Wool hunting clothes

Thinking about upgrading my 20 year old inventory of Wal Mart cold weather gear. For those that are a fan of wool gear, any recommendation on what to get and where to get it? What are the pros and cons?

I don't mind spending a few bucks if you can convince me it is worth it.

Or are the modern, high-end brands like Sitka, KUIU, First Lite, etc.... a better product? I am open to any and all suggestions.



This will be for deer hunting purposes mainly.

Johnson’s Woolen Mills in Vermont….got all my wool pants and wool jacket there…Buy once,cry once ! Can’t beat good old traditional wool gear.

Expensive but well worth it, same goes for Filson. I have a Filson Double Mackinaw Cruiser that's close to forty years old and still going strong. It'll set you back the better part of $500.

Ibought my last pair of wool pants, several years ago , at cabelas , if I remember right. We have a mennonite group in our area . I would be surprised , if they might have them . Can't beat wool for huntin pants. Something I have noticed in our hunting group. the young guys mostly wear modern fabrics. the old guys wear wool. Do we know something , they don't. old243

I just ordered some stuff from Kuiu a few weeks ago and really like it. I ordered more last night. Sitka seems to be more of a western hunters brand and Sitka eastern. Take a look through their lines and see what fits your hunting style better.

Wool is quiet and warm even when it gets wet. It does take longer to dry compared to other fabrics and a lot of wool needs special cleaning methods

Lot of other types out there since you bought your wool. Look at the whisper quiet line. WAY too many other things that perform as good (if not better ) than wool for less headaches and TONS less money.But thanks to covid and bobo good luck finding anything.

I go to a thrift store like Goodwill to buy my outdoor clothing. Can find good wool sweaters for less than $10 and old wool suit pants for about the same.

Old timers know that when wool absorbs moisture it produces heat.
On a rainy or snowy day, it's like wearing a self heating coat. Lol
I still have woolrich but I like my insulated rain suit made of quite cloth.

I love wool but the problem I have with most of the hunting wool is it seems to be geared towards yanks and canucks being made of heavyweight fabric.
Down here that stuff will have me breaking out in long handle drenching sweat on the walk in resulting in freezing heat loss once I take my stand.

I'd love to find some lighter weight wool pants and possibly shirts. I have found some lightweight wool union suits.

I like union suits over two piece as I can unbutton down the front to vent excess heat on the walk in and button up on stand.

I don't care for most synthetics for outer wear as they don't breathe or wick as well as wool or even cotton plus most are magnets for burrs, stick tights and beggar lice.

That leaves me wearing cotton and cotton blends which is fine as long as it's dry. Any moisture including heavy dew or frost and I'm dealing with wet britches.

Best wool pants I bought were Korean surplus, beats any I've seen and actually fit and wear great.

Warrior
Cabela's used to sale light weight wool button up shirts charcoal color I've had mine for several years, I don't like wearing it unless it stays below about 40 in day time.

big bill meirano wool pants. soft and quiet and warm. I like how wool breathes so you stay dry vs wearing synthetic stuff.

I think I'm repeating myself; I used to be a wool lover, however, these new synthetics have really made wool obsolete for the outdoorsman.
I just got done guiding a 10 day bear hunt in some of the most brutal weather I've ever experienced. Eight out of the ten days it was blowing 30-50mph nearly continuously, along with rain showers.

Wool would have gotten soaked the first day (with or without rain gear) and would have remained wet the entire hunt.

A base layer (long johns and long T's) of poly; I like Underamour 2.0 series, then a ploy fleece layer over that, then outer gear, and you are nearly bullet proof. Then when you do get wet, everything will dry in a very short time with either a little heat -even lantern heat- or hung out in a little wind for a few minutes. You will never dry wool this way.

I use both and most is from yard sales or the 2nd hand store. I like the wool but it does get HEAVY when wet. I remember when I was a kid and my dad bought me a P-coat from the Korena war surplus store that thing was war and I thought that there never could be a warmed coat ever = wrong the modern stuff does have its place too.......jk

X2 only way to go.

X3 I haven't worn wool other than around town in 40 years. Layering is the way to go whether it's work or play.

About the only wool i still wear is smart wool ski socks.

I have a ton of old running gear...tights, shirts, 3/4 zips, etc. I layer using a few of these pieces. Outside layer is usually just a heavy sweatshirt and old jeans. I walk my coyote line quite a bit so don't like to go too heavy on a coat unless its at or below zero and a wind.
Good gloves, socks, and stocking hat are most important to me.

Yup, another reason heavy wool, or any other, is a bad idea in the south.

I've been accused of leaving a trail of clothes scattered through the woods. We may start a day at 20° and hit 70° by lunch.

If you get wool King of the Mountain is the best.

I wear wool jerseys in the summer when cycling. It seems counterintuitive but the wicking properties keep me very cool.

I have all of the synthetic clothing and I incorporate it into what I'm wearing. What I wear is dictated by what I'm hunting and by the weather. If I'm sitting in a treestand in November I'm likely wearing wool. It's warm and it's quiet. Can't beat it.

I’ve never cared for wool because I itch something fierce when wearing it, I wear layers of cotton with carharts for outer wear then I buy mosquito net to go over the top.

Hopefully the Alaska guys chime in. The guys I know up there wear wool exclusively in the winter and get most of it off ebay, used, for a fraction of the price.

Sierra trading post is where I get it from. Not sure what they have online, however.

Wool is quiet and retains 85% of it insulating qualities even wet.

Thanks for all the comments. Keep them coming.

Started with a pair of Kuiu attack pants for a backpack mule deer hunt and I decided to test drive em on the boundary waters canoe area this summer, I was hooked. Temps were in the 90’s and down to the 40’s by the end of the trip. Those pants stayed cool in the heat and warm in the cold. They also dry quickly. I just got back from that mule deer hunt. Before leaving I got another pair of attack pants, merino 145 hoody, and peloton hoody. Temps on the trip ranged from 70-30 and we got rained on for a day straight and even got snowed on the last day. I did bring some of my older cotton and polyester stuff but by the end of the trip they all felt damp and cold. Between the attack pants and merino hoody I stayed pretty well comfortable all week long. I wore those pants and hoody all week long and even when wet they still feel warm. They don’t stink neither! Stuck that hoody in my wife’s face at the end of the trip and she said she didn’t smell anything awful! Lol I poured sweat in that thing a week straight and no real showers, blows my mind. I’ll wait for the sales but I will stock up on more kuiu. I highly recommend em.

I recone if we convince the world that synthetic is better than natural, we'll all be ADC workers, we won't need fur trappers, since even our own has rolled over.

I will say this, the very light kuiu peloton 97 hoody is very warm and useful....my go to for carrying a pack in the cold.. lightweight but warm.

asbell wool

I had a buddy with lots of Sleeping Indian, (the original partner of the guy who started King of the Mountain). They are both great but pricey.

Twenty years ago I bought some Columbis Sportswear Gallatin pants and jacket for an Alberta hunt. They've served me well for many winters at the farm. They are cut nicely for movement and much less expensive. I think they are a wool/fleece blend but have all the benefits of wool in my mind.

Pete

I like wool. I think it's warmer in cold weather than an equivalent thickness of polyester.

It's drawbacks are its weight and difficulty in drying when they get soaked.

The best wool clothing I've found is made by Filson in Seattle.

Jim

I bought the first light merino wool pants 8 years ago for back pack hunts and i have been hooked since . No itch doesn’t absorb smell , hunted in them from 90 degree antelope hunts and -20 elk hunts . But they don’t give them away . I try to buy 1 item from them every year now , haven’t found 1 I don’t like

Asbell wool, affordable, real deal. Geared towards traditional archers.