wool vs high tech?

I like and use both. Both have a price/performance issue in that you get what you pay for.

That said, synthetic garments are like electric heat in that you will do well with them but always feel chilly around the edges. Also, like electric heat synthetic clothing will have a drying or in this case dehydrating effect.

Wool garments, because they retain up to 20% moisture versus about 5% for synthetics, will have a comfy cozy feel.

If its cold and wet, I wear synthetics, if its cold and mostly dry I wear wool.

Most of my winter activities are in Ohio where the winter humidity can be quite high so I wear synthetics more than wool. In Colorado, where the high country humidity may be quite low, wool is superior.

Also, consider that your body works hard to maintain a moist skin; synthetics will wick that moisture away. As a result, your body needs more water intake in the winter than in summer if you wear synthetics.

Fleece and synthetic clothing should come with an owner's manual to assist one in making the right layering choices. Wool doesn't need a manual other than the common sense precaution not to mix wool with cotton underlayers.
 
Somewhere my perception of outdoor clothing must've gotten a little skewed, but the outdoorsy folks I know (mostly trailworkers and long distance backpackers) aren't using fleece anymore. They're going with wool underlayers for stink management and next to skin coziness, add down or a synthetic fill jacket for warmth, then top it off with a shell of some sort (eVent is really popular right now). For those who want a windproof do-it-all jacket, they go with a softshell like schoeller dryskin extreme. Fleece doesn't really make the cut. With all those lower-bulk/greater warmth options, where does fleece fit in?
 
I use both, and I like both a lot. However I think of it a wool/synthetics rather than wool/fleece. There's a whole new world of synthetics out there that have developed way past the old fleece. And the development is still going on.

I choose what to wear depending on what I'm doing and where I'm going.

Mainly I pick synthetics for more fast-moving activities, and wool for more slow-moving or standing still activities. I also prefer wool for really longtime activities, because of the less stink from it. Although there are some pretty good no-stinky synthetics garments out there today that are slowly coming to where wool stands on the non-stink front.
I also prefer the synthetics in locations where it's wet, and wool where it's more dry.
But I've been known to mix. :D

I don't think that one material is generally superior to the other, they both have their best places and best activities.

/ Karl
 
I live in the cold country of montana and when i first moved up here in the mid 70's wool and down were my choice.
Moved back here a year or so ago and had to replace some of my innerwear.
Don't hunt deer and elk like i used to but flyfishing is my drug of choice.I don't know how many of you's out there have spent time in the rivers that run in the bottom of canyons"a la"Blackfoot,Big hole,Beaverhead,ect.It is darn cold.
Anyway just bought me some "Hot Chilly's"under garmets and are a bit spendy but sure keeps this old man warm whilst the eyes of my flyrod ice up.
They seem to be the answer for me.
I'll let you know long term what I think.
Randy
 
I use both wool and fleece, but prefer wool when I can afford it/find it. The wool definatly wears better and feels better when worn for long periods. I work with a jewelrs torch most weeknights and weekends, polar fleece gives me the willies with the whole metling thing, so wool pants and cotton or wool shirts in the shop. I don't need any more burns.

Patrick
 
The ultimate in wool clothing seems to be Swanndri...but they don't come cheap !!!

By the way Ray mears and all his crew wear Swanndri !
 
Yep, Swanndri is a good old New Zealand brand that's been around for a long time making good stuff, even when wool was considered uncool and old by many of the manufacturers and buying crowd.
However, there's plenty of brands out there making good wool stuff nowadays.
Two of the newer, big and good, brands out there are Smartwool (american) and Icebreaker (New Zealand).
But there'll be plenty more that makes wool stuff today. Even the brands that previously thought it not fashionable...
 
I love MErino wool base layers but thats it for wool for me.

Its heavy and holds water like a sponge.

FLeece is the way to go for cold weather. On SAR missions we all use fleece but some of us have a thin wool base layer as its more comfy next to the skin than synthetics.

Its personal choice but I used to wear thick wool pants and after getting them wet and having them freeze solid on me, never again. There is a reason wool is not worn on modern everest expeditions, its not as useful.

Wool is more durable however, I will give it that.

SKam
 
I prefer wool, I never really liked any of the synthetic stuff I've owned. I never had any of the high end stuff, but for the price of that, I could just get some good less fashionable wool. I bought an old Swiss military wool overcoat on ebay for $40 a few months ago. It's quite warm and not bulky at all. It holds up very well in the rain and wind as well. I think it's the best coat I've ever bought. And it looks much nicer than any synthetic coat I've seen.
I also recently picked up a pair of these: http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ...parentType=index&indexId=cat601777&hasJS=true

They're military surplus and the sizing is a bit off, but they're warm. A little bit itchy, but not too bad. At $6.95 they're a great deal.
 
I have a couple pairs of the Swiss military wool pants. Not crazy about the leather ties at the bottom, but it can find them cheap if you watch on ebay. They are cut pretty full. Buy one size too large.

Also picked up a pair of the traditional Woolrich hunting pants which I will wear for really cold days in the woods. When I was younger, I thought they looked silly. But, I see the utilitarian purpose behind the design and they work and last forever if you keep the moths at bay.

Ebay is great for finding stuff and it allows sellers a larger prospective buying audience; hence they get more than they would at flea markets. Good for buyer and seller.
 
I have both and examining my clothing much of my fleece has one or more spark holes where the stuff melted like napalm.

The wool is all good except one shirt which got scorched when I spilt some alcohol from my stove on it and it went up when tending a fire. Stupid of me but if it had been a fleece shirt I would have needed skin grafts instead of a hot chest as I stamped out the invisible flames with my hand.

In -40 if caught out for the night I'd much rather have something safe to wear close to a warming body length fire. Wool is it.
 
I've been moving back to wool. I have food my wool jacket really feeds off the cold. I also wear my Filson vest all the time, lots of pockets.
 
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