Wool hunting clothing

Only use merino wool as a baselayer. It is not very good as an insulating layer. There are better outer layers for blocking the wind.
 
I like Darn Tough merino wool socks...made in USA and lifetime warranty...wear them out and send them in to exchange for a new pair.

For pants/shirt I prefer polarfleece like Polartec200 or Polartec300 which is much lighter and dries much quicker, and wicks sweat
away much better than wool.
Polartec is warm and dries quickly but stinks quite literally after drying.
Not yet, but someday …
They really are worth it. Great boots. I got frostbite on my feet while I was in the army on maneuvers. Have had a hard time keeping my feet warm for the last 45 years. Schnees keep them warm.
 
I like Darn Tough merino wool socks...made in USA and lifetime warranty...wear them out and send them in to exchange for a new pair.

For pants/shirt I prefer polarfleece like Polartec200 or Polartec300 which is much lighter and dries much quicker, and wicks sweat
away much better than wool.
My favorite polarfleece shirt jacket I wear when splitting wood in Alaska if is 20 above to 10 below. Amazon essentisls mens polarfleece shirt jacket on sale now <$25
polarfleece_shirtjacket.png
 
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I still wear mine on hunts that don’t require a ton of movement. Mainly because they just don’t seem to last as long as the synthetics. But I’ve heard great things about the toughness of the new Sitka armor wool base layer being incredibly tough for wool.
 
Wool is NOT flame retardant! It may not melt on you like synthetic fleece, but embers burn through it and it will smolder. Cotton is flame retardant.

Best outerwear wool is blended with nylon. Always check the label. Most military surplus stuff is around sixty percent wool. Outerwear of 100% wool wears out too quickly, especially between the legs where they rub together. Or sleeve cuffs and elbows. I wear mil surplus wool pants hunting when temps drop below zero F. Bought one pair of fancy merino socks a couple years ago. They didn't last through one season.

I clean my wool blend stuff in cold water and hang to dry. Minimal shrinkage.

For jacket I wear almost exclusively polar fleece. It is tough, dries quickly, and very quiet. Microfleece isn't bad for picking up burrs. Shaggy fleece can be a burr magnet. Underneath I often wear a wool shirt if it's subzero. I rarely wear long underwear but if I do it is also wool blend with very little wool to avoid the itch and prolong its life.
 
Before Cabelas sold its soul to Bass Pro, they sold a product called wooltimate fleece. About 60% wool blended w polyester fleece. Not as heavy as 100% wool, very durable, dry as wool. I had a wooltimate jacket for years, too warm for my mobile style of hunting except in extreme cold. Sold it to a midwest hunter who is now living the dream, wearing it in some treestand for which it is ideal.
Dick Cabela rolled over in his grave when his pride and joy was sold to scummy Johnny Morris. I had been a customer for 25 years, and just after JPMorgan private equity bought them, I knew the company would head into the shitter, so I bought a bunch of stuff in preparation. And sure enough, when BP bought it, I knew the end was here. They sold my great Cabellas credit card to scummy Capital One, Morris sent a plane load of hurricane supplies to the extremely corrupt Bahamas just before he fired 2000 Cabelas headquarters employees just before Christmas. I said that's it. Cancelled the cc and have never bought jack squat from them. All they have is a bunch of cheap chinese crap. No thanks. Kiss my ass Johnny.
 
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Polartec is warm and dries quickly but stinks quite literally after drying.

They really are worth it. Great boots. I got frostbite on my feet while I was in the army on maneuvers. Have had a hard time keeping my feet warm for the last 45 years. Schnees keep them warm.
Just got 2 different pairs of Schnee pac boots. They are awesome. Also bought various pieces of wool Hunting clothes just in the last week from Johnson Woolen Mills. Awesome quality. Can't wait to get my Montana Elk deer combo tag, hopefully, in 2 weeks
 
Im mostly wearing all wool once the snow flies. Green wool pants and red and black plaid jacket!! I have some sitka and kuiu gear but wear the old woolies 80 percent of the time. We have some brushy mountains and nothing is as quiet as wool. We have not come uo with a better man made replacement in my opinion. Not to mention wool hunting clothes are usually less expensive and last FOREVEr! wool hunting clothes till I die 😂
 
I love my orginal Wooltimate clothing. I still wear sleeping indian pants on a regular. I have a pair of Rifleman pants from Schnees.
 
What is your critique of the Schnee pants? Are they all wool?
I believe they are they were called the Buffalo Pant. Very similar to cabelas Legacy wool pants. I grew up wearing wool. I still wear the pants mainly.
 
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For hunting in moderate to cold temps, these new synthetics in layers have the edge for MT hunting. Colder than that, same gear, just better base layer.

But in near or sub-zero conditions, especially when snowblowing for an hour or 2, or icefishing all day, I'm mostly choosing good wool pants, good wool shirt, and a windproof outer. No question in my mind - wool is king then.

Just avoid Woolrich.....they went all hipster urban a few years ago.
 
For hunting in moderate to cold temps, these new synthetics in layers have the edge for MT hunting. Colder than that, same gear, just better base layer.

But in near or sub-zero conditions, especially when snowblowing for an hour or 2, or icefishing all day, I'm mostly choosing good wool pants, good wool shirt, and a windproof outer. No question in my mind - wool is king then.

Just avoid Woolrich.....they went all hipster urban a few years ago.
Your not kidding about WoolRich Eddie Bauer also. I travel for work and was in Maine I had my grandfather LL Beam jacket on in the store they commented that they don't make stuff like that anymore
 
I wore wool for a long time until this year. I picked up some first light pants. Man they are cozy.
 
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