Where is wool these days with respect to hunting clothing? Yes, it still insulates when it's wet but it's heavy, heavy. Now days with all of the synthetics and layering isn't this the best route to take?

I use to do a fair amount of Mountain climbing in North and South america and Europe and weight and size (with respect to stuffing something in the pack) is always the issue when climbing and for me anytime I throw a pack on. The big thing with me is activity levels when hunting, if your going to be glassing alot then wool would be OK but then you don't know when you have to bust your balls over the next ridge to get to the game for a possible shot.
Part of the reason for this post is that I have some good Filson wool pants and jacket that I never seem to use when I hunt the mountains of Colorado anymore I always grab the synthetics and layer so I'm about ready to take all of the wool clothing to Salvation Army. Since I'm going to be moving into your neck of the woods I don't want to drag this wool clothing up there if I'm not going to find a use for it and it hangs in the closet and collects dust. wool or no wool is the question when it comes to hunting apparel, what you say.

synthetics are good under, but for outer i'll take wool

I'd say hang on to it. You never know when it might be needed by you or some one else. I've still got my wool. Doubt I'll use it again but I'm saving mine for my kids when they grow into it. Were I to re-outfit myself, I'd still buy new synthetics and layer accordingly. The cost of good wool is probably the same a new synthetics.

Alan

Wool is so 20th Century.

It's the 21st Century now.

In some cases wool is prefered for flying. Trappers and other bush pilots in Dillingham prefer to wear wool when flying in winter as it is fire resistant. The wrong synthetics go off like a roman candle.

I like wool for cool weather moose hunting and fishing as the moose hunting can be a long day of sitting and calling and the fishing can be long cold boat rides.

. Dirk; It depends on where and what up here . And also if you know some one there who could use it and would appreciate it ! .... If you are moving to The Great Land . Hunting isn,t the only time you will want warm dependable clothes .. That is about 10 months a year of more up here ... If you are going fishing ,, 4 wheeling ,cuttin firewood , bird hunting ,trapping ..(.. And it depends some on where you will be .. In the wet of the coast synthetics are possibly the best .. For flexibility for pants ,fleece is best and it goes better under hippers ...But on the flip side my Malone pants are super comfortable and have been good and tough ...... Filson Makinaw Cruisers and Woolrich Halibut jackets are a standard for general living on the coast , and tho Carhart has chewed a chunck of the market , they still work fine in the Interior,Until it gets cold .. And by cold , I mean Artic Parka cold ....
.
. One thing about it when you get here you will be able to ask around and there is always a place that sells good gear .......
.
. The Salvation Army can always use it .......

I used to have a lot of wool and probably will always have some but polar fleece has pritty much taken the place of my wool.

There's nothing wrong with wool. Especially in base layers. Yes it's the 21st century, but there are 21st century wools like moreno wool. Polar Max and -33 are two companies that make moreno wool base layers. These garments are similar in weight to synthetics and feel to coton. Wool base layers are much better than synthetic fibers for scent control. Bacteria does much better with syntetics. On a day or weekend hunt synthetics will do fine. On an extended hunt wool will do much better with scent control. People flying on hunts might also consider that if the plane crashes and there is a fire synthetics will melt to your skin. Wool will not.

For mid and outer layers I tend to think wool is outdated. There are many fibers today that wick, dry, and breath much better than wool, but still retain warmth when wet. Sport Hill, Mountain Hardwear, Sitka Gear, and some of the Barney's line of insulated coats are outstanding. That said Mountain Hardwear does make a nice wool midlayer top for wool fans. I think it's called the "Woolie".

Brett

Most synthetics arn,t devils club proof ...Filson Makinaw wool almost is ..

quote:

Posted 23 June 2009 22:39 Hide Post
Most synthetics arn,t devils club proof ...Filson Makinaw wool almost is ..

yup and it is the 21st century and we also got obama, think i want to move back to the 19th

I still keep some wool items. They are heavier but still warm and comfortable.

quote:

Originally posted by dirklawyer:
Where is wool these days with respect to hunting clothing? Yes, it still insulates when it's wet but it's heavy, heavy. Now days with all of the synthetics and layering isn't this the best route to take?

I use to do a fair amount of Mountain climbing in North and South america and Europe and weight and size (with respect to stuffing something in the pack) is always the issue when climbing and for me anytime I throw a pack on. The big thing with me is activity levels when hunting, if your going to be glassing alot then wool would be OK but then you don't know when you have to bust your balls over the next ridge to get to the game for a possible shot.
Part of the reason for this post is that I have some good Filson wool pants and jacket that I never seem to use when I hunt the mountains of Colorado anymore I always grab the synthetics and layer so I'm about ready to take all of the wool clothing to Salvation Army. Since I'm going to be moving into your neck of the woods I don't want to drag this wool clothing up there if I'm not going to find a use for it and it hangs in the closet and collects dust. wool or no wool is the question when it comes to hunting apparel, what you say.

You can send that Filson wool to me, I like it. Just let me know and I will PM you my address.

Dirk,

Are you really moving to Alaska?

If so, you will need one of those Searcy DR in stainless/syn stock 470...

quote:

Originally posted by AzGuy:
Dirk,

Are you really moving to Alaska?

If so, you will need one of those Searcy DR in stainless/syn stock 470...

And then he can give me all his worthless blued and wood double rifles!!!



Brett

Living in Maine we used to have single and double wool coats for the hunting season. I don't remember the last time we wore the doubles. I wear Johnson's of Vermont light weight wool pants all season long and my single Johnson's single coat with a varying combo under it; usually poly pro, wool shirt and a windbreaker or light fleece. If I'm on a stand I'll often wear my wool bibs to keep my backside warm. If I were going into a long term rain situation it would not be my first choice. However, for most of the season I find it works just fine and tends to be quieter than anything else.

quote:

Originally posted by Brett Adam Barringer:

quote:

Originally posted by AzGuy:
Dirk,

Are you really moving to Alaska?

If so, you will need one of those Searcy DR in stainless/syn stock 470...

And then he can give me all his worthless blued and wood double rifles!!!



Brett

I always knew there were some big scavangers in AK.

quote:

Originally posted by AzGuy:
Dirk,

Are you really moving to Alaska?

If so, you will need one of those Searcy DR in stainless/syn stock 470...

I've got to have something to do when I get back from the field so I'll be sittin on the front porch cleanin my gun.

Why buy synthetics when the durability of Filson wool makes it the warmer AND more cost effective choice?

quote:

Originally posted by tendrams:
Why buy synthetics when the durability of Filson wool makes it the warmer AND more cost effective choice?

Wool doesn't dry well, so you could end up spending the whole hunt wet. Weather you are warm or not spending a week out in the bush wet would be miserable. I'm not putting wool down. I'm just saying like everything else in life it has its place. It is not the be all end all. No fabric is perfect in every condition and for every situation. That's why up here you need versitile clothing or if you can afford it a number of speciallized clothing to perform optimaly in different situations.

Brett

Origonally posted by Brett

quote:

Wool doesn't dry well, so you could end up spending the whole hunt wet. Weather you are warm or not spending a week out in the bush wet would be miserable. I'm not putting wool down. I'm just saying like everything else in life it has its place. It is not the be all end all. No fabric is perfect in every condition and for every situation. That's why up here you need versitile clothing or if you can afford it a number of speciallized clothing to perform optimaly in different situations.

Well said Brett

I wear wool, I have many wool garments that are old favorites, Wool works really well a lot of the time.

Wool stinks when it gets wet,wool gets heavy when its wet, wool takes forever to dry.

Goat hunting in october when its wet and cold and your on a mountain soaking wet with only a un heated tent to go to for the night is not one of those times wool works really good.

Polypro unders and fleece outer will dry amazingly fast.

When I was living in Michigan wool was the best thing around for most things. In particular big game. In Alberta for elk it was much the same. Very quiet, warm when wet, and weather resistant.

That was then.....

I currently live and hunt in SE AK. Lots of wet weather. Fleece pants with PVC bibs in my backpack is the way I have been doing it. I am trying Sitka Gear Acent pants with the PVC this year. This and a Gore Tex Pro Shell top.
Wool is simply too heavy and dries too slowly for my taste. It is too bad too. I would prefer wool for stelth but gotta stay comfy.

If you end up going with wool check out King of the Mountain. Thier stuff is VERY bullet proof. I have had mine for 15 years. Well worth the price. If you go with PVC check out the Helly Hansen. They make some stuff that streches a bit and is more comfortable to crawl over logs ect. For the tops I recomend Gore Tex for breathability. In particular ArcTeryx. A good set of gaiters from O.R. or Sitka is a good investment as well.

A final word. This info applies for SE AK. I have not spent enough time in other parts of AK to give too much advice other than always bring good bug dope.

Good luck

Ahh , the bug dope .. DEET .The Plastic Melter...
You want to be careful getting Deet on some of the modern gear , . It will take the finish off a wood stock , melt a hole in some plastic stocks . Ruin some expensive rain gear . both breathable and not ......
. For Southeast , if you dress the same as HandLogger Jackson did ,you will be fine ,,, Well , if you are as tough as Hand Logger Jackson Was .... Which ain,t likely ......
.
. Anyone who thinks they are , Hand log
.250,000 board feet of Sitka Spruce into Yes Bay
., ,, Make it up in a flat raft , then row that flat raft to Ketchikan ......Or row a 24' wood skiff full of prospecting and trapping gear UP the Unik River ,, alone !.... I,m talkin ten times tougher than twisted Trex turds ..
But ., I digress....
.
. I wonder if the ArcTeryx gear is devils club proof ????? And still water proof ?? Sure is expensive ...Which is fine if it works and lasts .... The stuff I tried on was quite noisy , and that was in the store . I figured it would be like draggin a blue tarp thru the brush ...... Prolly they make quieter stuff tho ......

quote:

Originally posted by Akshooter:
Origonally posted by Brett

quote:

Wool doesn't dry well, so you could end up spending the whole hunt wet. Weather you are warm or not spending a week out in the bush wet would be miserable. I'm not putting wool down. I'm just saying like everything else in life it has its place. It is not the be all end all. No fabric is perfect in every condition and for every situation. That's why up here you need versitile clothing or if you can afford it a number of speciallized clothing to perform optimaly in different situations.

Well said Brett

I wear wool, I have many wool garments that are old favorites, Wool works really well a lot of the time.

Wool stinks when it gets wet,wool gets heavy when its wet, wool takes forever to dry.

Goat hunting in october when its wet and cold and your on a mountain soaking wet with only a un heated tent to go to for the night is not one of those times wool works really good.

Polypro unders and fleece outer will dry amazingly fast.

But will the Polypro and fleece dry either when it's wet and cold out?

Originally posted by AXEL19

quote:

But will the Polypro and fleece dry either when it's wet and cold out?

Yes It dose. Surprisingly fast. If you get wet in the morning and the sun comes out you will be dry in a couple of hours. If you get wet and you don't see the sun and retreat to your tent you will dry out wearing the cloths in the tent.

If you are wet in the evening strip down to your polypros and crawl in your bag put your fleece between your bag and ground pad. all will be dry in the morning.

Fleece will not soak up and retain the water that wool dose. The synthetic fiber its self is water proof. If you have a wet fleece and you simply wring it out you get rid of most of the water. Whats left will dry quickly.

It all depends on what you have to come home to at night. A worm cabin with a hot woodstove to hang your gear over you can get away with anything. If you are goat hunting in October and you will be going back to a cold back pack size tent and your body heat will dry your clothes you will be happy for the fleece.

I have a Filson Double Cruiser which I pretty much limit to wearing on horseback in cold conditions and/or if on stand for all, or a good part, of the day. Would also be useful for a four wheeler, but I have never hunted that way. As has been said, if doing much walking, even without rain or snow, it is heavy. And, when walking, is the protection really needed, what with the physical activity- unless its super cold. For my cold country hunts I often wear army surplus winter dress trousers which I describe as mid weight wool. I really like them; light enough, quiet, warm enough & cheap, as in mil. surplus. I usually wear light weight poly fleece or wool shirts. Under these I wear poly as first layer. I also like the combo wool/cotton Duofolds for SOME conditions. Brett has it right, nothing is fool proof for everything. You do need versatility for different conditions/situations. From my trips to Alaska, S/E Alaska is probably where you would least likely want the wool, but further north it probably would come in handy in off season as well as during hunt season. For overall versatility you can't beat the synthetics though. But since you already have the wool I bet you will find use for it. If you decide you do not want to take the Filsons with you someone here on A/R will probably buy them if you post them on the Classified- or this post. Good luck on your move.

"Ahh , the bug dope .. DEET .The Plastic Melter...
You want to be careful getting Deet on some of the modern gear , . It will take the finish off a wood stock , melt a hole in some plastic stocks . Ruin some expensive rain gear . both breathable and not ......
. For Southeast , if you dress the same as HandLogger Jackson did ,you will be fine ,,, Well , if you are as tough as Hand Logger Jackson Was .... Which ain,t likely ......
.
. Anyone who thinks they are , Hand log
.250,000 board feet of Sitka Spruce into Yes Bay
., ,, Make it up in a flat raft , then row that flat raft to Ketchikan ......Or row a 24' wood skiff full of prospecting and trapping gear UP the Unik River ,, alone !.... I,m talkin ten times tougher than twisted Trex turds ..
But ., I digress....
.
. I wonder if the ArcTeryx gear is devils club proof ????? And still water proof ?? Sure is expensive ...Which is fine if it works and lasts .... The stuff I tried on was quite noisy , and that was in the store . I figured it would be like draggin a blue tarp thru the brush ...... Prolly they make quieter stuff tho ......"

Good call on the bug dope being a hateful around expensive stuff. Have not had a problem with the Gore Tex or PVC.... yet.

My Arctryx parka is almost devils club proof. The new Pro shell is good matereal. It does a pretty good job with deflecting that stuff. It is noisy but it was a trade off as I did not want to have water logged fleece Gore Tex stuff, (i.e. Browning hydro fleece). The bibs in that regard are bomber for just that purpose.

John

I'd give up a lot before surrendering my ragg wool sweater. Prefer synthetic outerwear though