Joe S.
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 2,517
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Post by Joe S. on Jan 13, 2020 14:05:01 GMT -5
Joes S. There are some wool clothing suppliers at SHOT, I stop by and drool on their stuff all the time, if you’d like I can grab brochures and mail them to you or get a card with websites and get them to you. There was one company last year that was from NZ I think that had very awesome looking stuff. That said, the wooltimate stuff is very nice as well, I’ve had good luck on eBay as well for wool trunk coats and wool ponchos in good hunting colors for use when sitting for long periods in the cold. The trunk coat style was very popular in UK/Europe in the 70’s and good wool. Trapr Website would be great! Thanks!
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wyo
.30 Stingray
Posts: 103
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Post by wyo on Jan 13, 2020 14:16:35 GMT -5
I do not own any (yet) but an outfitter friend of mine here in Wyoming swears by the silent predator brand wool clothing. Looks like nice stuff. Also priced as such! Looks like you can get it with a "wind stopper" lining that would be much needed here in Wyoming!
WYO
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rWt
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,441
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Post by rWt on Jan 13, 2020 15:28:20 GMT -5
The outfitters in Wyoming I have hunted with only wear wool-for everything, including long underwear. They also had some nice Army surplus great coats-looked like German Army issue.
They also soaked their cowboy hats in Thompson's water seal for a few days. Stiff as a board, but waterproof. When it got colder the wool hats came out-Stormy Kromer.
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axman
.30 Stingray
Posts: 425
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Post by axman on Jan 13, 2020 16:42:59 GMT -5
Wool is King. I bought 3 pair of Swedish military pants 20 years ago for $6.00 each. Made in 1944 and I’ve been using 1 pair since, absolutely the best. I bought a Columbia jacket at Cabelas a good while back and it’s good. The best buy I made was 2 KOM jackets and a pair of pants for $75.00 each!
Wool will keep you dry and warm. There’s a saying Cotton kills when it really matters.
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Post by bigbrowndog on Jan 13, 2020 17:16:55 GMT -5
rWt, a good felt with wind strings and a pull over neck muff is tough to beat in cold windy conditions. Especially when the wind is pushing snow, sleet or rain. The benefit of a good 3” or 4” brim sure is nice against the stinging little slaps to the face when on horseback or just walking. Having a wool or polypropylene knit cap as your required orange head coverage over the crown helps with heat retention as well.
Old military surplus is a great source for wool products, especially if they do international surplus.
Trapr
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bigmuddy
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,232
Member is Online
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Post by bigmuddy on Jan 13, 2020 17:52:20 GMT -5
I wear the Cabella's stuff and like it real well. Hard to beat a Stormy Kromer cover when it's cold and windy. I've sure never "waterproofed" any of my felt hats. Never had one that leaked. Dan
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Post by Frank V on Jan 13, 2020 22:57:54 GMT -5
Wool for me! I have a pair of wool bib overalls, wool vests, & a couple of wool jackets. If it's cold, & or snowing out comes the wool. Get it wet, you're still warm!
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ryan
.30 Stingray
Posts: 402
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Post by ryan on Jan 14, 2020 6:59:15 GMT -5
We wear wool for hunting in Maine. It's heavier than the synthetics but keeps you warm when wet, is absolutely silent (unless using windshear, which gets noisy in the cold), and is pretty neutral when scent is concerned. Bean, Johnson, or the old Beagle Wear from Vermont are excellent options for jackets and pants, as well as the new Silent Predator stuff. I still wear Pendleton or the old Cabela's washable wool shirts, and have been very pleased with the various weights of Merino wool base layers offered by Kuiu. Add Darn Tough socks and a neck gaiter and hat of Merino wool (or Stormy) and your ready for most anything. I even wear wool gloves of various weights with the rubber dots. Admittedly, I dress pretty light while tracking but can layer up or down for any condition.
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Post by bradshaw on Jan 14, 2020 8:26:08 GMT -5
"Who else uses wool? What do you like?” ----Joe S.
*****
Joe..... plenty of dope so far. As for alleged obsolescence, WOOL is the main driver in efforts to synthesize its attributes.
Dry or wet, wool is warm. Wool is nearly silent. In motion, it’s muted sound blends with nature under the spectrum of exposure: warm cold, freezing, dry or wet. Only fur may sound more natural, yet any distinction may be more about who is wearing what. When a wool-dress deer tracker reveals himself by sound, usually it his feet. Against that, most synthetic cloth makes more noise in brush than footsteps, except for snapping twigs. I doubt plaid wool stands out any more than camo to animals possessed of night vision. Fabric brighteners in cloth or washing intensify ultraviolet light----brightness----which defeats modulation of light & dark (VALUE). Wool wicks moisture----the opposite of cotton----which makes it a lousy sponge.
Good wool has gotten expensive. The $40 coat in the early 70’s costs $300, or more, today. Logger pants that were $40 tip over $200. A period of hunting fashions on the streets of New York renewed the status of wool. I think that was in the 1980’s. Nevertheless, before that and after, good wools confer status in any society, from logger to farmer to the necktie wearing bird shooters of Great Britain. Camo synthetics don’t make grade. Comfort & utility afield concern us here, not cocktail hour beside a walk-in fireplace.
My wools are prized. Bought my old green & black plaid Johnson hunting coat, with green flannel lining, double layer shoulders, and double-zippered game pocket on the back, in the early 1970’s. A Smith & Wesson Model 29 6-1/2-inch lived on my hip, its beautiful checkered hammer spur wearing through the lining from the relative few times spent under the skirt of the coat. Which brings up another value----wool and cotton flannel linings are easily repaired with needle & thread. That old coat lives on today, nearly half-century later, for two reasons: a) superior material & construction, and b) it is cared for, never worn under tractor or truck, mostly kept away from chainsaws and blasting jobs. It’s been in streams and a lake, fallen through the ice, and doused with blood & guts. It is periodically washed by hand in cold water and air dried. Along with other wools of red & black plaid, or green & brown plaid, it has gone to dinner with Bill Ruger and ridden Ruger cars. These wools have hunted swamps and mountains. And continue.
Synthetics have their place. These days I prefer various synthetics for rain, or to stop a cold wind. Wool is not a wind barrier. Some synthetics chemically react to sweat to generate a grotesque stink. Wool does not do that. For this reason my longhandle’s for hunting are wool & cotton. Wool is antiquated for skiing and various winter sports----except for heavy wool shirt. A ski mountain doesn’t care about your sweat. All my socks are wool, usually with nylon reinforcement. Different socks for different jobs, but even the ski socks have wool in em. Wool socks serve North, South, East, West, summer & winter. Cotton socks have no place on my feet.
Deer skin mittens enclose separate wool mittens.
It would deaden life in the North Country to live without wool. David Bradshaw
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Joe S.
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 2,517
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Post by Joe S. on Jan 14, 2020 9:08:52 GMT -5
Lot of good replies here. There are some brands I’ve never heard of that I will have to look into. I agree about the noise of synthetics. Even dry, rough hands scratch against a synthetic jacket and make a ton of racket. While walking around Bass Pro the other night I grabbed and crinkled their Silent Hide material in my hand. It is not what I’d call silent. Even in that noisy store. I could only imagine a still, cool morning in a ground blind with a buck 15 feet in front of you.
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Post by Robster on Jan 14, 2020 9:10:23 GMT -5
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Joe S.
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 2,517
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Post by Joe S. on Jan 14, 2020 10:02:06 GMT -5
I believe my overalls are Codet. Bought them from Cabelas years ago. Love em!
Always wanted to try the Columbia but never did. I loved that Browning wool set they used to sell too. Really nice to the touch.
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Post by Robster on Jan 14, 2020 11:10:35 GMT -5
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johniv
.240 Incinerator
Posts: 29
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Post by johniv on Jan 14, 2020 12:46:45 GMT -5
Wool has always worked well for me. Still does. Coldest I have hunted in , minus 20. I'm sure many have experience with colder weather,but wool kept me warm, and I still use it.
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Post by Frank V on Jan 14, 2020 14:58:25 GMT -5
I hope this comes up. I have two of his jackets & a bandana. First rate. www.asbellwool.com
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