For those who use wool sweaters for layering your hunting clothes, where and what wool composition do you like. I am wanting to put one on my Christmas list and need to refer giver to a catalog or vendor. Thanks!
The best deal on wool sweaters and the warmest is a 5 button army sweater. The auction site is covered up with them. Be sure they are wool because they have started making the same sweater in acrylic.
I have paid 99 cents(no one else bid) for one I have and about $20 for my first one before I started shopping for bargins that no one bid on. Both were new.
check your local Good-Will: I have picked up a couple wool sweaters for a $1-2.
I like 100% wool and have found the best deals on wool sweaters is to be found in thrift shops. For just a couple of bucks you can walk out with several really nice wool sweaters. Look at the printed size but also eyeball the sweater for shrinkage from washing wrong.
I start out with a large and if a layer is needed a XL goes on. And so on and so forth.
Last year I spent the day in the stand and it was only 13 degrees. 3 wool sweaters and a sleveless vest kept me very warm and in the stand.
My backpack looks like it is stuffed with the 2 backup sweaters and vest but in actuality only weighs about 5 pounds with the clothes and other asorted stuff in there.
Tried a lamb's wool sweater last week as a base layer. Felt great and I think I'll be looking for some more of those.
g.fred asbell,mrs asbell make nice hooded wool pullovers.not real heavy but warm
QuoteOriginally posted by BEN:
check your local Good-Will: I have picked up a couple wool sweaters for a $1-2.
Goodwil is a great placeto get wool sweaters for really cheap. Who cares what color they are when you put them under a jacket or coat.
This sweater and the other one I wear when it gets colder came from a thrift store for a grand total of $5. That is all I put on when I hunt, I love it. Both sweaters are like new.
Chuck
(http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt12/twotracks/P1000598.jpg)
NOTICE THE COOL CAMO PATTEREN.VERY STEALTHY
Ten years ago I purchase an Alpaca wool sweater for $110.00. Yes it was a lot but I have worn that thing for just about every outdoor activity you can think of. Best investment I have ever made. Very very warm and very very soft with no itchy feeling. It is wool so it still keeps me warm when wet. I was flyfishing once and went in the drink. It was snowing out and blowing. I took it off and swung it through the air to pull as much water out of it as I could. Put it back on and kept fishing for the rest of the day.
What is the auction site that Eric refers to?
I have several sweaters that started out in my everyday wardrobe but because I snagged them or stained them etc, they became part of my hunting garb. Keep in mind that wool accepts rit dye rather well so you can tone down the colors well this way.
To the original question though - some of the best wool around is made by Swanndri of Austrailia and Sierra Trading Post has some good deals on Swanndri sweaters right now.
Montana Woolens
Have a great selection of sweathes and heavyweight wool underwear.
http://www.montanawoolenshop.com/
Do a Google search for military wool sweaters.
The military wool sweaters are great unless the wind is blowing.I usually find them at gun shows for $5.If one doesn't keep you warm,try two of them.
yep the wool ones are good...
The nicest one I have coveted until I saw the price... Filson Waterfowler sweater... but I do have a Filson SHirt and tin jacket that is over 10 years old and still works like a champ.....
Army surplus wool sweaters are great, I have ones that are US, German,Dutch. I have seen Italianand Isralie all are top quality. Good- will also has some great buys. Just make sure that they are at least 85% wool. Warm, silent, you can't beat them.
i just got a flyer for the bargain cave at cabela's and they had a few wool sweaters on sail, some were three button and some were zip up, they came with a wind shear lining
QuoteOriginally posted by BEN:
check your local Good-Will: I have picked up a couple wool sweaters for a $1-2.
Hear hear. I've gotten some nice wool sweaters like that for a few bucks each. If it's for a Christmas present, then thicker and tighter weave is better and you can ask for colors you like but there's nada wrong w/ second hand sweaters.
Whatever - make sure you get ones that fit loosely on you.
Thanks for all the great input. I will start hitting the thrift shops and watching online.
Old ski sweaters are very very high quality and tightly woven. You may have to look awhile to find one that didn't get the dryer treatment by some teenager though...
I have three sweater types I like to have around: 1) the above ski sweater, which is probably like the army one others have mentioned 2) a looser woven medium thick one for extra loft and 3) a thin merino wool one that is kind of stretchy. The one I use a lot is/WAS a dress up sweater for a nice night out but its a great hunting sweater, soooo guess what its used most for...
Joshua
I get the feeling Woodchucker'll be posting shortly...
QuoteI get the feeling Woodchucker'll be posting shortly...
:thumbsup:
Lets see some of your sweaters. I gotta go to town today so I may have to go stop at the thrift store. I dig wool.
Chuck
Woodchucker is out at Good-Will looking for sweaters...lol!!!
Don't know if anyone mentioned the Cabela's camo wool sweaters, but they are my #1. Pretty much all I use for upper garments are layers of poly type thermals and then Cabela's sweaters. I've found that I can cold wash them on delicate and then stretch them out to dry.
The ones with wind shear are to noisy for my tastes.
I went to the cabelas bargain cave and found two nice thick wool crew neck sweaters....for 9 bucks apiece, back in September. Obviously I got em both....but my very favorite is the old US Army brown wool sweater.
Best piece of gear every issued to Joe.
Matter of fact.........I'm bigger now that I used to be (imagine that) and I wear an XL, but I think I have a perfectly good large somewhere in the garage.........
I'll look for it and see. If I can find it, I'll do a quick give away on this thread.........
(http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh271/Bowsin/mepullover1.jpg)
I"ve made quite a few of these now .I have to say for really cold windy weather heavy weight wool with a Wind-pro polar-tec fleece liner is hard to beat.
Filson has great wool garments.expensive but quality that lasts a lifetime.Just bought 100% merino wool sweater that is great for bowhunting .
I got mine at a Irish shop in the old union station in St. Louis. Had it for twenty years and would not give it up . Also check with the wool lady . She sets up at several 3d events during the summer. Her prices are excellant. Jim Pyles
I've been wearing one of these hunting for many years now. I just toss it in the washing machine and it does fine. I'd say it's a medium weight.
This link looks huge; hope it works.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0015552901029a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=rag+wool&sort=all&G o.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&Go.x=0&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1 (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0015552901029a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=rag+wool&sort=all&Go.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&Go.x=0&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1)
I buy a few wool sweaters at second hand clothing stores every year for the hunts. Most of them cost me around $3.00 so if they get bloody, ripped, lost or ruined it doesn't break your wallet. It also gives you a bonus of looking nice in on the mountain :goldtooth: . I used this one on a hunt with a disabeled hunter that I took on a mule deer hunt.
(http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv172/connerparry/P1010752.jpg)
Here is what I wear. I start with one sweater and layer up if I'm cold.
First is a 100% lamb's wool sweater
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc157/pactac/100_1563_opt.jpg)
Next layer is 100% wool in a larger size
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc157/pactac/100_1564_opt.jpg)
Still cold I add my military sweater
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc157/pactac/100_1565_opt.jpg)
Absolutely fridgid out there I add my vest. I know I look like a tick about to pop but this has kept me comfortable down to 13 degrees and that's about as cold as it gets here in my neck of the woods.
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc157/pactac/100_1566_opt.jpg)
I could go with a bulky jacket but I hate the way the sleeve gets in the way of the bowstring. Even with everything on the layered sweater sleeves stay out of the way of the bowstring.
(http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc157/pactac/100_1569_opt.jpg)
Total "keep me toasty package" was purchased at Goodwill for less than $10.
I went to the thrift store today and all I found was cotton sweaters. I will keep after it though. It will give me another search to conduct.
army surplus and good will. I do have a KOM vest that goes everywhere I go....
Like a few others here, I'm a dedicated thrift store guy. I like the light weight sweaters best for layering and the finer the wool the warmer it is. Cashmere is best, followed by merino wool and lambswool. Lightweight merino sweaters and polos must have been popular for a while because I find a bunch of them on the racks. They are almost like wearing nothing but add a bunch of warmth. I pick up quite a few Pendleton and other wool shirts, too. Wool dress pants are great in the early season and I've recently found a couple pair of mil surplus pants. A few years ago I found a like new pair of the heavy charcoal Woolrich pants. The weren't my size, but for $1.77 a friend has them now.
Papa, what size are you? I probably have something hanging around that will fit.
I found the motherlode today at the goodwill. About 6 or 7 XL all wool sweaters for 6 bucks each. There were also several size M. I got a turtleneck Merino XL and am going back tomorrow after a lambswool sweater and also a button up 100% wool in gray.
Man Kenny, I think I need to come to Ohio!! I bought 4 100% wool sweaters at the goodwill for a little over 16 bucks! you can't go wrong for 3.99 a piece!! Jason
I'm usualy good for a trip or two to the GoodWill store every week. You can't beat the prices!!!!! As 4runr said though,some times it's "feast or famine" LOL. Just make it a regular weekly stop in your travels and you'll be suprized how much you find. Tuesdays have been my best days. I think everyone "cleans house" over the weekend and drops off thier donations. Monday,the staff puts them out on the rack,and Tuesday I go in and scap them up!!!!!
Don't be afraid to pick up the ones that don't fit either. They make nice suprize gifts for your fellow TradGang Friends!!!!!
Hey Kenny..if any of them shrink on ya :bigsmyl: ----------------you know how to get ahold of me! :goldtooth:
I think im going to start checking out some of the thrift stores around here.
4runr,
I would be a size large. Should you look to get sweaters that are large and extra large to layer with or do you stick with the same size. Should I start my layers with a large and end with an extra large?
Mike
Hey Fletcher You got one in my size.(haha) I think I may go see Kenny, I know he can't fit them XL's unless he cuts the sleeves off.
Man, kenny that was a good haul.
Chuck
Papa----I start with the size your normally wear and then maybe go up a size for the remainder.
I start with a med. wool vest and then add 2 large sweaters on top---fits good without too much slack and extra bulk. It's what works for me anyhow.............
My wife knits, and she gets her wool right here from Maine sheep. They are sheared and process here also.
She made me a wool camo pull over with a hood that is great, warm and looks very good also. So I guess I am quite lucky.
After reading this thread the last couple of days, I decided to check out the Goodwill just down the street from work and walked out with this 100% Extra Fine Merino Wool sweater for $3.99. It's a large and I typically wear large-talls, but it doesn't fit too bad. I like the tall collar as well. It doesn't look like it has ever been worn. I'm thinking about dying an ASAT pattern on it!
(http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w264/jeff_simon13/IMG_1898.jpg)
(http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w264/jeff_simon13/IMG_1901.jpg)
SCORE!! I would chastise the Hong Kong manufacturing, but that's just because I didn't find it first...
Keep in mind guys that wool takes dye pretty well so if you find something in a color thats not too great - you can tone it down with some Rit Dye - black, brown or green. Works pretty good.
Chuck, I just might have something for you. I'll PM for your address.
You too, Papa.
Fletcher, I was making funny about your sweaters fitting me.
BUT... I did get a rather wonderful merino pull-over in the post this morning. A nice dark woodsy brown. THANK YOU RICK. what a surprise that was. I thank you alot fletcher. By the way, I am waiting for my special top secreat bow to come and then I will need some "Special" arrows. ones like "Grandpa" shot.
I sprayed some "Christmas" bows this afternoon and my shop is fumed up, so now my plan is to get the kid outta school and take her to town with me and hit the goodwill(s). my plans to do that the otherday fell short. today I have new vigor, FOR THE LOVE OF WOOL! (stay tuned)
Chuck
Thanks again Rick.
Well that was not such a good store for wool. I did get an xlt 100% merino wool pull over though. I will post picks later.
Chuck
My wife bought me a sweater from a bird hunting organization that has windstop in it. When I wear that under my KOM jacket it really makes a good combo.
I can hunt most of the colder part of the season with my Duofold long undies as a base layer under my normal hunting clothes. They have a good percentage of Merino wool in them. I'm fond of tightly woven Merino wool sweaters also. Very flexible yet warm!
GOOD WILL is the best and Then the thrift shops.And also check out the longhunter shirt from La Clair's archery that's nice stuff and it covers more area I love mine.
Headed off the local goodwill store to make a donation and to look over the racks.