wool vs. down; the showdown

[Yellow Dog]

Wool or a mix of wool like Wooltimate for me. Down is great but don't get wet. If you do you're in trouble.

[Tajue17]

I have an old US made woolrich jacket with a shearling liner and its hard to beat that coat and so far I've had it out in -14 below,,,, I wore merino base layers and a polartec fleece flannel type shirt under it and with my body heat it was like a battery heated jacket its was very warm.

my point,,, I think wool is great in super cold weather but you need to think about the coat fitting loose enough and having the right liner under it and for me I always opt for a fleece shirt over my wool base layer in a stand where I'm not moving much,, if I'm on a hike I go with all wool.

agree 100% about down always being too loud.

[newhouse114]

When I was doing a lot coyote hunting I really liked a down vest under a wool jacket. The wool really cut down on any noise the vest might have made. It kept the body core warm but wasn't bulky on the arms.

When it is very cold and one is not going to do a lot of hiking down may be warmer, but work up a sweat and then sit, down will be a problem.   With will although one may feel a draft, the chances of sweating up your under layers will be less.  Now if sweating is your thing pack up with down over cotton long johns, but don't don't stop moving until you reach warmth.  One fellow here wears a down jacket, but he hikes the better than half mile to his stand wearing nothing but wool long johns and a wool shirt on top, no matter how cold it is, just to be not sweating when he reaches his tree stand.  It has to be well below freezing for him to break out the down.

[limbow]

I wear both depending on the hunt and exertion levels. I really enjoy bowhunting in the late season here in Michigan so I spend a great deal of time on stand. When temps dip to zero and below I will start with a layer of wool LJ's, Ulfrotte top and bottom over that followed my my Kuiu Superdown. If it's breezy I will add my sitka kelvin pants over the Kuiu Superdowns. Last layer is my KOM Hillbilly bibs.

This set up has kept me on stand the last 5 years or so where I would normally hang it up!

[StickBowManMI]

I wear a down vest under my Wool Jacket and feel nice and Toasty in that set up.

[tracker12]

Wool for walking down for sitting.  That combo has always worked for me.

[calgarychef]

Down when it's cold out, actually when it's cold enough for down you don't have to worry about getting it wet.  A full day of sweating won't dampen down enough to fully destroy its abilities.  If it's rainin out put your down away or put a rain coat over it to keep it dry.  My daypack always has a down vest in a little tiny stuff sack, it weighs next to nothing and doesn't take much room.  If you put a down layer under a quiet over layer the usual nylon shell isn't as noisy.  

Wool stays warm even when it's wet but if you ever get it totally wet (soaking) it weighs a ton and is almost impossible to dry overnight in a camp situation.  The one possibility is a wall tent with a woodstove but even then it takes a lot.  In that situation down would totally let you down    as it's very difficult to dry without a tumble dryer.  There is a new fangled down that's waterproofed now, I'm not sure How well it works though.

Fleece, holds odours in my experience, some of it is quite noisy especially the wind proof stuff but, it's easy to dry and can be wrung out and worn.  

So like others have said a combination of the three in different layers works well.  It's a huge mistake to simply discount any of these because of one drawback.

Don't forget about fur though, in cold dry circumstances it's the king of warmth and quiet.

[Chain2]

I'm a wool guy. Down is loud or is packaged loud. I hunt in the cold with mostly wool and fleece but here we have the luxury of being used to the cold. I've hunted with some southern boys in the mountains of Wyoming and I'm glad I packed a lot. I lent most if it out to them. I think they are converts to wool now too.

[TxSportsman]

Wool next to skin (First-Lite)

Down mid layer (check out Kuiu's new Super Down series)

[Archie]

I like both, but have begun to prefer wool.  In Alaska in 2013, I was on a 13-day float-down-a-wild-river trad bowhunt, and fell in a river while hunting, and was soaked to my shoulders.  I was about a mile from camp and was really worried about the situation, as it was windy and about 25°.  I started high-tailing it back to camp, but I needn't have been concerned.  My wool pants, top and jacket were pretty heavy, but bearable, but I was completely warmed-up in the wet wool within minutes.  Really made an impression on me.