I am in the process of writing a book on wool so I will mention a few things here as highlight from that book.
WOOL! wool, wool, wool... - wool blanket? wool gloves, wool socks, wool hat, wool shirt, wool thermal under wear... I'll go on and on over how great wool is. Its simple, wool has evolved to be durable, it sheds dirt and grime, odor resistant, flame resistant, water resistant, UV resistant and highly insulative. As far a material sciences have gone, they still cannot match the greatness of wool. With the increasing price and eventual loss of crude oil as a base material I'd be surprised to see wool NOT make a grand comeback. Wool retains much of its insulative properties even when wet, unlike nearly all synthetic materials. It can absorb over 25% of its weight in water before it feels wet. Wet socks? Wet shirt? Wet undies? no problem, If fully saturated, one can just ring out the item and bam!, mostly clean and mostly dry and still warm. The only potential drawbacks to wool are that it does not compact very well so large bulky items will always be large and bulky, and there is a little bug called a wool moth that likes to eat the stuff... other than that, it is a natural and renewable resource that I highly encourage for all uses. My choice is of course is merino wool of the finest quality. Generally I choose a black color as it seems to be cheaper and lucky for me it better absorbs heat from the sun. Wool does not need to be washed the way cotton or synthetics do. In fact, the best way to wash wool is to never wash it. Rather fill a tub with clean water no soap or detergents and submerge your wool in the water. Let it sit long enough to saturate the fibers and gently agitate the wool under water. Never rub the wool on itself or against any surfaces. Lightly squeeze out any excess water and stretch then wool out over a table or other flat surface. let it sit out and air dry. The water will pull out much of the lanolin and other oils that the wool naturally has within it and collected from your skin. These oils will turn the water a light tinge of brownish yellow. This is normal and the water can be discarded with no worries of toxicity to the environment. The water may smell of lanolin and some people may have allergic reactions to it. Lanolin is a perfectly safe and natural wax-like substance secreted by wool producing animals. It is the oils found in wool that attracts wool eating moths and insects. To prevent wool eating insects from destroying your wool mothballs are needed.
WOOL! wool, wool, wool... - wool blanket? wool gloves, wool socks, wool hat, wool shirt, wool thermal under wear... I'll go on and on over how great wool is. Its simple, wool has evolved to be durable, it sheds dirt and grime, odor resistant, flame resistant, water resistant, UV resistant and highly insulative. As far a material sciences have gone, they still cannot match the greatness of wool. With the increasing price and eventual loss of crude oil as a base material I'd be surprised to see wool NOT make a grand comeback. Wool retains much of its insulative properties even when wet, unlike nearly all synthetic materials. It can absorb over 25% of its weight in water before it feels wet. Wet socks? Wet shirt? Wet undies? no problem, If fully saturated, one can just ring out the item and bam!, mostly clean and mostly dry and still warm. The only potential drawbacks to wool are that it does not compact very well so large bulky items will always be large and bulky, and there is a little bug called a wool moth that likes to eat the stuff... other than that, it is a natural and renewable resource that I highly encourage for all uses. My choice is of course is merino wool of the finest quality. Generally I choose a black color as it seems to be cheaper and lucky for me it better absorbs heat from the sun. Wool does not need to be washed the way cotton or synthetics do. In fact, the best way to wash wool is to never wash it. Rather fill a tub with clean water no soap or detergents and submerge your wool in the water. Let it sit long enough to saturate the fibers and gently agitate the wool under water. Never rub the wool on itself or against any surfaces. Lightly squeeze out any excess water and stretch then wool out over a table or other flat surface. let it sit out and air dry. The water will pull out much of the lanolin and other oils that the wool naturally has within it and collected from your skin. These oils will turn the water a light tinge of brownish yellow. This is normal and the water can be discarded with no worries of toxicity to the environment. The water may smell of lanolin and some people may have allergic reactions to it. Lanolin is a perfectly safe and natural wax-like substance secreted by wool producing animals. It is the oils found in wool that attracts wool eating moths and insects. To prevent wool eating insects from destroying your wool mothballs are needed.
Wool Socks - Socks are essential. Not only as
insulation but they prevent blisters and wear from shoes and by absorbing
moisture and helping to wick it away socks help prevent other foot problems
like athletes foot. Keep at least five pairs as I may need to change my socks
during the day and can have spares until I can wash them out. Because wool sheds dirt and salts you can wear wool socks many times without "washing" them.
Wool Beanie - even in the summer I might wear one at
night.
Wool Long Underwear, bottoms and tops - I keep a set of long underwear in my bag
even in summer and use them as pajamas when I sleep.
Wool Gloves - I keep a pair of G.I. surplus fingerless
gloves in every pack I have. The reason is simple, cold hands are painful and
can become useless. They are relatively cheap and easy to find, so these also
fall into that category of items that are useful and cheap but hard to make.
Wool Balaclava - this is something I will wear at night
when sleeping to help keep my head from freezing as it pokes out the top of my
sleeping bag.
Wool Blanket - What can I say, it's a blanket. The G.I.
army surplus wool blankets weigh about four pounds, a little too heavy for my
taste given I'm already carrying a sleeping bag. But I still consider this to
be a great addition to any survival gear. It can be used as padding and
insulation beneath you as well as a blanket on top. And you should also keep
one in the car.
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