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Thread: Wool Idea?

  1. #21
    Senior Member crackrbilly's Avatar
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    I have the same idea, ill post along the way. Please do the same.
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  2. #22
    Senior Member Chammocks's Avatar
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    There must be a reason almost all armed forces uniforms used to be wool, men's suits - wool. I think the Chilean wool poncho Mac mentions would be really nice. Is it like Alpaca?

  3. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr View Post
    Whoa - you're going to spend $179 on a wool blanket for your hammock? The first thing I thought when I read this post is that "he's either allergic to down, or allergic to the cost of down." But anybody who spends $179 on a wool blanket can't be allergic to the cost of down. For $179 you can get a HG 20* Phoenix 3/4 underquilt.

    What are your objections to down?

    Don't get me wrong - I love wool and if I knew I would be stuck out in the wilderness long term with shelter issues, I'd take wool over down every time. However, for hiking and hanging, you can't beat down for weight and compressibility.
    The reason I do not like down is because it loses loft and I can only use it as a blanket and such. Wool I can make a hammock out of If needed or a shirt etc.... Also again back to it holds 70-80% of its heat when soaking wet. And I am trying to only spend money on one item, not two like a tq + uq pair being anywhere from 300-500 compared to 179 or 100. I paid 100 for my MSS and bought it because I dont need a uq and will keep my warm in any winter atmosphere, along with ground camping with my lady Its 3 bags in one, and an emergency bag in my truck to stay warm it needed. Which is where I come back to If a peice of gear cannot do at least 2 things better yet 3 I do not need it, so you will not see it in my pack and I will never own it. Which the down quilts have only one purpose, keeping my warm in only my hammock which is the main purpose but its only one at that. I cannot wear it next to fire like I can the wool. All these reason stated are the reason for this thread. Main reason being that I dont want to spend money on an underquilt and dont want one at that. My wool blanket will be for spring,summer, and fall. The mss for winter. I believes this sums up all the confusion in this thread sorry guys haha. Any one else need anything cleared up?


    Quote Originally Posted by crackrbilly View Post
    I have the same idea, ill post along the way. Please do the same.
    Please pm me with updates if you could. I will as well

  4. #24
    Senior Member PuckerFactor's Avatar
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    Have you looked at some of the synthetic insulations? Primaloft is my favorite, and weight-to-warmth, it's equivalent to 550FP down, but retains 70% of it's insulative capacity when wet. You could make a wearable quilt like the JRB ones, and it'd be waay lighter (think 2lbs. tops), and have multiple uses.

    Anyway, just a thought.
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  5. #25
    SilvrSurfr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OutdoorJunkie1992 View Post
    The reason I do not like down is because it loses loft and I can only use it as a blanket and such. Wool I can make a hammock out of If needed or a shirt etc.... Also again back to it holds 70-80% of its heat when soaking wet. And I am trying to only spend money on one item, not two like a tq + uq pair being anywhere from 300-500 compared to 179 or 100. I paid 100 for my MSS and bought it because I dont need a uq and will keep my warm in any winter atmosphere, along with ground camping with my lady Its 3 bags in one, and an emergency bag in my truck to stay warm it needed. Which is where I come back to If a peice of gear cannot do at least 2 things better yet 3 I do not need it, so you will not see it in my pack and I will never own it. Which the down quilts have only one purpose, keeping my warm in only my hammock which is the main purpose but its only one at that. I cannot wear it next to fire like I can the wool. All these reason stated are the reason for this thread. Main reason being that I dont want to spend money on an underquilt and dont want one at that. My wool blanket will be for spring,summer, and fall. The mss for winter. I believes this sums up all the confusion in this thread sorry guys haha. Any one else need anything cleared up?

    Please pm me with updates if you could. I will as well
    It's late tonight and I'm multitasking so I'm drawing a blank: why does down lose loft?

    And why must a piece of gear serve multiple purposes? It sounds so self-limiting. A tarp doesn't serve multiple purposes, nor does a hammock, or hammock suspension, or backpack, or alcohol stove. And yet you place this limitation on your hammock insulation - that it must be wearable, can be used around the fire, etc.

    I am not criticizing - just trying to understand your rationale. I despise the cost of down, but you can't beat the weight and compressibility. I am the type that would rather go camping in wet/bad weather than dry, and have yet to get my down UQ/TQ wet enough to affect its insulative properties.

    I use wool any chance I can get 'cause it's a miracle fabric. All these high-tech, lightweight wicking fabrics are great, but in wet weather, I want a nice wool lanolinized sweater on me. This topic interests me greatly but when it comes to hammock insulation and hiking, I see wool as non-viable.

    For car-camping, I love my wool blankies. I've got a wool army blanket that's 50 years old and it is the ultimate survivor tool. But that bad boy ain't coming on the trail with me.

  6. #26
    MacEntyre's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SilvrSurfr View Post
    why does down lose loft?
    In a word: Moisture.

    Down is vapor permeable, but if some vapor gets trapped in the down, the effect is to lose loft, and therefore to lose insulation value.

    This will explain it completely.

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  7. #27
    Senior Member Trooper's Avatar
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    I can tell by the tone of your posts that you're convinced that a wool blanket is what you want and need, so I won't try to talk you out of it. But, if you were completely sold on the idea, you wouldn't be soliciting other's opinions...So here is mine:

    Wool comes up every now and then as a possibility for hammock insulation. But, it never catches on because it is heavy, bulky, and not nearly as warm as down. I like wool base layers and mid layers because the are warm when wet and don't melt. Wool excels in this role just as down excels when used as an underquilt. Each material has its role, and as hammock insulation, wool loses to down.

    Requiring something in your pack to fill multiple roles is a nice goal, but shouldn't be a dogmatic rule. Things that come to mind that usually serve one purpose: Food, Shelter, and First Aid Kit. All are essentials cited in almost every top 10 list, and unless you need a signal fire, your three ways to make fire are a single use item as well.

    A wool blanket will keep you warm. But, for $179, an underquilt (down or synthetic) and a $20 wool blanket will be far warmer, lighter, and compressible. This is just my opinion and experience. I am sure you'll come to the same conclusion, but I can tell this is an experiment that you will have to conduct. I've told my wife a screwdriver works better than a butterknife, but until she tries it herself, she'll never truly know...
    Last edited by Trooper; 06-06-2012 at 05:02.

  8. #28
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    I had the same idea and followed several of the historical posts pro and con. I ordered a box of wool blankets from sportsmans guide(i need to read the fine print as they were only 30%wool) I tried them out on a trip to the family cabin on Lake Vermillion, northern Minnesota.

    The blanket in 'single layer' mode was a bit cool. Not really uncomfortable. The next night i doubled it and was very comfortable. Temps were in the upper 50's. I thought it worked very well but a bit bulky. It doesnt roll up as well in the woods as it does on the living room floor.

    the blanket that I got is 90"x72" so its a lot bigger than I need. I was going to cut it down to torso size double to reduce its bulk.

    edit: the blanket ending up costing 4.50 and i label it as a success.
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  9. #29
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    One more thing I like in the wool blanket is the ability to use it as a pack, in a charming out-fashioned woodsman way :-)

    I plan to try it for a few trips this summer: one big comfy pure wool blanket, roll the hammock and a very minimal gear list in it, use my whoopies to keep it nicely tidy tied, tree huggers as pack straps, et voilą.

    I'll do the maths: modern pack + UQ/TQ vs wool blanket only, I am not so sure the blanket is still as heavy as we think ;-)

  10. #30
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    Ok, I just looked at some numbers:

    40° Incubator: 540g
    40° Burrow: 450g
    GG Mariposa: 765g
    Total: 1775g (~3.9 lb)

    Swiss army pure wool blanket: 2kg (~4.4 lb)

    Not so bad… especially considering that a majority of modern packs are way heavier than the UL mariposa. ;-)

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