I live in Montana where winters can be sub zero. I practically live in my union suit from November through March. The warmth is incredible. The material wears well and will soften after the first wash with a bit I fabric softener. I wear my union suit to sleep in and for lounging around the house. When its bitter cold I will wear it as a base layer. I have read some reviews indicating that its difficult to use the bathroom. Simple solution is to slide it off from the shoulder. Very comfortable!
One star less for inaccurate picture of Berry Pink Heather. The picture shows cream buttons and cream colored stitching. Mine came with berry colored buttons and berry colored stitching. Color aside, excellent quality. I have extremely sensitive skin, so I only bought this wool blend union suit becsuse it is fully lined in cotton. At that, it is only very minimally scratchy/itchy.
Even after reading ALL the reviews here, I somehow thought that the buttons that go down the front of this item extended through the crotch, meaning that they could be unbuttoned for a woman to be able to urinate. And that that flap in the back was for more occasional use. That is not the case though. The front buttons only extend to right above the crotch, where they do no good. And the flap in back does not allow easy enough opening to allow the item to be spread wide enough in the crotch for me to feel entirely comfortable that the item will remain clean and dry. Other than that, I like this item a lot. I purchased XL and was happy that (even before washing) the sleeves do not extend as far down as most clothing that is not petite sizes does. I think that the pink shade is really nice, and it is warm. It is more itchy than would be acceptable for me, using it as pajamas, but should be okay outdoors (especially if I wear a tank top under it) and would be very warm. So I may keep it, to wear on really cold days when spending time outside for a few hours. Still, I really think the bathroom issue as it applies to women needs to be re-thought. This design seems like it would be fine for men, but it's not very appropriate for women.
I bought this as sleepwear. I liked the material very much, cotton/wool/nylon at 50/40/10 proportions. Warm, cozy, and all the other homey modifiers we use to signify comfort in winter. After four hours of wearing it, however, I woke up and had to go the bathroom, and the modifiers changed. I tried to find the button on the back flap, and after much fumbling found it just as the situation was becoming dire. Then tried to center the hole behind the flap around a safe radius of the relevant body part, but that was with great difficulty because I was still half-asleep. Then became frustrated and, with urgency still in mind, unbuttoned the union suit and pulled my arms out and finally was suitably unsuited to handle the situation in the usual way. And then, since I was so nearly undressed, I changed into a regular set of pajamas so as not to encounter the same difficulties later in the night. But of course I was fully awake by that time. So I wore the union suit for all of four hours and will soon pack it up for return.
My own impression is that relieving oneself in the middle of the night should not be so difficult. The union suit seems a wonderful defense against an overly amorous husband whose body clock has never been synchronized to any civilized standard, but I see few virtues in it for the rest of us.
