I have tried on the KOM several times, but it has always seemed heavy, stiff and coarse to me, so I have never been interested in it. I have a Longhunter shirt from Ron LaClair that I like because it is neither heavy nor stiff and the coarseness is acceptable. I like wearing it with my Cabela's whipcord wool pants -- which Cabela's unfortunately does not offer anymore. I have not tried the Grey Wolf, Teresa Asbury, Sleeping Indian or Day One wool clothing. Of course, I am interested in warmth, but I am more interested in a comfortable feel (flexible and not coarse) and being able to put the clothing into a reasonably compact and light package. Can anyone provide information about how the various makes of wool clothing compare with one another in these criteria?
There are some windblockers, like the one made by GoreTex, that do seem very noisy, and others that are basically silent. I have lost deer because of the noise of the GoreTex windblocker in my Cabela's fleece jacket making a crinkling noise when I have drawn my bow on cold and windless mornings. Basic fleece is the most comfortable and quiet clothing I know of, but it picks up plant material, lets wind in, and is not as warm as other fabrics unless it has a shell over it, and then the shell reduces most of the good qualities for hunting. I love my Sitka Gear clothing, but it is not warm enough for sitting on stand in cold weather unless I use the Primaloft insulated pieces underneath. Unlike fleece or wool, the face of the synthetic fabrics on the Sitka Gear clothing is not nearly as quiet and can spook deer if the area is dead silent and the deer are up close when it is time to draw my bow. However, windless, perfectly quiet conditions are rare here in Oklahoma "where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain". The synthetics also tend to pick up odor, but partially setting that off is the fact that they are much easier to launder than most wool clothing. I have Merino wool underwear, socks and sweaters that are easy to launder and do not pick up my body odor as badly. They are also warm and very comfortable. I do like the fact that Sitka Gear stuff is light, flexible and packable. The new Kuiu clothing will be using much more Merino wool and better synthetic fabrics, and it looks like Sitka gear is going to be offering a series of Merino wool underwear. Interesting how we try out all the synthetics and then so many people end up going back to some of the basic natural materials, like wool and down. Next we may see a resurgence in ventile cotton fabric, which is one of the greatest fabrics ever made but is almost unobtainable.
Thanks for the information on the woolens. It's nice to have people here with so much knowledge and experience so I don't need to buy lots more clothing I won't end up wearing (like I have done in the past).
Allan
Topic: Testing my Gray Wolf Wool (Read 689 times)
