whats the best way to wear wool?

underneath-next to skin , midlayer, or on the outside?  never wore wool before and its gonna be real cold this week so i dont wanna wuss out, i want to stay out allday if possible,  
  suggestions please-thanks

   oh , girlfriend gave me a 100% lambswool pullover sweater will this be good to keep warm, im thinking wearing this over a longsleeve t-shirt, just to keep it off my skin.
 
                              thanks again

[Izzy]

Your on the right track. Get yourself a pair of wool long johns and a sweater over that go a long way in dealing with the cold.

[David Yukon]

As for the wool long underwear, If they are of merino wool, I wear mine right agains the skin, same with my Filson wool shirt.  As for heavier wool sweater and shirt, I wear them over top of the merino wool. if you find the wool, even the merino one, to itchy, you can wear a light synthetic long under wear under it, or silk work as well. In cold temperature, I would not use cotton at all!

[Smithhammer]

Originally posted by arrow30:
underneath-next to skin , midlayer, or on the outside?  
 

Yup!    

im kinda worried about the sweating, since i have a long walk to my spot(almost 2 miles).
 guess il have to pack my outer wear to prevent so much heat buildup, and walk slower,.

[lablover]

I wear silk or poly as base layer, then a layer of wool underwear. Then wool pants and shirt then wool pull over atop that. If wind is a concern then I add a wind shirt and military pants liners under shirt and pants to block wind. This gets me through the 20's no problem if colder add a wool vest to help without adding bulk to the arms.

[NoCams]

arrow30,
We too have pretty long walks with a climbing stand on our back as well. Please take the advice above and get you some good merino wool longjohns to wear right next to your skin. Ditch the cotton, it will defeat the purpose of the wool underlayers.

Several brands out there, we were lucky to get the Ullfrotte' brand before they went sky high. I hear good things about Minus 33, First lite, and several others. Just make sure they are merino wool so they do not itch. We wear our baselayers and whatever pants needed for the weather for our walk in. We pack everything else on our stand and only wear the Ullfrotte' top so we do not sweat. You will LOVE the way good wool breathes and will not stink up on you like man made fibers.

Once on stand on a day in the teens here is what we wear on top AFTER you cool down for 30 minutes or so....

Good thick 100% wool sweater from Goodwill.

Heavy wool coat or vest.

Thin wool or silk facemask

Heavy wool or fleece beannie hat

Fingerless wool gloves and chemical handwarmers

If it is windy, cloudy day with no radiant heat from the sun on a morning hunt I exchange the Goodwill sweater for my Cabelas 100% wool sweater with windliner to defeat the wind, especially on my arms.

Keep in mind too you can go to Goodwill and buy 100% wool sweaters usually for less than $5. You can buy them in different sizes for layering and even cut the sleeves off for layering vest to keep your bow arm thin and not too bulky.

thanks for the good imformation guys,  goodwill here i come.

[Shedrock]

I dressed in several layers of wool today, minus 23 this morning. I like fine merino wool long johns, then I keep adding layers of wool sweaters and vests over that.

I guess sheep do have one good purpose!  

[Jerry Jeffer]

Wear wool any way you want, just don't wear cotton against your skin = cold.

[Ray Hammond]

I'm thinking with boxers on the outside would LOOK the best for sure!

[DeCurry]

A big +1 for "Do not wear cotton."

For your walk in, try to carry/stow your heavy outer layer, don't wear it.  You'll be a bit cold for the first few minutes, but your body temperature will rise soon enough and you'll be glad to not be sweating by the time you get to your stand/blind.  (If you sweat and your body cools after your arrival, the sweat will cool and make you even colder; avoid sweating as much as you can - the idea is to stay warm, but not hot.)

I have some Minus33 items that are affordable, by merino wool standards anyway.  I also have a First Lite 1/4 zip in ASAT camo and that thing is nice, First Lite makes some great products.

Fleece is really good as a middle or outer layer and is excellent at blocking wind.  It's also cheap.

When layering, try to throw in a few items that fit slightly looser than the ones beneath them so that you create thin air barriers.  These air barriers will arm up due to your body heat and further help to insulate you.  I used to just layer on lots of tight layers (I don't like bulky, baggy clothes) and head out, but I would soon wonder why in the world I was freezing cold when I had on all these wool layers (which really only amounted to 1 layer).  Then I did some reading and had a V8 *slap-self-on-forehead* moment.

[Hoyt]

I bought a couple of pullover shirts that are suppose to be fleece, but today I looked at the labels and they say 100% polyester. Is polyester okay to layer with wool?

[toddster]

I have been using wool for longtime, though there are more experianced guys on here.  As others have said, sweat is the enemy.  I walk in with jacket or extra stuff, then layer.  You will find that a few base layers and wool is far bette than other products.  If the wool itches or bothers you, use a polypro or merino wool base layer.

[wooddamon1]

Hoyt, fleece is made from polyester and yes it layers well with wool...

[swampthing]

how cold is it going to be and whats the wind speed??

[JDinPA]

Originally posted by arrow30:
[QB] underneath-next to skin , midlayer, or on the outside?  never wore wool before and its gonna be real cold this week so i dont wanna wuss out, i want to stay out allday if possible,  
  suggestions please-thanks

I have them all and use them all depending on conditions.

[doug77]

I have Minus33,Justin Charles and Firstlite.

Justin Charles is Very nice but Minus 33 does the same thing for less money.

NO COTTON

doug77

[Overspined]

I hunt Colorado, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.  I wear wool, and really that's it.  From the base layer to the outer layer. I guess I also have a down vest I utilize and a gortex shell for downpours, but that's it. It is fire resistant, warm when wet, water resistant, and when layered properly wind resistant. Plus it breaths. It is also naturally less apt to smell than synthetics. I am prone to getting cold, and sweat a lot.  Still, I carry the layers and wear what I can manage, and I can stay warm very nicely.  When I started hunting the mountains I started looking at things a lot differently, and carrying a little extra for a long hike seems like no extra effort now. It can all be perspective...

[BEN]

I've only been using wool the last 2 yrs....here's what I've been doing and seems to work quite well:

I use a poly-wool blend base layer; then I use the wool sweater and vest; then a simple wind shift (just a plain 1 that can be bought at wal-mart, etcc); then my outer layer based on temp and weather conditions---parka, jacket, etc..

Keeps me toasty on stand so far....