Minister of Meat
New member
Merino is naturally odor resistant and retains a significant amount of its insulating capability when wet. Breathes in heat, retains in cold.
Merino Socks?
- Thread starter montero ridge
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Merino is naturally odor resistant and retains a significant amount of its insulating capability when wet. Breathes in heat, retains in cold.
greatwhitebuffalo
Active member
Hmm... Interesting
Kind of sounds like all other wool with the exception of the scent blocker characteristic.
Kind of sounds like all other wool with the exception of the scent blocker characteristic.
Minister of Meat
New member
Yeah, it's the "it" thing in hunting fabric at the moment. But nothing replaces watching the wind. It's been around for awhile but then when Rinella started talking about the merino camo from FirstLite it became the had-to-have thing. I will say this though, I wore a FirstLite neck gaiter for the whole turkey season in Georgia and it never began to stink.
greatwhitebuffalo
Active member
I won't argue if it works.
Does anyone think that people would pay a couple of extra dollars for a better wool?
Does anyone think that people would pay a couple of extra dollars for a better wool?
MinnesotaHunter
Well-known member
Fun Facts about Merino wool:
- Merino is excellent at regulating body temperature, especially when worn against the skin. The wool provides some warmth, without overheating the wearer. It draws moisture (sweat) away from the skin, a phenomenon known as wicking. The fabric is slightly moisture repellent (keratin fibers are hydrophobic at one end and hydrophilic at the other), allowing the user to avoid the feeling of wetness.
- Like cotton, wool absorbs water (up to 1/3 its weight), but, unlike cotton, wool retains warmth when wet, thus helping wearers avoid hypothermia after sweating from strenuous exercise or getting rained on when outside.
- Like most wools, merino contains lanolin, which has antibacterial properties.
- Merino is one of the softest types of wool available, due to finer fibers and smaller scales.
- Merino has an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio compared to other wools, in part because the smaller fibers have microscopic cortices of dead air, trapping body heat similar to the way a sleeping bag warms its occupant.
- Merino is excellent at regulating body temperature, especially when worn against the skin. The wool provides some warmth, without overheating the wearer. It draws moisture (sweat) away from the skin, a phenomenon known as wicking. The fabric is slightly moisture repellent (keratin fibers are hydrophobic at one end and hydrophilic at the other), allowing the user to avoid the feeling of wetness.
- Like cotton, wool absorbs water (up to 1/3 its weight), but, unlike cotton, wool retains warmth when wet, thus helping wearers avoid hypothermia after sweating from strenuous exercise or getting rained on when outside.
- Like most wools, merino contains lanolin, which has antibacterial properties.
- Merino is one of the softest types of wool available, due to finer fibers and smaller scales.
- Merino has an excellent warmth-to-weight ratio compared to other wools, in part because the smaller fibers have microscopic cortices of dead air, trapping body heat similar to the way a sleeping bag warms its occupant.
I've suffered from swamp foot for years and I've been trying a plethora of merino socks over the years with mixed results. I recently invested in some Darn Tough merino socks and found them to work well for my needs. I like to have a liner so I bought a lightweight and heavier weight using the lightweight as the liner. They have been great and held up very well and even after a week in them they don't stink and they dry out fast.
If you notice above I say invested as they are not cheap but they do offer a guarantee but I haven't found anyone that's used or needed it. Time will tell but I know I'll be ordering more styles for other activities.
Good luck on the expedition of finding what works for you. I have more socks I've tried and found to not like than those that have but I feel it's well worth the investment to keep your feet as comfortable as possible. It seems to pay dividends at the end of a week long hunt.
If you notice above I say invested as they are not cheap but they do offer a guarantee but I haven't found anyone that's used or needed it. Time will tell but I know I'll be ordering more styles for other activities.
Good luck on the expedition of finding what works for you. I have more socks I've tried and found to not like than those that have but I feel it's well worth the investment to keep your feet as comfortable as possible. It seems to pay dividends at the end of a week long hunt.
sagebrush
Active member
Big difference between Merino and other wools is the diameter of the fibers and the size of the scales. Makes garments made from it softer and they don't itch. Other than that, wool is wool.
By the way, these are the best wool socks I have ever owned. My feet do not slip in them and I never have a blister with these socks. I have some that are 15 years old that will be going hunting with me this season. I have never worn out a pair. I wear them when bow hunting in AZ when the temps are in the 80's and I wear them elk hunting in the snow. Wick the sweat away when my feet sweat and trap air to insulate when its cold (down in the single digits anyway, never hunted colder than that).
http://www.basspro.com/RedHead-Lifetime-Guarantee-AllPurpose-Socks-for-Men/product/34713/
By the way, these are the best wool socks I have ever owned. My feet do not slip in them and I never have a blister with these socks. I have some that are 15 years old that will be going hunting with me this season. I have never worn out a pair. I wear them when bow hunting in AZ when the temps are in the 80's and I wear them elk hunting in the snow. Wick the sweat away when my feet sweat and trap air to insulate when its cold (down in the single digits anyway, never hunted colder than that).
http://www.basspro.com/RedHead-Lifetime-Guarantee-AllPurpose-Socks-for-Men/product/34713/
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It's been around a long time,it works. My ex used to make me socks.
Don't know about tv guys or what Smartwool does now that we made them a big name. They used to be very reasonably priced stuff. My 1st set of their long undies was about $49 a set. Mine last year was close to $100 a piece,but worth it. Only thing that comes close is Capaline,IMHO
Wicking properties are the best,makes for cool feet in hot conditions too. I don't overheat body wise much either,but I sure stay warm.
Don't know about tv guys or what Smartwool does now that we made them a big name. They used to be very reasonably priced stuff. My 1st set of their long undies was about $49 a set. Mine last year was close to $100 a piece,but worth it. Only thing that comes close is Capaline,IMHO
Wicking properties are the best,makes for cool feet in hot conditions too. I don't overheat body wise much either,but I sure stay warm.
montero ridge
New member
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I should clarify, I use a ankle cotton sock then a cotton/polyester blend snowboarding sock over that for warmth. The thickness is comfortable for me. but has performance issues I am not looking at merino wool for just scent purposes but more for performance and keeping my feet more dry and happier while hiking as cotton doesn't cut it. I have used cotton because I was not really aware of other alternatives. Doing more research, I have opened a whole new world to hunting in comfort it seems like.
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