Why Do We Buy Fleece

[Little Rickie]

Why do we buy fleece when wool is the better fiber?

 

[DougPaul]

So we can get fleeced instead of having the wool pulled over our eyes?

Doug

 

[Neil]

Fleece is lighter and cheaper. Wool itches. I don't take fleece any more on hikes because it is too hydrophilic but I like it in the house and in the car or on walks.

Wool is my favorite for socks and mitts.

 

[jfb]

This ought to be good.

It started with the invention of Patagonia pile in the late 1970's. Pile did not absorb water and therefore dried faster than wool. Pile eventually turned into fleece.

History of Patagonia

 

[Little Rickie]

So we can get fleeced instead of having the wool pulled over our eyes?

Doug

Very good, not very scientific but very good.

 

[Bob]

wanted to check 'other'

I don't believe we should be exploiting animals and making them suffer for our own comfort.

 

[Live2run]

Sorry, I have to go with wool. My sister is the controller for IBEX in VT. I love there stuff.

 

[Craig]

Fleece is way more breathable.

 

[Jason Berard]

Sorry, I have to go with wool. My sister is the controller for IBEX in VT. I love there stuff.

I love their stuff, too. Fortunately, I live nearby, so I can go to their annual tent sale(around 50% off), as I wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise!

I've switched over to wool baselayer stuff head to toe.

Now I'm considering switching my fleece for a wool sweater....but the fleece is "windbloc"....the sweater is a nice open weave, which might have its own benefits, but resistance to wind wouldn't be one of them!

There is a company that makes wool outerwear with a windproof middle layer.http://www.beaglewear.com/

 

[Little Rickie]

History of Patagonia

We continue the search for more environmentally friendly fabrics.

So why didn't the use wool?

 

[erugs]

Fleece (good quality fleece, that is) feels better plus it doesn't shrink! But I don't like the way cat and dog hair cling to it. The fact that it is made of recycled plastic is a plus.

 

[DougPaul]

Very good, not very scientific but very good.

Oh! You mean you wanted a serious answer?


Both wool and fleece can be very breathable (open weave, etc) or wind blocking (tight weave, felted, wind blocking backing, etc).

Better about fleece (polyester)
* Lighter
* Doesn't absorb moisture into the fiber
* Fabric absorbs water like a sponge
* Dries faster
* Wears better
* Non-scratchy
* Stinks (good if you want solitude)
* Easier to clean
* Artificial fiber
* New! Improved! (in the 1970s and 1980s)

Better about wool
* Better insulation when damp
* Retains cushioning when damp
* Water resistant--wets slowly (the original soft shell)
* Merino Wool is non-scratchy (other kinds can be scratchy)
* Non-stinky
* Natural fiber
* Slow but effective wicker
* Doesn't melt (cooking, fire sparks, etc)
* Fire resistant
* New! Improved! (in the 2000s)

Wool's superior performance when damp is why it has never been displaced as the fabric of choice for socks.

Wool was the standard for winter hiking insulation (hats, shirts, sweaters, jackets, mittens, socks) up to the 1970s when pile came on the market. (I still have my Scottish pile jacket. It didn't pill like that Patagucci and Chuck Roast stuff...) More recently, Merino wool and new manufacturing treatments have brought wool back. (Outdoor clothing and gear is just another fashion industry--they have to change things to keep the sales up even if they have to return to an older material/technology.)

FWIW, I have wool long underwear (Stil-Longs) from the 1970s. It is nice and comfortable Merino wool--just like the newer (New! Improved!) stuff.

Doug

 

[Little Rickie]

Oh! You mean you wanted a serious answer?

Not necessarily but I knew you couldn't resist.

 

[Little Rickie]

The fact that it is made of recycled plastic is a plus.

Is recycling plastic better than recycling grass?

 

[Puck]

I don't believe we should be exploiting animals and making them suffer for our own comfort.

If you want to see suffering look at an unshorn sheep in June.

 

[DougPaul]

Not necessarily but I knew you couldn't resist.

I figured. Might be why I didn't vote in the poll.

Doug

 

[Stan]

Couldn't vote ... I prefer to hike, paddle and ski with wool shirts over fleece when the weather gets frosty. I find it much more comfortable ... and dig the retro look. I usually wear a fleece windblock vest over the wool which, together with long johns is sufficient warmth while exerting energy, at least until I'm out of the trees or into blowing and wet conditions.

Some people are sensitive to wool but the itch characteristics also vary by grade and type of wool. Fine merino wools can be spun into long johns which are, for most people, as comfortable as cotton and perform as well as synthetics.

Some people with sensitivity to wool may find alpaca preferable. It has many of the same characteristics but is absent lanolin, the source of some people's sensitivity, and is a soft but strong and versatile fabric ... after all, alpacas naturally inhabit mountainous South American regions which swing from temperatures well below zero to tropical in 24 hour periods. Try alpaca socks for comfort, warmth and performance.

And, wool is a natural and renewable resource ... what sheep objects to a shearing of the winter layer each spring?

 

[Neil]

True or false? Wool is to meat as fleece is to gasoline. (you can't eat wool and you can't wear gasoline, but gasoline will keep you warm for a very short while ground beef in your gas tank is a bad thing).

Which has the smaller ecological footprint?

 

[Aviarome]

So why didn't the use wool?

From their blog, this may answer why they didn't use wool initially. Though, I'm sure the fact that the overall industry shifted towards making more merino wool products in part swayed Patagonia into looking into wool more closely.

Aviarome

 

[Bill and Sheep]

I'm also in the "other" camp as I'm vegan and don't use any animal products. A lot of people don't realize how cruel the wool industry can be. It's not like the wool in mass marketed clothing comes from nice family farms- it's factory farming. If anyone is interested in learning more, this is a quick summary of why I don't wear wool.

http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_cruelty/wool.htm