Thread: Wool, wool, wool.

I'm going backwards. Getting sick of how fragile (and expensive) a lot of the synthetic stuff is. Would rather put up with some physical discomfort but have gear that actually lasts the distance.

Will be to be switching to woolen garments for the durability, fire retardant qualities, and long lifespan. The weight doesn't bother me.

I'm researching various options, and I've been looking into what the Scandinavians are into, as they've got a very long history of wool use.

I discovered something called Vadmal which is a type of felted wool - supposedly quite waterproof and very warm. The fabric was once used as a currency in Scandinavia (hundreds of years ago). I'm half Swedish myself, and I think I may have actually come across some of the stuff before - but I can't quite remember. Should probably get in touch with my parents.

I'm curious to know how it compares to your standard NZ wool options: Swanndri etc.

@norsk @Sideshow Have you guys stumbled onto the stuff? Be very interested to hear your thoughts on it if you have.

Cheers,
AJ

since swandri moved its manufacturing to china its crap. the good old bush shirt is now so thin and light its see thru (would be great if your hunting buddy is paris hilton otherwise its no good)

Originally Posted by Frodo

I'm going backwards. Getting sick of how fragile (and expensive) a lot of the synthetic stuff is. Would rather put up with some physical discomfort but have gear that actually lasts the distance.

Will be to be switching to woolen garments for the durability, fire retardant qualities, and long lifespan. The weight doesn't bother me.

I'm researching various options, and I've been looking into what the Scandinavians are into, as they've got a very long history of wool use.

I discovered something called Vadmal which is a type of felted wool - supposedly quite waterproof and very warm. The fabric was once used as a currency in Scandinavia (hundreds of years ago). I'm half Swedish myself, and I think I may have actually come across some of the stuff before - but I can't quite remember. Should probably get in touch with my parents.

I'm curious to know how it compares to your standard NZ wool options: Swanndri etc.

@norsk @Sideshow Have you guys stumbled onto the stuff? Be very interested to hear your thoughts on it if you have.

Cheers,
AJ

For comfort, keep an eye out for Merino/possum blend wool. The hollow fibres of the possum fur and the fineness of the merino make for a soft and slightly lighter product. I have had my wife knit me a couple of jerseys in this and can vouch for the comfort. Alpaca / wool blends or pure Alpaca is also soft but not sure how it compares to comfort with the merino - but price is higher.

One point to make, if you are getting someone to knit or make woollen garments for you, do not cut corners on the wool itself. It takes the same amount of time to make no matter what you choose and labour (if paying someone to do this) is the biggest cost, all you do is get a lesser product. (EG if you are considering $60 worth of cheap acrylic wool versus 100 for better wool and pay $200 to knit it, you will either get a $260 acrylic jersey or a $300 really good one... )

If anyone is after woollen Beanies, fingerless gloves, jerseys etc my wife is a knitter and knits all sorts .....including a lot of designer "test knits" where designers want to make sure they get the pattern right before releasing it to the public...

Its hard to draw parallels between clothing that works in super cold, super dry conditions like in Russia, Canada, Scandinavia etc and little ol NZ where temps will hover around zero on a bad day, and the air is chocka with moisture, due to us being a long thin island.

As a teenager we learnt the hard way that to be as comfortable as possible you had to run two sets of clothes, and NEVER change that. Wet clammy stinky clothes (2 week long Xmas trip) and lovely dry clothes for the hut or tent at the end of the day.

Wool has always been the go to clothing for me. Thank fuck merino came along and saw the end of those course woolen bush singlets that we used to swear by. Tried the polyprop, then the fleece that pilled like buggery, then the modern fleeces. Those next to skin synthetics absolutely honk after a couple of days in the bush, and in practice all that balony about 'wicking' moisture away from your body is just that. Balony. If you sweat like the proverbial with a 60 lb pack on you are gonna stay damp for the day. Unless the sun comes out, or its summer or something unusual like that.

I have pretty much always run woolen next to the body, and either another woolen on top, or a synthetic outer, then a rain proof if its tipping down.

Originally Posted by timattalon

For comfort, keep an eye out for Merino/possum blend wool. The hollow fibres of the possum fur and the fineness of the merino make for a soft and slightly lighter product. I have had my wife knit me a couple of jerseys in this and can vouch for the comfort. Alpaca / wool blends or pure Alpaca is also soft but not sure how it compares to comfort with the merino - but price is higher.

One point to make, if you are getting someone to knit or make woollen garments for you, do not cut corners on the wool itself. It takes the same amount of time to make no matter what you choose and labour (if paying someone to do this) is the biggest cost, all you do is get a lesser product. (EG if you are considering $60 worth of cheap acrylic wool versus 100 for better wool and pay $200 to knit it, you will either get a $260 acrylic jersey or a $300 really good one... )

If anyone is after woollen Beanies, fingerless gloves, jerseys etc my wife is a knitter and knits all sorts .....including a lot of designer "test knits" where designers want to make sure they get the pattern right before releasing it to the public...

I'll PM you.

I treasure a set of mittens my mother knitted for me when I was 17. They have been frozen solid on the outside (and used to hammer tent pegs into snow crust) and are still usable (although sort of retired from active service) after 41 years of trips.

The point being is there is a lot of "forgotten" knowledge out there about how to do things. We owe it to ourselves and kids to find and use it so they have a chance to escape the rampant consumerism and marketing that has cursed us with synthetics.

Originally Posted by timattalon

For comfort, keep an eye out for Merino/possum blend wool. The hollow fibres of the possum fur and the fineness of the merino make for a soft and slightly lighter product. I have had my wife knit me a couple of jerseys in this and can vouch for the comfort. Alpaca / wool blends or pure Alpaca is also soft but not sure how it compares to comfort with the merino - but price is higher.

One point to make, if you are getting someone to knit or make woollen garments for you, do not cut corners on the wool itself. It takes the same amount of time to make no matter what you choose and labour (if paying someone to do this) is the biggest cost, all you do is get a lesser product. (EG if you are considering $60 worth of cheap acrylic wool versus 100 for better wool and pay $200 to knit it, you will either get a $260 acrylic jersey or a $300 really good one... )

If anyone is after woollen Beanies, fingerless gloves, jerseys etc my wife is a knitter and knits all sorts .....including a lot of designer "test knits" where designers want to make sure they get the pattern right before releasing it to the public...

My wife does amazing knitting - made many with Possum/Merino yarn she orders in
Also Angora
Does all the fancy piping etc too (thank that the right term)
Knitted a Jersey once - on a trip from St Arnaud to Haast - doesn't even look at what she doing otherwise would have been car-sick I imagine

My M-I-L knits. I wear a couple of jerseys she’s knitted from time to time. It’s poetry in motion watching her knit.


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MKM do some possum/wool blend and they are bloody warm https://www.mkmoriginals.co.nz/modul...ils&product=36

Originally Posted by outdoorlad

MKM do some possum/wool blend and they are bloody warm https://www.mkmoriginals.co.nz/modul...ils&product=36

Looks good
Wont be cheap I imagine

I have been a MKM fan for 20 years (well since it came out and the oatmeal Turu Trading stopped)
But - I have not worn my MKM singlet since the arrival of the M-Tac Thermal
I wear the M-Tac against skin and Wool knitted Jersey over that - no shirt
That MKM Jersey above looks the ticket to be 2nd layer - will check it out in Farmland next time in

I've got one of those MKM possum blend hoodies and whilst it is very warm and comforaltable it is not hard wearing at all and I wrecked it pretty quick on farm, sleeves started fraying away and wore a few holes in various places, whole garment sort of became loose and see through. Gone back to the tried and true Norsewear Ruahine

Yes - none of the supposed Merino wear well - OK under something else - but still ends with holes for no apparent reasons
Washing even destroys them

Living in Wellington some of the old timers still out there doing it would talk about surfing or spearfishing in woollen garments. No fancy pants neoprene back then. That's a pretty solid endorsement for wool, even if it was just summer time, let alone year round which they would do.

Thumbs up for MKM 36.6 jerseys. I live in mine. Yes wear now showing in the usual places after two years regular work use, and I’ll definitely be replacing with another of the same when it finally dies. They’re pretty windproof too.

Worth checking out if you’ve not seen/worn one

I actually have a foot in each camp when it comes to synthetic vs natural fibres .
I grew up with Wool and still like it in some applications, but the truth is that synthetic materials have improved greatly over the last 5 years .
I’m talking materials at the higher end of the range not the cheap shit that even some well known brands still use.
My reason for using mostly synthetic now is due to how easily and quickly it dries .
I know Wool stays warm when wet , but it annoys the hell out of me putting on cold wet clothes the next morning.
Someone mentioned earlier about how it’s incorrect to use the European comparison and they are correct in my opinion , there is dry cold and wet cold .
Then there is the situation where your beautiful Wool garment now weighs 3 times as much because it got wet , and now its gone all stretched and baggy .
The hard wearing nature of wool is a consideration for sure , but in reality I don’t hunt enough days a year to wear my new flash harry synthetic gear out , and any accidental damage that I have done to it would have damaged any type of clothing no matter what it was made from ( with the exception of fire or sparks which modern stuff doesn’t like at all , but I learnt my lesson early on )
Socks and Gloves are about the only Wool I use now .