Wool: Your Opinion

[drastic_quench]

Aside from socks, tell me about wool. Do you carry any wool clothing? Does it beat out fleece for any of you? Is it worth its weight in your view?

I was thinking of using a homemade wool serape/poncho in place of either a down jacket or fleece layer. It's thinner than a sweater - more like scarf thickness. It's core-warming, but the open sides allow plenty of ventilation too.

[Feral Bill]

Wools two major disadvantages are: 1. Often not machine washable (less true now than in the past) 2. A bit heavier for the same warmth.

Advantages: 1. Wears well 2. Doesn't stink 3. Repels dirt 4. Feels better. 5. In good knit sweaters breaths better. 6. Looks great.

I use both, and as an old timer lean to wool. Objectively, I do not see a clear winner.

[Colter]

I wore a Smartwool Zip-top last summer on the CDT. It was great. I also really like my Smartwool socks. I don't use much wool while backpacking otherwise. It tends to be heavier and takes a whole lot longer to dry.

I think your serape/poncho would work but would be heavier than other choices. Of course, you are the only one that needs to be happy with it!

[johnnybgood]

When it comes to warmth and comfort obviously wool is better hands down. For example , Omni wool socks can't be beat , ditto for wool cap which insulates well and feels mighty warm , especially on cold and windy days.

Fleece on the other hand is lighter material and is better suited as a middle layer or as an outer layer that can be taken off when the core body temp regulates itself.

I agree with Feral Bill in using both but also experimenting to see what you personally like best.

[Connie]

I am very fond of my Thorlo Light Hiker socks.

My best socks ever were "Scotch socks" from the store at Skagit Valley Community College, Washington State, purchased years ago. The label said Hawick, Scotland.

The socks had doubled heels under the heel and extending right up the achilles heel. They were, overall, double-twist yarn and rough, but not harsh or itchy-scratchy.

Those socks never scrunched down in my Raichle boots, back then.

The socks never smelled bad. The longest one-use was an eighteen day hike in the North Cascades. No problems.

I especially like my wool and silk longjohns from The Silk Company mail order catalogue. I can't find that mail order catalogue, but the longjohns are still as good as new. The second runner-up woolen longjohns are my "itchy-scratchies" from Eddie Bauer, now called Stanfield's Red Label (Canada).

I had an alpaca "wrap" that I would wrap around my core, for wet and cold coastal Oregon mountains, before I got in the bitter dry cold weather of Montana. For the weight, alpaca has more value than most woolens, however alpaca can be too warm, unless inactive. I would not purchase a fitted-garment.

I have an Icelandic wool sweater that is much too warm except for the coldest and wettest conditions, and then, it is in it's element. Mine, is not "brushed" and it has never worn out.

Yes! wool! That said, I have Windstopper fleece vests, one fleece shirt with a mock turtleneck and a half zip.

I also have a fleece jacket with a zipper that goes up the collar. I tried fleece bibs: my verdict, too bulky.

I would rather have Remington brushed hunting bibs "soft, quiet and lightweight" as an outer layer, for winter conditions, for snowshoeing and snow slogging in my Sorel -50 boots. These bibs and full front zip jacket is water shedding. It is breathable. It is a modified fleece.

a side note: avoid hard finish nylon even only as trim. I don't like painfully cold hard nylon fabric. I have a sleeping bag I like for cold weather that has a brushed surface on the inside layer. It makes all the difference.

[Hikes in Rain]

Wools two major disadvantages are: 1. Often not machine washable (less true now than in the past) 2. A bit heavier for the same warmth.

Advantages: 1. Wears well 2. Doesn't stink 3. Repels dirt 4. Feels better. 5. In good knit sweaters breaths better. 6. Looks great.

I use both, and as an old timer lean to wool. Objectively, I do not see a clear winner.

Also, warm when soaking wet.

[rickb]

I've got wool shirts older than some of you guys!

Including the one in this picture:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/...&imageuser=424

Its got a couple moth holes now, but still finds a way into my pack. Much less bulky than fleece, but not as warm.

But what looks better? Not much. Perhaps a serape.

[Mags]

from:
http://www.pmags.com/joomla/index.ph...owshoeing.html

SIDE NOTE: Wool vs Fleece (or Wool vs Synthetics)

There has been a bit of resurgence in the use of wool for backcountry use (esp in base layers). So what to use? It honestly does not matter for most people; it comes down to personal preference. As long as you do not use cotton, you should be fine. Many people use a combo of wool and synthetics (esp in winter). If you are curious of the pros and cons of each, here is my personal take:

Wool

• Warm when damp
• Can be inexpensive (thrift stores, surplus) or expensive (Smartwool, Ibex, etc)
• Tends to breathe better than synthetics
• More durable
• Less odor
• Takes longer to dry when wet (and becomes heavier)
• Usually bulkier and heavier than comparable synthetics or fleece

Synthetics or Fleece

• Dries quicker (but is not warm when damp)
• For base layers, good ole' polypro can be ridiculously cheap
• Usually less heavy and bulky than the wool equivalent
• Can get a pungent odor

So what do I use?

For winter use, when I am more concerned about warmth than weight (and I am wearing most of my layers), I tend to favor wool base layers (except for the liner socks) as it is more forgiving of sweating I find. A wool hat tends to be warmer if it gets damp in snow vs a fleece hat as well. A surplus wool sweater is now my warm layer of choice, too. In the cold, dry conditions of Colorado, I find wool works very well overall.

In three season backpacking, when weight and bulk is a chief a concern (and most of my layers are stowed), I tend to wear synthetics. Any moisture in spring through fall tends to be rain (or very wet snow), so the quick drying properties of synthetics comes in handy.

Overall, you may find one combo works better than another based on your budget, availability of what you may already have or just personal preference.

[Colter]

...Synthetics or Fleece
Dries quicker (but is not warm when damp)

Excellent post Mags, as always. I especially like your planning guides for the PCT and the CDT

However, I think that most synthetics and fleece are relatively warm when damp, certainly compared to cotton. A wind layer is more important when using synthetics compared to quality wool garments, but at the end of a long, wet day I'd much rather be wearing synthetics and fleece, because if they're soaked I can wring/fling the water out of them and feel warm even when damp: I can even get in my sleeping bag that way and dry the rest of the way and soon be toasty and dry.

As usual, it's all about trade offs.

[Egads]

Wool - good stuff: keeping hundreds of thousands of sheep warm

[Egads]

I've yet to see an animal wearing fleece

[Mags]

re: Fleece/synthetics

Hmm, I think synthetics just dry quicker more so than are warm when damp..hence why the feel warm.. But, would not be the first time my perception is not reality.

re: Not too many sheeps wearing fleece

True. But I have not seen too many sheep with opposable thumbs who have invented fleece either.



Honestly, I do not think one is better than the other. I just take a different tool for a different job...

[Egads]

We need them all. I like wool (shirts and hats), down (jackets, bags & quilts), & synthetics (shells, raingear)

[Engine]

Smartwool socks are great. Very little odor and fast drying while resisting deformation. I used the old ragg style wool socks for a few years before I discovered the Smartwool and they were nice but stretched out easily. As for sweaters and that type of thing, I love the comfort of fleece too much I guess...

[bigcranky]

My opinion is that I love wool as a base layer. I have short sleeve and ling sleeve tops in various weights (Ibex, Icebreaker), and light wool long john bottoms and boxer briefs (Icebreaker), and wool socks in different heights (Smartwool Adrenaline Light). Wamr when it's cool, cool when it's warm, and they never, ever start to stink.

As for replacing fleece, well, not so much. Any wool layer that's warm enough to be an insulating layer is too heavy IMHO. Down is what replaced fleece in my pack.

[Feral Bill]

Thinking about it for a while, if I had to choose one, I would definitly go with wool. I'm still trying to talk my wife into making me a Harris Tweed hiking jacket. Wish me luck!

[hoz]

Wool, hands down. I routinely shop the second hand stores for wool shirts, sweaters and pants. Even lightweight summer wool dress pants can be modified to make serviceable hiking pants.

Wool is sustainable, fleece is not.

[HeartFire]

Smartwool can be thrown in the washing machine and dryer without any shrinkage.
Wool is warm when wet, I fell in a creek not long ago, it was 39* out, I happen to be wearing smartwool long johns (top and bottom) I stayed very warm even though I was dripping wet.

The biggest problem is the stuff does not dry out quickly.

[4eyedbuzzard]

...Wool is sustainable, fleece is not.

If we replaced all the synthetic fleece garments that are manufactured with wool ones, how "sustainable" would wool be? That's a lot of sheep, and sheep food, and sheep water, and sheep poop, and sheep land, and sheep barns, and...

Much of the synthetic fleece made is manufactured from recycled materials (soda bottles and fibers) and the synthetic fleece itself can be recycled.

I just don't think the issue is as simple as one is sustainable and one is not. There are very few things that are truly sustainable given the needs of almost 7 billion humans.

[hoz]

If we replaced all the synthetic fleece garments that are manufactured with wool ones, how "sustainable" would wool be? That's a lot of sheep, and sheep food, and sheep water, and sheep poop, and sheep land, and sheep barns, and...

Much of the synthetic fleece made is manufactured from recycled materials (soda bottles and fibers) and the synthetic fleece itself can be recycled.

I just don't think the issue is as simple as one is sustainable and one is not. There are very few things that are truly sustainable given the needs of almost 7 billion humans.

Do you know anything about "peak oil"?

Recycling is admirable, and I know where polypro comes from. I wasn't referring to recycling but to the bio-sustainability of the natural fiber wool. I've yet to see polyfleece growing on ANYTHING.

Wool can come from other animals besides sheep.