'wear a wool sweater for the cold' - what kinds of wool blends are good enough?

[bennetthaselton]

I'm aware that for camping and hiking in cold or potentially rainy weather, I should have a wool sweater instead of cotton so that it will stay warm even if it gets wet, so I'm trying to stock up on a couple of wool sweaters. (The REI camping class gurus say "wick, warmth, weather" -- an inner layer to wick sweat away from your body, an insulation layer to keep you warm, and a waterproof layer on the outside -- and that the insulating layer should be wool.)

But if it's a blend, how much wool does it have to have in order to stay warm if it's wet? Or does it have to be 100% wool? Some sample descriptions I've seen on sweaters that are listed as "wool sweaters":

"50% VISCOSE, 25% WOOL, 15% CASHMERE, 10% ELASTANE"
"Wool Blend31%-50%"
"52% Wool/48% Acrylic"

I could stock up just on sweaters that say 100% wool, but those seem to cost quite a bit more.

I can't just "try out" different sweaters to see if they work, because if they don't work, that means I'm stuck on a hike being cold and wet with no recourse. Seems easier to ask people who have done it before.

[tplife]

Re: 'wear a wool sweater for the cold' - what kinds of wool blends are good enough?

It seems that PolarPlus fabrics have replaced wool as they insulate when wet for layering, or at least are a lot easier to wring out. They don't itch and can be fairly thin and still deliver a barrier layer. Add a light GoreTex shell over it and you're covered for wind and rain and can adjust to meet the changing climate.

[bennetthaselton]

Re: 'wear a wool sweater for the cold' - what kinds of wool blends are good enough?

Thanks, yeah I've since found out that the advice about "wear wool to stay warm in rainy weather" dates from the childhood scouting days of some older friends, and was made more or less obsolete by polar fleece fabrics. (So, anybody finding this thread, ignore the advice in my original post ) Although he does still advise wearing wool socks if they might get wet.

Thanks for the tip!

[terasec]

Re: 'wear a wool sweater for the cold' - what kinds of wool blends are good enough?

proper layering is best,
synthetic base layer,
warmth layer which can be wool/fleece/or various other fabrics,
then shell layer to keep warmth layer dry

[Mike]

Re: 'wear a wool sweater for the cold' - what kinds of wool blends are good enough?

Benett, it is smart of you to go to wool and take cotton out of your wardrobe. There is a saying "cotton Kills" and it is true. I don't even use cotton underpants or socks in cold wet weather. Absolutely no cotton or cotton blends allowed. Wet cotton is the equivalent of wet toilet paper.

For warmth, 100% wool is ideal, but for wear-ability and comfort and sometimes for cost, blends are acceptable. You want to make sure that the blends are not hydrophylic (water absorbing). So, no cotton blend (of course) and no acetate and no rayon.

wool-Poly blends are OK. Wool-Lycra blends are OK. Wool-acrylic is so-so.

By the way, not all wools are the same. There is high quality long smooth fiber marino wool, and there is also reprocessed short-fiber itchy wool. Virgin wool and especially Marino wool is the best. Alpaca wool is excellent as is Angora (if you can find it and afford it!)

No matter what anybody tells you, natural wool is superior to synthetics in a couple of ways. One of the most important characteristics of wool is that it breaths well in addition to heat retention, so as you sweat, the moisture wicks away and evaporates better than any synthetic. Even the most breathable synthetics tend to trap or hold moisture and they tend to super-heat you, so as you move, you get hot and moisture does not move away from the body fast enough. When you stop, the trapped moisture makes you cold. Yes, yes, I have heard all the reviews about new wicking synthetics and I have tried most of them. As an outdoorsman from Wisconsin who is very active in all types of weather, I am saying that wool is still the best for the active all-weather man.

[cunningman]

Re: 'wear a wool sweater for the cold' - what kinds of wool blends are good enough?

I agree that All Wool is hard to beat. (Im also a Nortwoods boy).
Fwiw, Woolrich is a company that my family has bought outdoor clothing from for years. YMMV

[cunningman]

Re: 'wear a wool sweater for the cold' - what kinds of wool blends are good enough?

The ultimate woolen hat......Stormy Kromer!!