School Me On Wool

[hibernation]

Which reminds me: get a woolens-washing mesh bag, or a lingerie bag from the women's clothing section of a department store - these will make your woolens last longer.

Lingerie bags, fishnet clothing... someone could get the wrong impression here real easy.

 

[AlaskaRed]

I'm not sure if this was already answered. What pants are good in the wool department? I find myself always wearing the thin nylon style pants. That was all I wore this weekend when snowshoeing. A light pant that dries fast is my preferred. What looks good in the wool styles for a pant like this?

 

[Dobermann]

Lingerie bags, fishnet clothing... someone could get the wrong impression here real easy.

I think we need to come up with a prize for the first Rokslider who documents wearing a fishnet shirt into a lingerie shop to buy an underwear washing bag ...

 

[Stickbow]

Anyone have a recommendation for a super lightweight wool long sleeve with a loose fitting hood? Like the fishing shirts that are popular but wool not synthetic. Tight low profile hoody make it hard to hear IMO.

 

[mtnbound]

Anyone have a recommendation for a super lightweight wool long sleeve with a loose fitting hood? Like the fishing shirts that are popular but wool not synthetic. Tight low profile hoody make it hard to hear IMO.

Kuius' hood is not too bad.

 

[horpensky]

Adding my 2 cents. Ordered the Aclima woolnet top and leggings last year from Varuste based on feedback from this forum. Process was simple and shipping was reasonably fast. Top has been fantastic. Used 6-10 times across hunts, ice fishing, and back country ski trips, in temps from 32 to -4F. As warm or warmer than any of the merino base layers I've ever tried, and sweat dries out SOOO much faster than with a solid base layer. Comfortable, not stinky like synthetics, and always draws comments from the peanut gallery. Highly recommend.

The leggings, on the other hand, I'm less impressed with. Not sure if I ever noticed them being any better than other solid wool/synthetic leggings in my closet (sweat less through my legs?). But the big thing is they started coming apart on me after the first use. First the cuff on one leg, and then maybe 3 uses/washes later the cuff on the other leg detached. I understand you can't expect fishnet to be super robust, but I'm pretty careful and don't abuse my gear, so I was disappointed, especially considering the tops have held up just fine so far.

 

[ShootOkHuntWorse]

The moisture management of wool is my primary concern, and main reason for this post. Im expecting this to be a xc ski and snowshoe type of hunt with significant elevation changes through the day.

I’m fine with damp clothes, but want to minimize the “wet sponge” effect. Can one type of wool better manage moisture compared to a different type?

That sounds like a fun hunt if you think you’re xc skiing.

 

[Ishootgunssometimes]

When it comes to dressing for very cold weather I grab my Stanfields Wool union suit. It’s itchy at first but hang in there, the itchiness subsides.

 

[Acharenio]

Wool is a bit down the list. Far and away the best natural fabric is vicuna (vicuña), but damned expensive. Next would be alpaca. Not cheap, but far more reasonable. Alpaca is fantastic wearing material. Merino wool ain't bad (or lambswool if it contacts skin), but not as good as the other two.

Alpaca is the best, i bought a lot of things made with alpaca when i went to peru and is great quality and warm.

 

[Dobermann]

Anyone have a recommendation for a super lightweight wool long sleeve with a loose fitting hood? Like the fishing shirts that are popular but wool not synthetic. Tight low profile hoody make it hard to hear IMO.

Stone Glacier Chinook?

 

[K_pem]

Im w/ Mav; Pretty much the only merino i wear anymore is the Brynje wool base layers.

I do have a couple of other pieces for more stationary or truck style hunts like the Sitka Core Merino 120 hoody but I'd say 95% of the time its just the fishnet base.

I will say, my brother got me a couple of the Canis hoodies that are a merino blend w/ a lot of Cordura, and those do seem pretty damn legit. I may end up wearing those this winter wolf hunting and give them a go on some colder days next fall.

 

[43.6N]

Thank you all for the timely responses and for generously sharing your experiences.

I’ve pulled the trigger on the woolnet base layers from veruste and woolshell pants from verusteleka as those were my most pressing needs.

I’m seriously considering getting a pair of goose feet gear down pants made to replace my ecwcs level 7 pants that are about 5 years old. But that’s not on topic for this thread haha!

I’m seriously stoked for this tag on a family friends old unimproved pioneer homestead. Should be lots of touring on skis and or snowshoes (depending on the type of snow in January).

 

[Formidilosus]

Adding my 2 cents. Ordered the Aclima woolnet top and leggings last year from Varuste based on feedback from this forum. Process was simple and shipping was reasonably fast. Top has been fantastic. Used 6-10 times across hunts, ice fishing, and back country ski trips, in temps from 32 to -4F. As warm or warmer than any of the merino base layers I've ever tried, and sweat dries out SOOO much faster than with a solid base layer. Comfortable, not stinky like synthetics, and always draws comments from the peanut gallery. Highly recommend.

The leggings, on the other hand, I'm less impressed with. Not sure if I ever noticed them being any better than other solid wool/synthetic leggings in my closet (sweat less through my legs?). But the big thing is they started coming apart on me after the first use. First the cuff on one leg, and then maybe 3 uses/washes later the cuff on the other leg detached. I understand you can't expect fishnet to be super robust, but I'm pretty careful and don't abuse my gear, so I was disappointed, especially considering the tops have held up just fine so far.

View attachment 972886

I haven’t seen anything that bad- but, usually it is because I’m watching machines it gets caught.

 

[Formidilosus]

Anyone have a recommendation for a super lightweight wool long sleeve with a loose fitting hood? Like the fishing shirts that are popular but wool not synthetic. Tight low profile hoody make it hard to hear IMO.

Duckworth Vapor Hoody

 

[jonpall]

Anyone have a recommendation for a super lightweight wool long sleeve with a loose fitting hood? Like the fishing shirts that are popular but wool not synthetic. Tight low profile hoody make it hard to hear IMO.

Ridge merino solstice has higher wool content thank some others. Pinebury has a nice summer weight one.

 

[Dobermann]

Adding my 2 cents. Ordered the Aclima woolnet top and leggings last year from Varuste based on feedback from this forum. Process was simple and shipping was reasonably fast. Top has been fantastic. Used 6-10 times across hunts, ice fishing, and back country ski trips, in temps from 32 to -4F. As warm or warmer than any of the merino base layers I've ever tried, and sweat dries out SOOO much faster than with a solid base layer. Comfortable, not stinky like synthetics, and always draws comments from the peanut gallery. Highly recommend.

The leggings, on the other hand, I'm less impressed with. Not sure if I ever noticed them being any better than other solid wool/synthetic leggings in my closet (sweat less through my legs?). But the big thing is they started coming apart on me after the first use. First the cuff on one leg, and then maybe 3 uses/washes later the cuff on the other leg detached. I understand you can't expect fishnet to be super robust, but I'm pretty careful and don't abuse my gear, so I was disappointed, especially considering the tops have held up just fine so far.

View attachment 972886

Did you wash them in a mesh lingerie/delicates washing bag, or just in with other items?

On second look, it appears they separated where the mesh is sewn to the cuffs ... did you have those tucked into boots at all?

 

[horpensky]

Did you wash them in a mesh lingerie/delicates washing bag, or just in with other items?

On second look, it appears they separated where the mesh is sewn to the cuffs ... did you have those tucked into boots at all?

Yes, the separation is basically at the sewing at the cuffs. Would wear them as a base layer under socks and another pair of pants and/or bibs, and then in either hunting or x-country ski boots.

I didn't put them in a delicates bag for washing, and maybe I should have. Wouldn't think the tumbling action of our front loader would cause that much damage, but I could imagine the agitator of a top loader could stress these garments. Why the leggings came apart and not the top... .

Noticed the prices for these have gone up since last year. Wonder how much of that is from the Rokslide effect!

 

[Dobermann]

Yes, the separation is basically at the sewing at the cuffs. Would wear them as a base layer under socks and another pair of pants and/or bibs, and then in either hunting or x-country ski boots.

I didn't put them in a delicates bag for washing, and maybe I should have. Wouldn't think the tumbling action of our front loader would cause that much damage, but I could imagine the agitator of a top loader could stress these garments. Why the leggings came apart and not the top... .

Noticed the prices for these have gone up since last year. Wonder how much of that is from the Rokslide effect!

I wonder if the boots could have pinched the cuffs and created a weak point at the join.

The delicates bag may not have prevented this, but I do notice that long items can get entwined in our front loader, so it's feasible this could have exacerbated the weak points. Who knows?

 

[chizelhead]

I'm not sure if this was already answered. What pants are good in the wool department? I find myself always wearing the thin nylon style pants. That was all I wore this weekend when snowshoeing. A light pant that dries fast is my preferred. What looks good in the wool styles for a pant like this?

Reclaimed wool suit pants can work for light duty. Next up would be whipcord which could be considered a midweight.

 

[hibernation]

Reclaimed wool suit pants can work for light duty.

Older backpacking / mountaineering books were always recommending buying thrift store wool suit pants or polyester disco pants for cheap functional clothing, especially before the market got totally saturated with REI and a million knockoff cheap synthetics.

Biggest problem is the terrible cut, same problem with a lot of older military surplus pants. It's either a straight suit cut and you can't lift your leg, or it's a balloon and you've got 5 pounds of extra material.