[pct-l] Another horse to beat: wool vs synthetics?

[Charlie & Nancy Zapp]

I have pretty much gotten rid of my synthetics in favor of merino  
wool.  I have found that they dry pretty much as quickly as  
synthetics.  I also agree with the odor issues with both fabrics.  The  
only drawback with the wool is that it does not provide cooling as  
well as the synthetics.  Often while hiking in heat and humidity I  
will take a cotton T to wear in the day time and change into a  
Smartwool shirt in the evening.  I do think the merino wool fabric is  
a little more fragile synthetics, more prone to pulls etc.  I have  
mixed feelings about the socks.  The merino socks seem to "pack" more  
after a few days of wearing without washing.  The synthetic socks seem  
to be able to hold their cushion a bit longer.  For both types of  
socks I end up with toe nail cuts in the toes at about the same rate.   
This always seems more prevalent when hiking with wet feet.  Having  
said all that I have become a wool person.  Of the brands on the  
market I have had the best performance with the Smartwool brand.
Piece of Work

On Feb 14, 2009, at 11:05 AM, mcintyre johnson wrote:

Likely another long-beaten horse, but would appreciate experience with  
any
of the marina wool products compared to synthetics. My experience has  
been
very good and I'm in process of swapping out all base layers, gloves and
watch cap for SmartWool products. Good points: Wet-but-warm is for  
real; the
cozy feel of wool better than clammy-when-wet best synthetics; and --  
huge
advantage -- wool almost refuses to stink while synthetics reek after  
two
days of serious miles. I know synthetics are faster drying but (so  
far, in
my experience) this has not seemed very useful. Thoughts please.
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