Wool Clothing

Hello everybody,

Does anybody use wool clothing on their trapline?

If so what do you use?

Socks, that's about it.

You bet....wool everything. Its been a big topic in my hunting/trapping camps the last few years....guys are paying literally hundreds and hundreds of dollars for garbage that doesn't keep them warm and doest last.....think Sitka, and some other big name brands. The best thing I can say about those companies is they have some top shelf PR guys. Been dealing with this company lately.....first class stuff and great service. I have their wool anorak as well as the canvas. Would highly recommend this stuff. boreal mountain anoraks

Waggler
What do you wear normally? synthetics?

Yukon254
Thanks for that link. Looks like a nice company to patronize. Do you wear wool long johns? how many layers do you wear at 40 below? If you don't mind could you explain what your outfit consists of typically?
Also do you put the canvas anorak over your wool one?

Thanks for the responses =)

Wool feathers or fur only way to go

I wear the canvas over the wool in really cold weather or when riding a skidoo a long ways. It also works great by itself in windy cool weather. Yes I wear wool long johns...mostly in winter, but also on late fall hunts.

My fall guiding and early winter outfits is much the same. I will have wool long johns, medium weight shirt then the wool anorak or Filson coat. I also wear wool pants when it gets below zero. During the day when it warms up I will often be in just a shirt. I like wool because it always works no matter the weather. In super cold I do wear a Wiggys parka...but still prefer wool/canvas. Yes that company is great to deal with and the products are top shelf.

Most of the time whether I'm in, in southwest or southeast Alaska, my main adversary is moisture. In either of these regions my experience has shown me that once wool gets wet it gets heavy and stays wet. I can almost always get poly to dry out. I've had clients on bear hunts on the peninsula get wool clothing wet and it's wet for the rest of the hunt.

Wool does dry slower....but its warm even when it gets wet unlike some stuff.

I'll give you that it's warm when dry, and retains some thermal value when wet, but I'm not feeling the love for wool. Weight is a factor if you're doing any kind of walking, especially on snowshoes. Snow and moisture sticks to bottom of pants adding even more weight. I hate wool underwear. My kids splurged and bought me top of the line set and I can't wear them. Still feel itchy to me. I don't even wear wool socks. Too sweaty. Now that I think about it I hate wool so much I'm having lamb chops for supper tomorrow.

I'm about layers when I'm out. synthetic underlayer first, wicks sweat off. Next are fleece MEC pants, super light and dry in minutes behind a wood stove. Or in a worst case scenario can be twisted around a tree to squeeze water out if you go through ice. Yes I've done it. On top of MEC pants I wear a pair of tear resistant rain pants or Helly Hanson overalls if not too cold. below -20 I add another pair of light weight sweat pants. Nothing fancy for a shirt, any work style. But I wear a vest over my shirt stuffed with essentials like lighters, camera, etc. For my coat I've come to really like down. I own a variety of styles, from light version right up to my Canada Goose Down parka. Usually go with a lighter down version though.

So for me weight and water resistance are key. While down is no good in a rain storm I've never had a problem in the winter.

But Yukon I'm thinking a down jacket under one of those canvas anorak's would be slick.

I'm in the "I hate wool" camp also.

I do wear some Duo-fold long johns. Cotton inside and wool outside. No itch.

Usually just wear jeans over those and if it gets minus 20 I will add down pants. Long sleeve poly under shirt with flannel over the top of that. Medium weight fiber fill coat. Really cold and I'll switch to my down parka with a BIG hood.

Amen to the hood W17

Hairy like sasquatch. Dont need no fancy clothes.

I stay away from down because I saw a guy on a long distance dog race get in real trouble with a Canada Goose parka......condensation built up, the down got wet, and he was left with nothing but a shell ! There are wool blends out there now that don't itch. My two biggest complaints with synthetics and some of the new stuff is, A-it won't last very long, and B- you better not get close to an open fire! I had a hunter last fall that was in Sitka from head to toe...he told me later his outfit cost him over $1000 ....one tea fire and that was that! My $250 wool anorak is almost 4-years old and still going strong.

I need stuff that not only works but will last...in an average year I will spend more than half of it in the bush, between trapping, guiding, and fishing. I don't see town often and since we fly everywhere I can't take a lot of extra anything. Wool is tough stuff. The anoraks are light, very warm and I don't have any trouble drying it out. My Filson is on the heavy side but its nice when your sitting on a mountain in the wind and rain for 12-hours!

How can you not be in love with a look like this? My stuff gets as good a work out as you can get. I'm not knocking your choices yukon, what works for me might not be right for you. But in over half a century no one has had to bail me out or provide me with clothes but I've sure shared a lot of my extra gear over the years. If anything I'm over cautious and pack extra gear in a wet bag.



I learned to stay away from hot stuff when I was kid Dave. Plus that's what they make tuck tape for, jacket repair.

Ha ha I do love that look! I recognize those HH rain pants too. I think it pays to be over cautious, and you would be one of the last guys I would expect to need any "assistance" out in the bush. Never thought about tuck tape to patch holes...good idea! Heading to the line soon, you need to come up for a visit and do some ice fishing once it cools off!

I'm so cautious I use both a belt AND suspenders !!

Carry dry gloves, dry sox, two axes and a swede saw.

Don't your hands get cold wearing nitrile gloves,lol.

This is what I wear in winter.

We SEE what you use for insulation there. I have some of that on me too...!

Pete

LOL.

I wear wool pant,shirt and have a coat I like of wool. Wool is great for staying dry in deep snow while hand felling trees and other old style logging. Works great in no wind, forest situations. Wind could rob you of heat on the prairie with out some thing thin over it. I don't move too fast while wearing wool as I don't care to break a sweat. I like the Stanfield's white wool union suit as it doesn't itch and is machine washable and hang dry.

I used to be a wool guy. But have drifted to the synthetics and light weight gear. Down side for me is they do not hold up as well. OH but I love the light weight feel they give. I do need to learn about keeping my distance from the wood stove. ;0(

So what do you guys think the weight difference is between wool and synthetics on average? Is fur heavier than wool or lighter?

There was a Yukon Quest musher that wore wool pants and ended up freezing something and his voice rose a couple octaves.

I rocked the surplus wool pants and Grundens skins for some time when I couldn't afford anything else. Worked fine as in I never froze anything that caused permanent damage... I guess I always figured that if I wanted to be comfortable and warm and dryish and such I should have moved to Hawaii.

Might depend on the species of fur but in general I think my fur garments are lighter than a comparable wool garment.

Years ago I made the stupid mistake of wearing a good quality silk base layer and then wearing a cotton undershirt on top of that, then my wool. Some where I'd read that it was a good idea to have that layer of cotton sandwiched to 'absorb' the moisture that the silk wicks away from your body. (It sounded like it made sense at the time...)

Boy was that was bad advice! I sweat like a pig when I'm active and couldn't ever figure out why I was still cold despite wearing wool! Finally I wised up and removed that layer of cotton between my wool and silk base layer. I stayed much warmer after that.

Thus the saying "cotton kills"

Living in Pa we do not get the cold for any length of time. However rain,sleet and snow comes at the same time so to speak. I spend alot of time out of doors working and just enjoying it. I like wool. Wool socks are a must in my waders for cold weather. I can wear them more then one day between washes. Also a wool shirt from pendleton or woolrich is what I usually wear when spending time outside in cold temps. It can be 40 deg and raining then turn windy below zero before I get home. Either a rain coat or a canvas windbreaker is my top layer depending on what the weatherman says. It can be a guessing game and getting it wrong can make for a long day. We only had one snow last year but it was over 30 inches.

I am also of no wool school. I have an itchy reaction to nearly anything wool, however, if I use liners, I can wear Merino wool socks.

Wool is great in the right circumstances but there comes a temperature when it just isn't as effective as fur or synthetics. The quality of the wool seems to make a great difference too. You get what you pay for when buying wool. I recall reading some stories of Arctic expeditions back in the early 1900's where the parties that wore wool suffered greatly, loosing many men. The expeditions that chose fur garments, more closely resembling the native clothing of the area, fared much better.
Biggest drawback to synthetic fibers in my opinion is they melt. If you like to spend anytime around a fire you really gotta watch out for embers landing on you and burning holes.

I didn't realize so many fancy boys with sensitive skin came to this forum!

I like wool but I can see how someone who tends to run hot or sweat easily would go a different route.

I made the decision several years ago to invest in high-quality wool and it is one of the better choices I've made. I took a gamble last winter and bought one of these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Merino-wool-...9XkBzNofCvFLJ7A

It's super light-weight but very warm. If you're unsure of a wool baselayer I'd suggest these. Cheaper than most quality synthetics or wool but my experience so far has been very good.

Clark

I will take quality poly pro underwear, and fleece outer-wear all day. Warm, dries fast and easy, warm, even when wet, far lighter than wool, no itch, etc.
Takes up little room when packing. Only draw back I know is it's non-friendly to flame. Of course, not much clothing is.

I think most people overdress for the cold,then they are so restricted that they get cold.Even on the coldest days I wear one pair thin socks,but a good boot with dry liners and a change of liners so I always have dry liner each day,and oversize boot that does not crowd my foot.You don't want your feet to sweat,thats why guys get cold feet.Long johns,pants,ski pants.T shirt,sweater,hooded jacket,parka.Fur hat for travelling on good trail,and a face mask,and a full face helmet for brushy trails,and a toque for working in.beaver mitts with moosehide palms,preferably smoke tanned,with heavy Hudson bay blanket duffle for a liner.Leather gloves for handling bait.

Wool everything...layers of SmartWool longjohns, wool socks, wool shirt, wool vest, wool coat, wool pants, synthetic scarf, glove liners with synthetic mitts. Filson for most of it, a few LL Bean, Pendleton, old Woolrich shirts and shirt jacs. Great for layering, and for hunkering down. Wool is heavy, and can become stiff like armor when it gets snowy. But it is always warm, and will not turn a person into a human torch if you get too close to a fire.

Wool longjohns,wool socks,wool under jacket, fur hat, nylon/poly ski pants and parky to shed snow.

One other wool quality: it's silent. No "ziiiiippp" as you still hunt through the woods.

The main advantage of wool is it keeps you warm when wet, right? Wouldn't a cotton lining defeat the purpose?

Commando under heavy rag wool undies is the ONLY way to go!

He is in North Carolina. It doesn't get cold there. Not really.

100% Merino wool baselayer, no itch. The rest I mix and match cotton canvas and wool. Ive had a couple fancy synthetic outerwear before, but always end up going back to wool. It’s simple, proven, and it just plain works.

I love wool, but use a wind proof outer layer. Wool just doesn't knock down the wind enough.
Layered : Marino wool base layer, cotton shirt (s), wool sweater, Wind proof outer layer (when cold -25 or cooler).
If I routinely saw the temps the interior Alaska guys see, I would wear a lot more fur than just a hat. Fur is like a wind breaker and wool all in one.

Spruce

Anyone use alpaca? I bought a pair of sox to try. From my understanding they are warmer than wool.

I use to wear a lot of flannel shirts but with the new miosture wicking underlayers I noticed they were always damp sometimes real damp at the end of a day. I tried a wool shirt in place of the flannel and never went back when it is under 10 degrees or I am going to be out longand traveling a long distance. I have used wool pants for over 30 yrs I seldom use them as an outer layer prefering to have a goretex coverall of one kind or another over them

Hahaha, ok, I confess, the coldest weather I've ever been in was -6. But it was an honest question.

My friend raises alpacas and gave me a pair of socks to try. Seemed about the same as high quality wool. They are nice if you're allergic to wool though.

Wool clothing equals wet and ultimately cold. Fur and synthetics are superior for warmth to weight and performance.

You and others have different performances. Like a lot of guys, I hunt in my outdoor clothes, and they cannot make noise, or make any unnatural noise. Almost every synthetic I have worn or seen makes that magic loud "ziiipppp" sound in the woods when it encounters a twig, which is like waving a big flag and blowing an air horn to let the wildlife know you are there. Synthetic Berber fleece is nice, when it is dry out, not windy, and when you do not go near a fire. Any spark or ember from an open fire will melt a hole in synthetics, if not light them on fire. That is not superior performance, it is inferior. It can work within certain circumstances. Like, if all you do is trap, and silence in the woods is not important, or if the circumstances you hunt in allow greater noise than our eastern landscape permits (for the hunter to be successful), then synthetic can work. Due to my experiences, synthetics have all but fallen by the wayside. Wool has never gotten me wet, though I have been rained on in mid-October wilderness hunts and the Filson wool coat gains about an extra pound in weight.

This. And I am pretty sure I have tried most of the gear out there that is less than $500.00 per garment.
Pennsylvania certainly doesn't have the weather extremes we have here, and while the interior gets much colder than southeast Alaska, I can assure you that the weather conditions here will challenge the very best clothing.

PA, This topic is a trapline question, not hunting.
When you are out on the line hours from any protection and the weather changes you better be prepared for the worse case. Every trapper I know will trap to at last to 20 below or colder. Dependable warm, dry clothes is essential. Fur hats and gloves go along also.
Synthetic long johns, parka, overalls and gloves, will keep you warm, it wicks the moisture your body creates and you stay dry! Being wet is the killer. It drains the warmth from your core and problems start.
Wool, cotton and down do not wick. If you want to find out take those items off mid day at 20 below after running hard and see what happens.
A person I know was running the Yukon Quest in wool pants and frost bit his .....! He never wore wool again.
After living and trapping in Alaskas interior for over 47 years I have tried every type of clothing and I am glad to report that I put my life on Synthetic any day!
JMO

AV didn't mean to duplicate what you said I just took too long to write my answer!

I worked outside all my life at extreme cold temps.When you work hard you sweat-no two ways about it.The secret is layers of clothing,not the type of material.Take off the outer layers when you are ramped up working hard.On the railroad we used open motor cars even in winter and after spending several hours working flat out shimming track we had to ride back to headquarters for an hour or more and perhaps wait for a train for another hour.When finishing up a big job,one guy would go into the bush and make a fire.That is the other secret.Warm up and dry off a bit,while you make a tea and toast a frozen sandwich before layering up again for the long cold ride.
People get in trouble when they get in a bind,and try to make it to shelter or a camp as soon as they can.Best to take the time to prepare for the trip back even if it means an overnight stay,and instead of running around like a chicken with its head off make some preparations like a warm up fire to dry off the sweat, a bite to eat and a warm drink,think things over while you dry off and then start the trek.

Really sorry. I was unaware we had to make a choice between trapping and hunting, which I mostly do both on the same day, checking traps before and after and even sometimes during hunting. Try to be as quiet as possible. It is just the way I do things, due to my schedule and outdoor lifestyle choices. Wool works the best for that, for me, here in east; nothing else comes close and most do a lot worse, including fibers some here swear by, like the poly undies.
No question Alaska is a lot colder than PA and the Adirondacks, where I have some of my best adventures. Wool everything works the best for me in the ADKs, but when I am out there it is usually no colder than 5 degrees F., and during the day in the 20s and 30s F. So that is my experience, and it is wool all the way. Trapping AND hunting together. So shoot me

bender797 asked the question about trapping clothes, BANG! LOL

As a historical note, Colonel Townsend Whelen wore two wool shirts, with a poncho or wind shear for wet or windy weather.

Lost is the real feature of the punt or market hunters of two centuries past, as they never wore cotton undershirts as it could trap moisture and freeze the wearer. They wore silk under their shirts and long johns to protect them from the itchy effects.

Which is pretty much what I do. Lots of wool layers, and if there is any wind or spattering rain, then I use a camo poncho. Best ones I have found are the junky "gifts" from the NRA. They are a really soft rubber-like plastic, and actually pretty quiet.