Interesting Wool

M

mwelch8404

Joined
Feb 10, 2002
Messages
604
http://www.psychovertical.com/?wool

Excellent article/review. This also links to several other clothing pages.

I've experienced what he discusses. Given all my Goretx, faketex, fleece, etc to the kids. (Less one in my BOB.)

I went back to wool a couple of years back. Just collecting. Filson, Pendleton, Woolrich. Other than Filson, though, you need to watch the mfr - they like to line wool with various synthethics, which I believe totally defeats the purpose.
 
I like wool. It just danged difficult to find it in our neck of the woods. Once in awhile I pick up a piece in a thrift shop or yard sale though and it's usually cheap.
 
they like to line wool with various synthethics, which I believe totally defeats the purpose.
Click to expand...

I have very good reason to believe that "totally" is not based on physical facts. Besides the lining makes it possible for us wooll allergics to use it.

TLM
 
Indeed wool is great stuff. Pretty much all the professional guides I know, and the one longline trapper, use it over the synthetic alternatives.
 
i'm a big fan of natural fibers and strive to use them when i can but i've also come to appreciate the benefits of certain modern stuff for certain situations...wool's great, but when i'm backpacking in the summer and like to keep things very light and cool, it can't touch some of the stuff like my rail rider's nylon pants that will survive WW5 and roll up into a small stuff sack. now, if they can manipulate and spin wool into fabrics that will be really lightweight and retain performance, i'll be very happy to wear nothing but wool...i own both and if i had to choose just one it would definitely be wool, but i don't reject the modern stuff out of hand...some of the stuff has its place and is superior to wool in certain situations...

clothes and fabric are like tools...you can't do every job with just one tool, at least not well...the more suited a particular tool is to a particular job, the easier the job is...for some jobs i like my synthetics.
 
I like wool, and think it has some merits. First of all, wool is the BEST material for socks, all the time, every type of sock, for every occasion.

I have a few midweight wool long undershirt tops by Smartwool and they are quite comfortable. They are slower to dry than my my synthetic long underwear, which is probably the only disandvantge. The synthetics probably wick a bit better as well. The read advantage to the wool is that it doesn't breed bacteria the way sythetics do so it doesn't get stinky. This makes it ideal in some situations, like working outdoors for days at a time and sharing a camp with other people. For mountain climbing and other real backountry adventures I generally prefer my Patagonia Capaline top for it's fast drying and ability to keep up with heavy sweating better.

Good quality wool sweaters, although a lot heavier than fleece do a much better job of blocking wind. Windproof fleece is too windproof sometimes, and regular fleece not windproof enough. Wool is somewhere in between, and more comfortable in moderate situations. The same is true for hats. (Windpoof hats also make it really hard to hear). Wool gloves, when slighty wet give excellent grip on ice - a plus for climbing. For more extreme stuff, especially when weight and dry time are an issue, fleece (or fibre-fill) wins out.

Will
 
I use ex Army (Australian) khaki wool pants from the 70's for all my winter bushwalking. Retains warmth when wet, thick enough to keep most prickles, thistles etc out. While they are not exactly a fashion statement, they are very cheap and last forever. I bought 5 pairs for $20 at a surplus store.
 
I have a washable wool shirt from Cabelas. Great shirt, really surprised me in a cold wind, much better than fleece, and windstopper fleece. I will be getting the matching pants soon.
 
My shirts are pendleton, whaich are also washable. Yes, they do seem to work better than fleece.
 
There is a company out of New Zealand called "icebreaker" that is supposed to make some of the finest wool performance clothing around. It ain't cheap but they have come highly recommended to me by people who spend serious amounts of time in very remote places doing very precarious things.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top