I know that lot, if not all of us, have a closet that is at least partially fun of things polypro and goretex. <br><br>My question is, should we rely on them completely in a survival situation? In my experince, wool works as well as polypro when wet, and doesn't melt. <br><br>This question is off of technical, not economic merits, to. I know about those.

Personally I have no use for Goretex. A very good discussion of it's merits may be found at www.wiggys.com I'ts true wool will not burn or melt as readily as poly and retains some warmth when wet. But lets look at reality. If I fall through ice, you can bet Ill have a fire going ASAP, strip and change into fresh clothing if available. Any fire violent enough to melt my clothing has allready caused severe burning or smoke and heat damage to my lungs. Still, in both cases natural over synthetic for the brief time it is superior can be critical. I have a mix; Poly underwear,wool outer. The wool also has the advantage of being silent and in subdued colors.The disadvantage is being missed by a search party. This is when those garrish ski slope parkas and cagoules earn their keep. Not all wools are equal. Blends may utilize inferior grades of wool. There is the Smartwool product, the boiled Austrian wool ( like the famous Dachstein sweaters and mittens) Pendelton,Filson and Woolrich brands. Any one of these can be compromised by poor or improper cleaning. rain or wind gear can be problematical too. The Australian drover coats and British Barbour line are traditional waxed garments. They are excellent with a few shortcomings. In cold weather they tend to become very stiff and the Drover coats have relatively short sleeves. Some raingear is so good at keeping rain out, you sweat even more inside ( the theory behind goretex), so venting is a must.

Down in this part of the world [ Australia and New Zealand ] an interesting new line of wool survival products are making inroads into the high end of the expedition and adventure environments. The technology involves the use of the extremely fine Merino sheep wool to make a range of undergarments and clothing claimed to easily outperform the synthetics and wool blends. I personally have not tried them but have read enough testimonials from respected folks to certainly put them on my list of must-haves. There are two New Zealand brands, Icebreaker, and Everwarm.<br>Everwarm can be seen at <br>http://www.everwarm.co.nz/Merino_html/Merino_html_products.htm<br><br>IceBreaker has the same technology, but their product range is aimed more at what I would call the Patagucci [ leisure ] market.<br><br>I would be interested to hear if the Merino products have reached the US.<br><br>Cheers, Peter Rattenbury.

Well, first I guess we might be stuck with whatever we're wearing at the time... and then there is personal preference.<br><br>With regard to GoreTex, not all garments are equal. I have one hooded jacket (US Army issue) that I like very much for casual use, and if it's not the height of midwest summer and if conditions do not warrant more protection, it is usually with me on planned outings. It is noisy, and I do not wear it if I am hunting big game.<br><br>There are certainly lighter (less durable) GoreTex garments available. Given a choice for extended rain/wind outer layers, my experiences are that I usually would prefer GoreTex over alternatives... except marine use. Hard to beat traditional foul weather gear for marine use.<br><br>I have a cold-weather view of things from experiences voluntary and otherwise, although I have spent time in equitorial arid climates as well. With that in mind, I have a strong preference for blended "fabrics" that have a "base" of natural fibers, with the sole exception of insulating (aka long) underwear. I do like poly-p underwear, even tho it gets "stinky" fairly fast (I know there are some brands out that have bactericide in them - haven't tried them yet). I prefer the lightweight stuff, BTW, even for extreme (Central Alaska winter) conditions. As I get older, I may move to middleweight, but that remains to be seen. OTOH, I wore wool for many years with no discomfort.<br><br>Socks that I prefer are normally wool based with some nylon for strength and usually a substantial amount of another synthetic yarn. The only all-synthetic socks I have ever liked are a few pairs of a type I hide from my kids (so they won't swipe them) - thick olefin/poly-p/nylon blend that defy description - they work the best of any I've ever used, and if I ever find them again, I'm buying a case.<br><br>I am extremely partial to 60/40 cloth for the shell of outer wear, with the Quarpel treatment. 60 cotton 40 nylon and they do NOT perform like cotton. Trousers, parka shells, etc. Example would be US Army FIELD TROUSERS (NOT BDUs!).<br><br>I like wool trousers a lot, but they are not as over-all versitile performer as the 60/40 cloth.<br><br>I detest 50/50 cotton-poly stuff, although it IS fairly durable. Just does not work well for me (BSA, are you listening?). It is a mediocre performer next to 60/40 ("mountain cloth") cotton/nylon.<br><br>"Outdoor" shirts are wool. Period. Actually, always with 10-15% nylon, and a tight cloth of medium to heavy construction. Commercial or surplus; good wool shirts are easy to come by.<br><br>Now, I use synthetic stuff, too - as additional layers, and I try VERY hard to not use them as outer layers. They are lightweight and for the most part pack up nice and compactly. I have spent enough time around fires to really dislike synthetic outer garments and I will not fly commercial or private (or military) wearing anymore pure synthetics than poly-p long underwear (if needed) and synthetic socks. I have seen first hand the consequences of exposed synthetics in crashes involving fires more than once, and that's enough said on that subject.<br><br>I am still frequently using wool and 60/40 items that I have put through hard service for over 25 years. I have no synthetics that have ever approached that for durable service. The good-news/bad-news is that synthetics are cheaper than their natural counterparts.<br><br>I have strong feelings about what I use because I KNOW what works for me. There have been SOME planned trips where I had to rely much more heavily on synthetics than I like (weight reasons), and they have performed as-advertised - just fine. And I think, for the most part, that's what it comes down to - what you prefer/can afford. Both can work.<br><br>Office wear that can double as make-shift "oops!" clothing depends on what kind of office one works in. Wool trousers (in weights appropriate for the season) are great for "clean" occupations (read desk jobs), and silk shirts are better than cotton for warm weather. (I supose - reluctantly - that 50/50 would be good, too) Wool shirts are a bit more difficult if the office is semi-formal to formal - but I'm not a fashion plate by choice, so someone else who knows more about that stuff should chime in so I can learn some more neat stuff <grin>.<br><br>Again, bottom line is that both work. Both have pluses and minuses. I have yet to be convinced that either extreme point of view is correct for versitle use. About the only thing I endorse is that 100% cotton sucks for outdoors clothing - there are usually better alternatives.<br><br>Hope I didn't muddy the seep too much...<br><br>Regards,<br><br>Tom Ayers

There is a single USA distributor right here in California. I have contacted them for more info.

Both wool and synthetics work, but over the years I have mostly switched to synthetics. I still use the 20 year old polypro jacket that has kept me warm while in violent storms, 120 feet under Lake Superior in a drysuit, and comfortable on first dates. The elbows are now wearing out, but it is still good for rough jobs. I would be wary of swathing myself in most synthetics while flying, although I would prefer Nomex, which will protect far better than wool. IME, the biggest drawback to wool was the increased weight when wet (although still warm) and the fact that moths eat holes in it. I have not had a problem with campfire sparks and synthetics, probably because I mostly use stoves these days. I also appreciate the easy care afforded by syns. While material is important, it is important to pay attention to clothing construction details - ventilation features are extremely important for improving the versatility of any clothing.

Hi Chris, Let me know what you think about the Merino stuff. My interest is seakayaking and hiking, and I shall be using the Everwarm undergarments on a multi-day expedition this southern summer. I shall post an evaluation when I have trialled it under real conditions. Key advantages for me, apart from the obvious thermal qualities are that it is incredibly fine, like silk. It is non-itchy, which is a plus in a wool garment, and it apparently can be worn for days without too much body odour! Cheers, Peter Rattenbury

Peter, update; I found a sole U.S. distributor in Northern California. They finally replied they were not a retailer, had no Southern Cal. retailers, but would generously sell mismatched display items. I asked for a Northern Cal. retailer without further response.