Benefits Of Wool Hunting Clothes
Modern wool fabrics are highly technical and absolutely suitable for high-performance sports like hunting. That’s why Ridgeline has developed a line of affordable wool hunting clothes to protect hunters like you in the great outdoors.
So what are the benefits of wool hunting clothes?
Wool is warm, insulating and breathable
Think of a flock of sheep in a remote paddock. They could be in outback Australia or alpine Tibet. Wherever they are, sheep must tolerate the hot sun, cold rain, high winds and other weather conditions, all while keeping their body temperature steady. How do they manage this? Wool!
When it’s warm… wool garments allow airflow through its air pockets, keeping you ventilated. Wool quickly wicks any sweat away so you don’t feel clammy, and releases any moisture into the air to prevent you from overheating.
When it’s cool… wool’s air pockets trap your body heat close to your skin, preventing warmth from dissipating into the chilly air. As a result, your body doesn’t need to expend mass energy reproducing enough heat to keep you warm.
Wool enjoys a high warmth to weight ratio, meaning that a wool base layer will be warmer than a synthetic base layer of the same weight.
It’s sweat-wicking
Wool absorbs moisture (like sweat) from your skin, which then evaporates into the air. In fact, wool can mop up 30% of its own weight in moisture* without feeling wet to the touch.
Wool also repels exterior moisture (e.g. rain, snow, splashes) because the outside of its fibres are hydrophobic, helping the garment to feel dryer for longer.
*Nylon absorbs 4.5% and polyester absorbs 0.4%, for reference.
It’s odour-resistant
Hunters must be especially aware of how they smell. A hunt is a physical endeavour full of long hours trekking, stalking or waiting with peaks of adrenaline - all making you sweat and produce B.O. If your mark smells you, he’ll be gone before you can blink.
Merino wool has natural antimicrobial properties: it doesn’t allow bacteria to grow on its fibres. This bacteria is the cause of unpleasant body odours. As a result, your wool hunting clothes won’t get you “winded” by game, and they will need less washing than most other garments.
It’s soft on skin
Modern wool, especially Merino wool, has small-diameter (superfine) fibres that don’t prickle, itch or irritate your skin. They feel silky smooth and luxuriously soft. So if you’re wearing wool right against your skin (we recommend wool hunting base layers in particular), you’ll be in absolute comfort.
It’s renewable
We love sustainable materials at Ridgeline. Wool is one of the best sustainable fibres:
it’s natural - it comes from domestic sheep
it’s easily renewable - it naturally grows on sheep back every year
it’s recyclable - offcuts can be recycled into other products like rugs
it’s biodegradable - natural wool fibres quickly break down in soil, unlike many synthetic fabrics
it’s energy-efficient - wool textiles require far less oil energy to produce than other common fabrics such as nylon, polyester or acrylic.
Fire (and arcing) - because every wool fibre contains moisture, wool naturally extinguishes itself and is very difficult to catch on fire. Its low flammability also means it won’t melt or stick to your skin if the worst happens. This makes wool particularly protective in high fire risk zones, especially in forest- or bushfire season.
Mould and mildew - mould grows from excessive moisture; since wool naturally absorbs moisture away from your skin and allows it to evaporate into the air, mould and other nasties have a very hard time growing on it.
Breakage - wool is strong, flexible and tear-resistant. It’s elastic enough to stretch and return to its natural shape, and can bend back on itself over 20,000 times without breaking (as compared to cotton, which can bend back only 3,200 times). The American Sheep Industry Associated claims that wool is (comparatively) stronger than steel because of its ability to stretch and bend without breaking.
Shine - wool absorbs rather than reflects light: no flashes to alert your quarry!
Sound - wool is naturally silent: unlike many technical synthetic materials, it doesn’t crinkle as you walk or flap in the wind.
Stains - wool fibres have a waxy coating that repels liquids - usually rain or snow, but also annoying would-be stains!
It’s also resistant to...
You probably understand now why sheep farming has been found in most human cultures worldwide, and why Australia prides itself on being the world’s largest sheep exporter. Ridgeline’s affordable wool hunting clothes are made with the modern-day hunter in mind, taking advantage of all the benefits of Merino wool.