How to stay warm: Wool vs. down vs. fleece

By Cheri Sicard
Even in normally warm areas of the country, the temperatures have been dipping below freezing this winter. If you are wondering about the best ways to stay warm, the video below from Adventures with the Marine can help. In it, our host compares wool vs. down vs. fleece.

Our experienced host says that having the proper clothing is perhaps the best way we mortals have to combat the conditions that Mother Nature throws at us. In this video, he looks at fleece, wool, and down, including the pros and cons of each and what situations and conditions they perform best under.

Wool

A natural fiber from animals, wool is a great choice for winter clothing. Traditional wool comes from sheep; however, wool from different animals has different names, for instance:

• Merino wool is made from merino sheep hair, which is softer and less scratchy.
• Cashmere wool is made from cashmere goats, which is warmer, softer, and lighter, but more delicate and much more expensive.
• Qiviut wool comes from musk oxen, which is the softest of all besides being lightweight and extremely durable. It’s also 8 times warmer than sheep’s wool.

Pros of wool

• Naturally water resistant/repellant (but not waterproof).
• Has great wicking properties.
• Is versatile for all temperatures.
• Offers UV protection.
• Is durable.
• It’s antimicrobial, antibacterial, and has built-in odor-resistant properties, which means it needs to be washed less often.
• Can keep you warm even if it gets wet. Watch the video for a tale of this in action when our host broke through the ice on a partially frozen lake.
• Naturally flame retardant.
• Environmentally friendly, all natural material. Wool will biodegrade in 3 to 4 months if buried in the ground.
• Semi-wind resistant but cannot replace a hard shell layer.
• Naturally mildew resistant.

Cons of wool

• Quality wool products can be pricey. The Marine recommends going to yard sales and secondhand stores as you can find some great scores. I must concur, depending on the area of the country you are shopping in, of course.
• Some types of wool can be itchy or uncomfortable to wear. Choose merino or alpaca wool and this problem disappears.
• It takes longer to dry than fleece.
• Clothing must be washed with care in order to avoid shrinking.
• Wool is heavy and can be bulky. While it’s OK if you are wearing it, it’s not something you will want to cart around in your backpack.

Down

Down, consisting of soft wispy filaments, is the plumage found underneath the exterior feathers of waterfowl such as ducks and geese. When buying down products, the down rating number is a measurement of quality. Watch the video for the technical explanation of just what this rating number is measuring, but know that down jackets with a higher rating number will be warmer, less bulky, and more packable than jackets with a lower rating number.

Pros of down

• Provides exceptional warmth and insulation, the best of any fiber to make winter garments.
• It’s ultra-lightweight. A warm jacket might contain just 3 to 4 ounces of down.
• It’s highly compressible and packable and takes up very little space.
• It can be compressed and expanded over and over again and will always keep its original loft.
• Down warms up faster than wool or fleece.
• All natural, environmentally friendly material.

Cons of down

• It’s expensive, with a good quality down jacket costing $200 to $300 or more.
• While it is water-resistant, when down gets wet it tends to stay wet and it loses those water-resistant properties.
• It’s not very durable. Campfire sparks or even twigs along the hiking trail can easily damage your expensive down jacket.

Fleece

Fleece is a synthetic polyester fabric that was introduced in the 1980s as an alternative to wool.

Pros of fleece

• Less expensive than wool or down.
• Good insulator.
• Easy to find in secondhand stores.
• Generally lightweight, although it is available in different weights for different levels of warmth.
• Different weaves from loose to tight provide different levels of breathability.
• Absorbs less water than wool and dries quicker. Moisture does not get trapped in the fabric, even as you sweat.
• Durable.
• Lighter weight than wool.

Cons of fleece

• While water-resistant, once fleece gets wet it provides zero insulation.
• Made of micro-plastics—in other words, not environmentally friendly.

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