Posted on 04/29/2012 1:42:43 PM PDT by mamelukesabre
It will never cease to amaze me how warm wool is. Last night it got down in the 40s (60 degrees inside my house) after a warm spell that was in the 90s. After getting used to the warmer temps 60 felt very cold while lounging around in shorts and Tshirt, so rather than crank up the furnace, I just put on a wool sweater and wool socks and all was well, even though I was wearing shorts. Then at bedtime, I shed the sweater and I slept under a heavy wool blanket.
I have read the theory about wool's superior moisture wicking being responsible for its warmth. I don't buy it. There is something more to it than that. I have found a cheap(ish), plain, well fitting, 100% wool sweater to be almost as warm as a good quality coat if there is no wind, so I don't think sweating/moisture wicking has anything to do with it.
Anyone know the *REAL* reason wool is so warm? I'd sure like to hear some theories that make more sense than that silly "wicking" explanation.
Synthetics have largely replaced wool as they are lighter in weight and dry quicker, while still providing insulation (warmth) even when soaked.
My favorite articles though are a pair of pre-shrunk boiled wool mittens made by Dachstein. Most everything requires gloves, but if not those babies get put on w/ a pair windproof shells. If my hands get cold then, I gots problems.
Interesting.
I’ve noticed I can’t stand modern puffy comforters unless I throw a heavy blanket on top of them. If I get too warm I just let my feet hang out.
Hey now....
I’ll be sure to wear it only when in mild fires.
I lived in a Filson wool vest most of last winter, and it was great. I didn’t need a jacket sometimes.
I buy LLBeans longer grey rag-wool socks. They are about 20 dollars for three pair. I like the longer versions. I wear them all winter and on cold nights I have my bed pair.
of course I now have a mattress pad heater and my life is nigh unto wonderful.
Years ago I purchased a pair of ragg wool knee socks, the kind that were used for cross-counry skiing when people wore CC skiing knickers...ok this was in the 90’s. They were wonderful ragg socks and lasted almost 15 years of winter use. Have not been able to find them again.
Silk is actually the warmest fiber, by weight, or so I’ve been told.
Synthetic fleece and advanced materials are much warmer than wool for the weight. Also dry faster and insulate better when wet.
If you want to really know about fabric performance, ask ice climbers and winter mountaineers. Synthetics of various types have almost replaced wool for this group.
I tried some military long underwear made of some kind of synthetic that was supposed to be superior to wool. I didn’t like it. It didn’t feel warmer than wool to me.
A lot of what makes wool and mohair warm is that, when wet or moist, it still insulates. This may be due to polar amino acids holding the water molecules within the helix rather than having water continuous from inside to outside of the fabric, permitting conduction and (liquid) convection.
Also, wool and mohair don't burn and melt easily like artificial fibre, additional reasons that the military use it. I think that for mountaineering, wool is old school. Synthetics are more convenient but not better. If it is your survival, use wool.
I stand corrected but still love wool!:)
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