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Wool
has protected
our species from the elements for over 12,000 years. You can
bend a single strand over 20,000 times, and stretch up to 40% of
it's original length. The scaled surface of each fiber grabs on
to its neighbors, which ensures the longevity of loft that traps warm air.
Wool fibers absorb up to 30% of their weight in water into their
hollow cores without feeling clammy. Excess moisture wrings
out with slight pressure. Since water retains an
amazing amount of energy, wearing a garment that has equalized
with your body's environment will actually shield you from
sudden changes in the temperature. The Keratin
proteins of wool are naturally flame resistant, a bonus
for wilderness cooking.
Many manufacturers have shied
away from wool because they perceive synthetic fibers as easy to
maintain. When you consider that wool hinders the
growth of odor causing bacteria, and it sheds the dirt and oils
that necessitate cleaning, you're likely to launder it less
anyway. Oddly enough, washing actually improves the loft that
makes our Wool Blanket Shirt,
Jackpine Vest, and Camp Coat
the natural choices for your our outdoor adventures.
We buy wool blended
blankets (80% reprocessed wool, 20% nylon fibers) direct from
the mill, then drive them to the laundromat. Each
one gets 2 washes on hot, followed by a roasting in the dryer. This
process, known as 'fulling', creates extra loft and increases
the density of the fabric (and makes mounds of lint). It also
removes the linear shrinkage common in natural fibers. We use a blended textile because
100% wool is subject to a loss of strength when wet, and
has a somewhat rough texture. Our fabric is soft enough to
contact bare skin, yet strong enough to keep it's shape when you're scrambling back into a canoe.
Each coat, vest, or shirt will gain
character with age, but retain its original performance. All of our
grommets and snaps are set in reinforced nylon webbing, and our cord locks
and draw cords can be serviced in the field.
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