Heavy duty wool clothing

[jpmulk]

Merino wool seems to be popular because it doesn’t itch. But, there are heavier duty wools out there that are thicker, heavier and I would guess warmer. I’m not really knowledgeable on this so reaching out to see if anyone has used other wool? Say from European manufacturers. I wonder how much we overpay for the “hunting” merino wool clothing when there are more ancient/traditional wool blends that are more effective other than the extra weight.

Any experience?

 

[yfarm]

Any wool pant recommendations?

Does anyone have recommendations for 100% wool winter pants? Filson look great but at $450 a pair.. Ouch. I've also heard the quality has slipped recently. About the only affordable option I've seen are the big bill pants which are 80 wool and 20 nylon. Curious if anyone has tried these. I have...

rokslide.com

7 pages, much applicable to other clothing items
Search ebay, many of the items in the thread are found occasionally as well as military - euro and US

 

[Davyalabama]

Heavy wool clothing, are you going to be stationary, i.e. duck or goose hunting? I have an old Orvis heavy shawl collar wool sweater, man that thing is nice in the duck blind, but way too thick for walking in the woods to deer hunt. It is even too thick to wear just walking to a stand.

I have some great Army/Navy surplus wool pants from years ago, wow those things are heavy, wind proof (from being so thick), man you can't walk far in them though, a day of still hunting, you better have eaten your wheaties.

The "new" to me -- Yak, Bison, alpca (well that one is old, I have some flip top gloves, they aren't that specially warm to me), angora, cashmere (warm for the weight of it), mohair, qiviut ----

Heavy duty, get some old surplus stuff off eflay, german, swiss, austrian -- even the pre60's army wool shirts are good.

Filson, woolrich, johnson woolen mills, Minnesota woolen, etc.

 

[dan33]

Take a look at the asbell wool pathfinder. It is thinner than say a johnson woolen mills jacket but it's surprisingly warm for how thin it is plus if you order your regular size you can layer up properly.

 

[Smokey Bear]

Look up and see if you have any Army Surplus stores nearby. The prices have come up, but lots of good stuff in them. I still have a pair of wool pants I bought from one 35 years ago, they still fit, and still in great shape.

 

[JDT1982]

My wife crocheted herself an alpaca wool beanie. She says that it is warmer than the merino wool beanie that she crocheted. When i found out how much the beanie had cost to make i told her i was good with Merino wool beanie she had already made me. Merino wool yarn is not cheap, but it is cheaper than Alpaca wool yarn.

 

[HoosierHunter07]

Take a look at the asbell wool pathfinder. It is thinner than say a johnson woolen mills jacket but it's surprisingly warm for how thin it is plus if you order your regular size you can layer up properly.

The pathfinder comes in a few different weights. Heavy, Extra Heavy, and Blanket weight. I've got one of each and can tell a difference. I wouldn't call the heavy a true heavy weight. I feel it's more mid weight. I think the majority of the patterns are Extra heavy, which is pretty heavy. Only a few patterns come in the blanket weight. I would call that a true extra heavy weight. I just got them for Christmas, so I haven't had a chance to test any of them, I'm just going by how they feel in my hands. I got the heavy weight first. I was a little disappointed at first. I think it will be fine for everyday wear, but I think it's a little light for something I would wear hunting. Maybe early season on a cool morning. The extra heavy is what I would want personally for a hunting garment.

Also, of the (3) different weights, the heavy is by far the "itchiest" of them all. It's not bad, but it's far from merino. I wouldn't wear it next to my skin. The two heavier weights are much softer.

I agree with your sizing comment. I read a lot of posts on another forum. They all said these were oversized, so I thought I needed a smaller size. I ended up exchanging it for the size I normally wear.

I really like these pieces. I'd recommend them to anyone who was looking for this style of clothing. When I wanted to exchange for a different size, I called and spoke with Mrs. Asbell and she was very nice. I'd buy another if I didn't already have 3.

 

[justinspicher]

I had a set of KOM (King of the Mountain) wool for a bit. It worked really well sitting in stands in Kansas and Missouri, but once I moved to Colorado and started walking more they had to go. They were way too heavy and didn’t pack well at all.

 

[EdP]

I have a wool button up shirt from Cabalas. Not merino. Also have a couple of poly shirts of the same style (flannel shirt style). Both the wool and poly are quite warm but neither packs very well. The wool weighs more but also cuts the wind much better. Might as well not have the poly on without a windbreaker.

 

[Macintosh]

Wool is BY FAR the most popular deer rifle hunting attire around me. Of course I live literally a few minutes down the road from Johnson Woolen Mills. There are lots of reasons not to use old school wool—its heavy, its bulky, it doesnt stretch, its way too warm in a lot of conditions, it picks up snow and ice and becomes even heavier, etc. THAT said, there’s also good reasons why people still use it…it’s just as warm even if soaked wet, yet it breathes really well—ts nature’s soft-shell. Its way quieter against brush and against itself than any synthetic material, which matters a lot when your hunting distances are measured in feet rather than yards. And if you live for hunting in the snow its generally cold-enough that its a pretty good match for your exertion-level. But some of the really heavyweight stuff is still way too heavy for anything other than sitting…the above mentioned king of the mountain stuff is crazy warm, but I could never use it for moving.

Check out Stagr gear. They are a local company making some good lighter weight wool shirts and jackets that are a lot more useable for legit hunting and have a better fit. They also have a newer pair of pants that are more of a bridge between the old school stuff and more modern hunting pants. What I have seen of their stuff seems pretty well thought out and makes sense for people who like wool but want something a bit more Y2K compatible. Looks like they stopped making the pursuit shirt that I thought was really good, so?? Pricing is up there but pretty reasonable considering.

 

[Sinistram]

Look up and see if you have any Army Surplus stores nearby. The prices have come up, but lots of good stuff in them. I still have a pair of wool pants I bought from one 35 years ago, they still fit, and still in great shape.

This. I used to wear German surplus wool pants to hunt and had to give them to someone else because they were simply too warm.

I also have one of those wool commando sweaters from LL Bean that's warm as hell but still doable for daily wear.

 

[EdP]

I have a couple of army surplus pants bought new in 2016 but made in the 50's. You can still find them on the web sometimes. The material is great, a tight weave that sheds snow and cuts the wind but not too heavy like much of the new stuff. The fit is OK but the pockets are small and no cargo pockets. If my wife was better at sewing I would have her cut up an old set and use the material to and add cargo pockets to the better ones, but neither of us is much good at that.

 

[Weldor]

Johnson wool pants from the 60's and Woolrich plaid coats same era. Heavy yes. Warmer than today's super clothes, not sure. I know I wore them as a kid way back, in below zero and did ok, but still got cold.

 

[S-3 ranch]

I don’t know how cold or type weather you’re hunting in?
I use a very thin poly base layer, then a alpaca or cashmere medium weight sweater from Quince, then a merino wool rich jacket or a LL, Bean mackinaw
Quince cashmere gloves and scarf & hat ( all on clearance sale right now)

It was zero * and windy , had no problems staying out all day
Yak , musk ox clothes are expensive but very warm ( arctic circle warm)

 

[dwhite0622]

Johnson Woolen Mills and similar old school flannel shirt jackets were king of the mountain for a lot of years. They’re still incredible pieces for the right application, bur in the world of ultralight and layering systems it’s hard to see where something like that would fit into the repertoire. I would love to have one mostly for nostalgia. I have a sleeping Indian heavy wool jacket that I couldn’t talk myself into getting rid of but also rarely use.

 

[chizelhead]

Unfortunately, many of the go to wool brands - Filson, Pendleton, and Woolrich went the fashion route and moved away from functional outdoor activity wool clothes. I still wear wool in today's world of ultralight/layering systems. Merino on skin and the heavier stuff as outer layers in addition to nonwool. I don't see merino as very durable so avoid it for outer layers. Most of my outer layer wool is decades old and haven't found the need to replace it. Johnson Woolen Mills seems to be one of the few offering the quality old styles which are still very good. Ebay and army surplus are your friends for finding the old stuff.

 

[dan33]

The pathfinder comes in a few different weights. Heavy, Extra Heavy, and Blanket weight. I've got one of each and can tell a difference. I wouldn't call the heavy a true heavy weight. I feel it's more mid weight. I think the majority of the patterns are Extra heavy, which is pretty heavy. Only a few patterns come in the blanket weight. I would call that a true extra heavy weight. I just got them for Christmas, so I haven't had a chance to test any of them, I'm just going by how they feel in my hands. I got the heavy weight first. I was a little disappointed at first. I think it will be fine for everyday wear, but I think it's a little light for something I would wear hunting. Maybe early season on a cool morning. The extra heavy is what I would want personally for a hunting garment.

Also, of the (3) different weights, the heavy is by far the "itchiest" of them all. It's not bad, but it's far from merino. I wouldn't wear it next to my skin. The two heavier weights are much softer.

I agree with your sizing comment. I read a lot of posts on another forum. They all said these were oversized, so I thought I needed a smaller size. I ended up exchanging it for the size I normally wear.

I really like these pieces. I'd recommend them to anyone who was looking for this style of clothing. When I wanted to exchange for a different size, I called and spoke with Mrs. Asbell and she was very nice. I'd buy another if I didn't already have 3.

How much heavier is the blanket than the extra heavy?

 

[HoosierHunter07]

How much heavier is the blanket than the extra heavy?

Its pretty hard to quantify without actually weighing them. It's enough that I can tell just by the feel. But I think only a few patterns come in the blanket weight. The majority are the extra heavy.

 

[dan33]

Its pretty hard to quantify without actually weighing them. It's enough that I can tell just by the feel. But I think only a few patterns come in the blanket weight. The majority are the extra heavy.

10 4. They're cheap enough I'll probably try a blanket weight if I venture back to the peoples Republic of new york for rifle season ever again.