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Merino can be a magical layer, but not if you don’t get the right stuff:
You need 100% merino for the Lanolin to work and prevent stinks. Anything less than that, and the stink will become permanently impregnated into the wool/synthetic blend and boy, it will not come out without a fight
Some brands jew you, advertise their stuff as 100% but in reality it’s 91%. Smartwool or icebreaker does this. Do your research.
Find a shirt that doesn’t use synthetic thread in the armpits, otherwise that will magnetise the stink to it and it will be as good as a synthetic smell wise.
100% merino doesn’t stretch, unless it’s a really loose weave (but then the durability will be fucked). If you have trouble putting on a non stretchy shirt, you can modify it to have buttons the whole way down the front, or buy a Henley style.
150 weight merino is all you’ll need. Heavier and it’ll take too long to dry and won’t be versatile for summer and winter, though it will be tougher. Once you go to 150 you won’t go back.
Be aware that while, if you treat it nice, it’ll last for years, the cuffs of a long sleeve will likely get worn first. I like the mad max aesthetic so I don’t care, it doesn’t ruin performance.
Be careful how you wash them. I believe merino wool is slightly acidic, so an alkaline like baking soda can mess with the fabric. Warm (not hot) handwashing, you don’t need to scrub, and don’t apply caustic washing soap to keep the magical oils intact.
If you get 100% merino with merino thread stitches, you can go anywhere from 3 days to a week without any stink. I travelled for 3 months with 2 merino henleys- I would wear one for 1 or 2 days, while letting the other one dry and air out overnight by hanging it from a door or my tent. This worked beautifully, and occasionally I’d give them a gentle wash in a sink or river (I didn’t really need to for the smell, just to get dirt off them). They’d be dry within an hour.
