[pct-l] Another horse to beat: wool vs synthetics?

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good afternoon, Phil,



My last substantial excursion was from Chester to Etna in July'08.  I say
"substantial" because I live near the PCT and make lots of short training
hikes.  For that summer hike I carried the wool Army glove liners because
they were good enough, and they are cheap.  I usually buy a bundle of 10 or
a dozen at a time.



For a snow section such as an early start from Campo up through the Sierras
I use the OR windstopper "Windy Ridge" model.  I only have one pair of them
so I don't use them for routine or warm weather hikes.



I have fairly small hands but I buy the largest size glove I can find in the
model I like.  Sometimes a task such as pitching a tarp or fording a river
necessitates working without gloves for the dexterity.  When doing so my
hands usually get wet and cold, and trying to poke those wet, stiff hands
into a tight fuzzy gloves is not to my liking.  The wool gloves are somewhat
better in that respect, but no fun either.



When I hike with poles I find my hands get less cold than if they just
dangle in the breeze.  I suppose it's because the hands are actually doing
something to produce heat, and gripping the pole tends to reduce the area
for heat loss.  I can usually get by with gloves that are about 15-20 degs.
less capable if I'm using poles.


Steel-Eye
http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye


On Sat, Feb 14, 2009 at 11:12 AM, Phil Newhouse <newhoupa1 at gmail.com> wrote:

> SteelEye,
>
> Did you only carry the OR "windstopper" on your last PCT excursion?
>
> phil
>
>
> On Sat, Feb 14, 2009 at 9:55 AM, CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net>wrote:
>
>> Good morning, McIntyre,
>>
>>
>>
>> It's hard to go wrong with good quality wool products made of fabrics
>> milled
>> for the purpose of high loft and light weight.  I have two garments that
>> illustrate a great difference:  One is a high-quality Filson jacket that
>> is
>> a Northwest classic from days gone by.  It is made of durable,
>> tightly-woven, virgin wool and it weighs just over 3 lbs.  The other is a
>> 14.5 oz. pull-over sweater made in Iceland of long-strand wool.  It is
>> very
>> loose and fuzzy, looking almost like a down jacket without the fabric, and
>> it's "loft" is nearly four times the thickness of the Filson in spite of
>> being less than one third the weight.  It's down-side is the weave is so
>> open it has almost no resistance to a breeze; I must wear a windshirt over
>> it most of the time.  Instead I usually pack a somewhat thinner fleece
>> sweater that weighs around 10 oz.
>>
>>
>>
>> I've tried various wool blend socks, but they are expensive compared to
>> synthetics, they don't last me nearly as long, and I can't see much
>> difference in comfort or moisture control.  I'm not a name-brand person
>> with
>> socks.  Most cheap, thin or medium weight, pairs seem to do fine.
>>
>>
>>
>> Most of my warmth garments for the trail are PolarFleece or are knitted
>> synthetics.  Such are widely available and are inexpensive, particularly
>> since I get most of my fleece items used from the thrift store.  Some
>> synthetic items do stink after a little use: Others do not.  I don't know
>> why offhand but there is some sort of technical difference in the way they
>> are made.
>>
>>
>>
>> For gloves I use fleece, or wool Army glove liners.  My favorite is a pair
>> made of OR "windstopper" fleece due to the wind resistance.  They are only
>> very slightly heavier than regular fleece.
>>
>>
>> Steel-Eye
>> http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Feb 14, 2009 at 8:05 AM, mcintyre johnson <
>> johnson.mcintyre at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > Likely another long-beaten horse, but would appreciate experience with
>> any
>> > of the marina wool products compared to synthetics. My experience has
>> been
>> > very good and I'm in process of swapping out all base layers, gloves and
>> > watch cap for SmartWool products. Good points: Wet-but-warm is for real;
>> > the
>> > cozy feel of wool better than clammy-when-wet best synthetics; and --
>> huge
>> > advantage -- wool almost refuses to stink while synthetics reek after
>> two
>> > days of serious miles. I know synthetics are faster drying but (so far,
>> in
>> > my experience) this has not seemed very useful. Thoughts please.
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