For my Oct. musk ox/caribou hunt the outfitter says to bring some merino wool thermals, wool gloves and some heavey wool socks. After doing a little research I ran across the name Smartwool. Is this stuff any good? Where is the best place to buy it?

Save some money.

Duofold 100% Merino Wool Top
Duofold 100% Merino Wool Bottoms

You can get them for $19.95 a piece over the phone.

Smartwool makes nice stuff - kind of pricey but really nice. There are cheaper sources of Merino wool, I love it as a layer that is very flexible for temperature, Jackfish has it right.

That said my smartwool socks are the first out of the drawer.

One word.....Filson.

From the underwear to the Mackinaw Cruiser and Bibs...Filson wool is all you need. The only Smartwool I have ever purchased is their heavy mountain climbing socks. Those things are fabulous! $20 per pair though.

Best,

JohnTheGreek

i use duofold for thermals, but Smartwool for socks. the Smartwool is fantastic. Warm and soft but absolutely no itch like a lot of wool products.

quote:

Originally posted by jackfish:
Save some money.

Duofold 100% Merino Wool Top
Duofold 100% Merino Wool Bottoms

You can get them for $19.95 a piece over the phone.

Thanks for the link, if only they had my size

John,

I read where you used sorel boots on your bison hunt, any model you'd recommend?

Hey Mark,

Call up Wasatch Workwear in Salt Lake City and as them if they still carry a non-catalogued steel toe/steel shank, black, -100 degree Sorel work boot. Man, those things are amazing. I don't know if Sorel still makes this particular model but they work! I added an extra layer of Sorel insulation under the footbed and was nice and toasty at -30. I imagine any waterproof and -100 Sorel (like the Chieftain) would be great.

Best,

JohnTheGreek

Smartwool?

An ole Indian was sitting in front of his farm
when a animal psychiatrist stopped.He walked up
to the Indian and asked if he could speak to
his horses.The Indian said "horse no talk,go
ahead."

The doc comes back after a few minutes and said
the horse liked it here.Lots of hay to eat,water
to drink.He got exercise and was happy.

The Doc asked to speak to the dog.The Indian said "dog no talk,go ahead." After a
while the Doc came back and told the Indian
the dog liked it too.Plenty of kibble to
eat.A clean place to sleep.He hunted with his
master and lay at his feet at night.Falling asleep while getting his head petted.

The Doc asked to speak to the Indians sheep.
Indian said "sheep lie."

I use Smartwool socks exclusively when hunting. They're very durable, warm and comfortable. They also seem to hold their loft (and insulating abilities) longer than any other sock I've tried. If you're on a long trip, you can wear them two or three days before the fibres start to compact.

Pete

Try alpaca fleece...softer, lighter and warmer than wool, repels water just the same without lanolin in wool and doesn't itch against your skin. Google can find it for you.

Get smartwool and never look back

I have 4 pairs that I use for hunting/hiking, and have used them for going on 4 years and the only ones close to wearing out are the light hikers. I was amazed at the support that you can get from a sock!!!! They are expensive, but I look at them as an investment...they don't pack out (compact) as fast as a normal wool sock, and the elastic in the calf portion never gets loose (a problem I've noted in other wool socks). Do yourself a favor and get some ASAP. My roommates have also found some socks from HEAD (R) and they have the consistency of Smartwools-the roommates love them, but they haven't been in Costco for about 2 years. Good luck finding them!

Can't sing enough praise about smartwool socks!

I've got about over a dozen pairs of Smartwool socks, they're the only boot sock I've been wearing for several years, get mine from Cabelas, they have the best price on em, well below what retail stores sell em for. They also have their own version of em that has identical wool content to the Smartwool brand and cost even less, other than having Cabelas imprinted on them, are the same as far as I can tell.

I have been to the top of 15 of the fourteeners in Colorado, hunted Africa, Alaska, Colorado, Alberta, climbed the high points of all the states east of the Mississippi and Smartwool is on my feet every step of the way. Good shooting.

Smartwool. Yes.

Agreed. Best investment you can make for your feet.

Jeff