Boiled Wool Sweater?

wildmike said:
I have lived outdoors year round for a several year long stretch. IMHO fleece sucks!

I tried the military polypro long underware It made me sweat (not due to being warmer, due to it's retaining sweat) and felt oily next to my skin. Wool longunderware doesa the opposite I can be sweating due to exertion and my skin stays dry, I stay warm. This has proven true for ALL my wool long underware from Filson and Woolpower to my favorite Stanfields 80/20's

I'll stick to wool.

I have made an Anorack from a military wool blanket which I washed twice in very hot water and dried on High heat. I then treated it with lanolin retreatment to help it shed water. It works very well at stopping wind and sheds everything but a downpour (haven't tried it in pne of those yet.

Haven't shrunk down a sweater yet due to concerns of it shrinking irregularly which can happen due to knit patterns etc.
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Polypro is not polyester. It IS the material diaper liners were made out of (You might wonder why based on your insight.) , as well as the long underwear and fleece insulation layers of the failed First Generation Extended Cold Weather Clothing System. Several evaluations report that it wicks too well, causing evaporative cooling. Obviously, you have a different conclusion. Polypro famously gets oily and develops "polypro stink." It also melts at normal clothes dryer temps. It has been largely replaced by polyester, even for skin layers. Not the latest "miracle" as it was several decades ago.
 
I've owned both Smart-Wool and Ibex's merino wool underwear. They both are great, but they need woolite, and extra care in washing. The Smart wool has a larger cut, or for thicker folks.
The Ibex, tops and bottoms fit me well, tall and thin.
I'm sure there are others out there.
 
Best priced and quality for the money IMHO is Stanfields 80/20 hevyweight's I order mine from davidmorgan.com. The Stanfields are a little scratchier at first than the Filson Merino Alaskan's but are very durable and are about 2/3 the cost of the Filson's. Filson and Woolpower are also excellent quality but are pricier.

A friend ordered a bunch of smartwool and has had very bad quality issues with them, and it was throughout the order not just a piece or two. Woolrich has several lines of long underware/baselayers as well but I have not heard anything about the quality of the product.

I tend to stay away from the chinese manufactured stuff due to wide swings in product quality.

Best bet for the money is the Stanfields. absolute most itch free is the Woolpower brand.

But if you wear the wool next to your skin for 3 days or so your skin will get used to the feel of the new fiber and the so called itch will become unnoticeable. Unless your allergic to wool.
 
this a little off thread but there are many wool rugs over 200 years old i'm a carpet cleaner * the textile industry has yet to develop a fiber as long wearing as wool. remember we are walking on that wool.
dennis
 
I cannot hardly resist a clothing thread. It(clothing) must surely be one of the very most important things to have in the wilderness. It pays to choose carefully what you take.

A knowledgeable historical re-enactment clothing chick and swordsperson (Not SCA, not that there's anything wrong with that;))told me the way to do it (boiled wool) is to first boil it; then immerse in cold, cold, large enough quantity to heat sink(think quenching) water.

Using the washer/dryer has worked too well in some instances. It can be a tricky non scientific thing shrinking finished garments.
 
DennisStrickland said:
this a little off thread but there are many wool rugs over 200 years old i'm a carpet cleaner * the textile industry has yet to develop a fiber as long wearing as wool. remember we are walking on that wool.
dennis
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Rope fiber needs strength, resistance to damage from flexing, and abrasion-resistance. So if wool is this uber-material, where are the wool ropes?

Just asking.

Not too many nylon or polyester rugs over 200 years old. ^____^
 
bearcut said:
I used to own a pair of Dachstein boiled wool mittens. REI sold them back in the 70’s.
They were windproof and almost waterproof, very warm and durable as well. Boiling the wool really made the fibers strong and tight.

I quit using them as more modern fabrics and materials became available.
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I useds to have two pair of Dachstein socks for when I would do a lot of hiking in the army guard. Boiled wool with a silk liner, NO BLISTERS and dry warm feet. Of course you had to swap them out and dry them as they did absorb moisture.

I would love to get some more.


Paul
 
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