MadP, there has to be someone who has free wool blanket coat patterns online. I'm sure you can make one for the price of the blanket, zippers, thread, time, for much cheaper than $300. Go go it.
An interesting point has been touched on here. These days, we fixate upon getting the kit to suit our routine (first world problem), whereas in the old days, you adapted the routine to suit the kit available. We survived a good few millennia without synthetic materials, but it is almost deemed defeatist these days to have to compromise your routine in any way to accommodate kit limitations ....
I've been seeing a bit of uprise in the line of thought that wool is a great outer layer for hiking, backpacking and other outdoor activities even in rain, snow and sleet.While I understand that wet wool still keeps it's insulation value, tests have shown that it still acts like a wet piece of clothing when it comes to windchill. And I can personally attest to that.So am I missing something with this wool outer craze?
Quote from: 50ft-trad on September 02, 2017, 09:18:55 PMSeems to work for sheep The fiber we know as wool that comes from sheep is made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. As wool grows on a sheep, it gets keratinized, which simply means it hardens. Other examples of keratinized proteins are fingernails and hair.Wool fibers on a sheep have flat, overlapping scales that always point away from the sheep's body. When these wool fibers get processed and made into clothing, however, the fibers are stretched out. The orientation of the scales gets mixed up and they can be pointing in any random direction.As any shepherd will tell you, sheep do just fine in the rain and don't shrink like a wool sweater. This is because their wool fibers have scales that are all pointing in the same direction.When they get wet, they can slide back into position without getting caught or locked into place. No felting takes place on sheep in the rain, so they don't shrink!Sheep also produce a natural oily substance called lanolin. Lanolin covers the wool fibers of their coats, acting as a natural lubricant that prevents fibers from locking together. Lanolin also repels water, which makes sheep somewhat waterproof when they're out in the rain. This is good for sheep, since it prevents their wool from getting soaked and waterlogged, which would be very uncomfortable since they have so much wool!
Seems to work for sheep
Quote from: styx on September 01, 2017, 03:32:14 PMI've been seeing a bit of uprise in the line of thought that wool is a great outer layer for hiking, backpacking and other outdoor activities even in rain, snow and sleet.While I understand that wet wool still keeps it's insulation value, tests have shown that it still acts like a wet piece of clothing when it comes to windchill. And I can personally attest to that.So am I missing something with this wool outer craze?Yes, you're missing something...and it's in your own post. wool as an OUTER layer.If it's your outer player then it's not directly against your skin. If your middle layer is windproof, it will block the windchill.I lived in Alaska for 32 years and wore either a Filson Mackinaw Cruiser or a Filson Double Mackinaw Cruiser (pictured) for a couple decades worth of winters without a problem. Both are virgin wool.(Image removed from quote.)(Image removed from quote.)I still have my Double mackie even though I live in Texas now. It's just too nice a coat to part with.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: Tired_Yeti on September 27, 2017, 06:21:09 PMQuote from: styx on September 01, 2017, 03:32:14 PMI've been seeing a bit of uprise in the line of thought that wool is a great outer layer for hiking, backpacking and other outdoor activities even in rain, snow and sleet.While I understand that wet wool still keeps it's insulation value, tests have shown that it still acts like a wet piece of clothing when it comes to windchill. And I can personally attest to that.So am I missing something with this wool outer craze?Yes, you're missing something...and it's in your own post. wool as an OUTER layer.If it's your outer player then it's not directly against your skin. If your middle layer is windproof, it will block the windchill.I lived in Alaska for 32 years and wore either a Filson Mackinaw Cruiser or a Filson Double Mackinaw Cruiser (pictured) for a couple decades worth of winters without a problem. Both are virgin wool.(Image removed from quote.)(Image removed from quote.)I still have my Double mackie even though I live in Texas now. It's just too nice a coat to part with.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalkso basically a windproof mid layer under the wool outer. why does that sound reversed somehow?
Those look like fantastic coats.
Quote from: styx on September 27, 2017, 06:42:54 PMQuote from: Tired_Yeti on September 27, 2017, 06:21:09 PMQuote from: styx on September 01, 2017, 03:32:14 PMI've been seeing a bit of uprise in the line of thought that wool is a great outer layer for hiking, backpacking and other outdoor activities even in rain, snow and sleet.While I understand that wet wool still keeps it's insulation value, tests have shown that it still acts like a wet piece of clothing when it comes to windchill. And I can personally attest to that.So am I missing something with this wool outer craze?Yes, you're missing something...and it's in your own post. wool as an OUTER layer.If it's your outer player then it's not directly against your skin. If your middle layer is windproof, it will block the windchill.I lived in Alaska for 32 years and wore either a Filson Mackinaw Cruiser or a Filson Double Mackinaw Cruiser (pictured) for a couple decades worth of winters without a problem. Both are virgin wool.(Image removed from quote.)(Image removed from quote.)I still have my Double mackie even though I live in Texas now. It's just too nice a coat to part with.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalkso basically a windproof mid layer under the wool outer. why does that sound reversed somehow?Maybe you're envisioning a thin wool jacket? The Filson coats I wore were made of 24oz. and 26oz. virgin wool. They were definitely made to be your outer layer. You'd have a hard time fitting something over one. You might be able fit a very oversized raincoat or poncho over one, I suppose. Wool is durable and retains its thermal properties even when damp so if your under layer blocks the wind from your skin, a heavy wool coat will still keep you warm. At least in my experience.The downside, in my experience, is that wool can be rather heavy; whereas, Gortex isn't. You can imagine a coat made of 24oz. per square yard fabric isn't lightweight.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Wool is durable and retains its thermal properties even when damp so if your under layer blocks the wind from your skin, a heavy wool coat will still keep you warm. At least in my experience.The downside, in my experience, is that wool can be rather heavy; whereas, Gortex isn't. You can imagine a coat made of 24oz. per square yard fabric isn't lightweight.
When you take into consideration that we also have a lot of approaches and discussions within those approaches, no wonder it gets to confusion through over analyzing things.In the ultra light community you've got guys like Andrew Skurka and Chris Townsend who are well known, respectable and knowledgeable. The two of them have very different opinions on windshirts for instance.Then you can add guys like Ross from Woodtrekker or Piotr Ma who aren't household names but fit in some area between lightweight backpacking and other outdoor, more traditional, activities for lack of a better description that add up weight. Again a lot of differences in weight and approach.On topof that you have a lot of strong traditional communities like the bushcraft community that have their approach. Actually the garment that led to my initial confusion if the Lester river Boreal shirt
I think something can be learned from all approaches and a mix of them can give just about anyone the right answer for that individual
so it felt like seeing an old friend after years of mischief?
Quote from: styx on October 13, 2017, 06:23:45 PMso it felt like seeing an old friend after years of mischief?"felt"... *snigger* I'll see myself out, thank you...