty of the Andes mountains and traditional use of alpaca wool, they began designing performance outdoor apparel using alpaca fibers and established Arms of Andes.

While alpaca wool has been incorporated into the high end fashion industry, outdoor gear typically uses merino wool for natural performance fabrics. The designers at Arms of Andes figured that since alpacas live at high elevation in the Andes mountains, their wool would be particularly suited for people adventuring in similar terrain. Alpaca wool is uniquely evolved to help these animals regulate body temperatures through extreme daily fluctuations in weather and temperatures. Alpaca wool is also moisture wicking, naturally quick drying and antimicrobial. I have only had alpaca wool incorporated with other fibers in sweaters, so I was excited to try out Arms of Andes outdoor performance apparel, made of 100% alpaca wool.

First Impressions

I received two pieces of apparel from Arms of Andes: Women’s Alpaca Wool Shirt160 Ultralight V-Neck and Women’s Alpaca Wool Joggers 300 Lightweight. Straight out of the mailer I could tell they were high quality and super soft. Both were packaged in compostable bags to reduce environmental impact.

Women’s Alpaca Wool Shirt 160 Ultralight V-Neck

Women’s Alpaca Wool Joggers 300 Lightweight

Sustainability

After researching this company, I was impressed by their commitment towards sustainability and fair practices. All materials and manufacturing happen in Peru to reduce their carbon footprint. Alpacas are free-roaming and sheared with best practices. Alpaca farmers are provided fair prices for the wool. The wool is dyed with low impact dyes or natural dyes. Garments that have natural dyes are even biodegradable.

Look and Fit

I tested the Women’s Alpaca Wool Shirt160 Ultralight V-Neck in size small in the gray color and the Women’s Alpaca Wool Joggers 300 Lightweight in the navy blue color. Both garments are dyed with low impact dyes but the color was deep and rich.

The Women’s Alpaca Wool Shirt 160 Ultralight V-Neck fabric is textured and the cut of the shirt is fitted. I am typically a size small in most shirts, and the small fit well but was a bit more form fitting than most of my t-shirts. It does have some natural stretch which makes it comfortable and more flattering.

The Women’s Alpaca Wool Joggers 300 Lightweight is a thicker fabric than the shirt and less textured. Customer service at Arms of Andes reached out to double check my XS sizing as these pants fit somewhat snug. I stuck with the XS size as I am a true XS size 0 in most pants. These pants have the features of joggers including a wide waistband, ankle bands, and pockets. However, I feel like they look a little bit like long underwear or leggings, maybe due to a more snug fit. While a bit tighter than my other joggers, they still fit comfortably.

Performance

I have tested the Arms of Andes alpaca gear on chilly morning dog walks, lazy days around the house, and more strenuous uphill hikes this fall. I am impressed by how soft and comfortable the alpaca wool was against my skin for extended periods of time. The Women’s Alpaca Wool Shirt 160 Ultralight V-Neck was great on warmer days, yet also felt cozy as a baselayer on cooler days. The alpaca fabric wicked away moisture well during more rigorous exercise.

I am particularly impressed with the performance of the Women’s Alpaca Wool Joggers 300 Lightweight at being able to handle a wide range of temperatures. I started a hike early on a frosty morning, but between the blaring sun and carrying my toddler on my back things heated up pretty quickly. While I had to shed my puffy jacket, my pants kept me just the right temperature throughout the whole hike.

Chilly morning walk to the playground

Care

Luckily the Arms of Andes alpaca gear are all antimicrobial, so I can get away with multiple wears of each garment between washes. As this apparel is 100% alpaca wool, it needs more gentle care to keep the fabric in good shape. The Arms of Andes alpaca apparel requires hand washing or washing in cold water on a delicate cycle. I have only hand washed the items I have tested. Alpaca garments should be air dried lying flat to keep their shape. Also, due to the low-impact nature of the dyes change in color should be expected. Only wash with similar colors as these dyes may bleed.

Specification from the Arms of Andes Website

Women’s Alpaca Wool Shirt 160 Ultralight V-Neck

• 160g/m2 of 100% Alpaca Wool
• V-Neck Shirt Weight: 106 g (Size S)
• Designed for hiking, trail running, climbing, traveling, and backpacking in all seasons
• Fitted cut with a natural stretch
• MSRP $75

Women’s Alpaca Wool Joggers 300 Lightweight

• 300g/m2 of 100% Alpaca Wool
• Leggings Weight: 367 g (Size M)
• Designed for hiking, trail running, climbing, traveling, and backpacking in all seasons
• Fitted cut with a natural stretch
• MSRP $130 (though currently on sale for $104)

Final Thoughts

Arms of Andes is an outdoor apparel brand that combines tradition with innovation, offering high-performance gear made from 100% alpaca wool, which is naturally temperature-regulating, moisture-wicking, and antimicrobial. If you are looking for high quality, sustainable, functional apparel for travel, hiking, or simply lounging around the house, check out the Arms of Andes Women’s Alpaca Wool Shirt160 Ultralight V-Neck and Women’s Alpaca Wool Joggers 300 Lightweight. For more info or to pick up a piece for yourself, visit armsofandes.com.