Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Filson vs Cabela's wool- need info please

I originally ordered the windstopper version and returned it when I heard how noisy that liner is. Sounded like I had a sheet of paper in each pocket. I LOVE my unlined top & bottom. Unfortunately they don't offer the unlined version anymore.

I'd say order a set and see what you think about the liner. I was super picky about it and it may not bother you at all. The garments themselves have been great.

I have the wooltimate vest and i like it a lot. however, it does not contain that much wool....approximateley 20% without going to look.....

No. E

I have the wooltimate pants witht he liner. My pants have been very quiet and warm. The liner hasn't made any noise for, I guess I'm lucky. One thing to take note of on the wooltimate series is that the actual clothes are much lighter in color than they appear in the catalog. I saw the outfitter camo before I bought them and was surprised on how light they were. Because of that I ordered the high plains outfitter (has more brown) and it to was very light in color.
Berettaman is right they have less than 50 percent wool. I'm not sure on the amount but it's less.
I'm now using the Columbia Gallatin Range wool series. It's unlined and very warm. I had to pay full price for the pants but was able to get the jacket for 55 dollars and the wool boonie for 9 dollars. That stuff is very warm. Even when windy you still stay warm.

The Columbia stuff isn't 100 percent wool but it's around 70 percent if I remember right. It says dry clean only but a lot of people including a friend of mine says they've had good luck hand washing or washing on gentle and hanging up to dry.

Thanks for the advice!

Fellas,
Thanks for the poop. Have decided when I go home next month on leave that I will drive down south of Ft Lewis to Cabelas and check out the wool. If not happy, Household-6 and I will make a stop in Seattle and then on to our road trip thru the Rockies to conduct quality control operations.

Tough to think about this when we are hot as hell now; wx has cleared and I catch a bird at 0'darkthirty. This life-style just never gets old, even after 35 years...

Again fellas, thanks for all your input.
RLTW

Another note about the Columbia wool, it runs a little big. I normally wear large clothes and get my outer jackets in extra large to accommodate layers. I took my friends advice on ordering my regular size (large) and it is very roomy. I'm still able to wear layers underneath the jacket with out them getting bunched up and still have room to move. I have the hooded jacket and the pants are very roomy to. Some may not like the fit but I find the so called "athletic cut" to be too constricting to move around in.

I have Woolrich Malone pants that are 30 ounces, I think. They are very heavy and warm.

Columbia Gallatin is pretty good stuff, though not knit as tightly. It does run a bit big. If you wash it once or twice in cold water in a regular washing machine, it shrinks down to about the right size.

a few things ive seen in the wool clothes i own.

columbia- a wool-blend. 70 percent wool. good for the price. not a very tight knit fabric so doesnt cut wind very well.

cabelas wool- cant comment. dont own any

cabelas wooltimate- fleece/wool hybrid. tags say 26 percent wool. you can machine-wash in cold and it dries fast with no shrinkage. with the windshear liner, it's very warm. runs about one size big. ive become a believer in the outfitter camo pattern as well. i cant say enough good things about wooltimate, but if you buy it, expect it to feel more like a beefed-up fleece than a wool garment. the windshear-lined versions are very very close to the quietness of unlined wool garments. no itch. made overseas. windshear makes these garments great.

King of The Mountain Wool- best quality ive owned. very warm and quieter than anything else ive ever worn. i do believe its overpriced, though. Tags say 76% virgin wool. 10% cotton. 4% carbon/kevlar. assembled in mexico of US materials. thats on the new stuff. older stuff was USA made. despite being imported, and 10% cotton, you have to wear it to appreciate the quality. the wool fibers are long, like cat hair. supposed to be machine washable but i havent tried it. i hand wash all mine in the bathtub in cold water i think it will last forever. fit is true to size, and they do not offer custom-sizing. doesnt itch me, but i see how it could itch some people. doesnt cut wind as good as cabelas wooltimate with windshear. camo patterns blend in better in the woods than one might expect. naturally repels water well, but very heavy and slow to dry when wet. Any hard core wool junkie will love it. 26 oz wool weight.

sleeping indian- havent bought any yet. will update when i do. similar to king of the mountain, but still usa made and custom sizes are available. ive read that the weave is tighter than king of the mountain, but cant say that from experience. listed as 22 oz wool weight on their website.

this isnt everything ive tried, but its all that comes to mind at the moment..

im looking at the fred asbell pullovers right now. anybody got any comments or opinions on them?

a wool clothing guide shows wooltimate 7% wool if i remember correctly. the columbia wool was made from rag wool and not rated high in warmth retention or it was cabelas wool camo. i remember it left me wanting only llbean or filson. king of mt or sleeping indian is too pricey for me

Fellas,
Just a quick update. Ended up using a combo of some of my tried and true Filson ( Shirts, socks and long Johns- my oil skins would have been too heavy) and the Cabelas trou. Ripped the hell out of two pair of trou but that was kind of expected for what we were doing. Was in Baghlan, up north and got a bit nippy. When I needed a little more defense against the Hawk, just put on either one or even two pair of long Johns. Have been in the Konar since Jan and it is not as cool; in fact hot as sin now. If I stay here another winter will probably do the same as it worked for me. Hope you all had a great 4th; we shot tracer, 40mm and 120mms and the bad people just watched and chose not to come out and play.

HOOAH

I'm glad you're on our side... You sound a litle touched


I'm suprised that there's not more people pimping wool base layers on here. If you get a chance, add some merino wool to the arsenal. I've been using the Icebreaker 200 Bodyfit stuff. Unbelieveable how much it kicks the [bleep] out of synthetics. I'll be blowing some money on Smartwool base layers next. My only gripe with Icebreaker is they're a little short in the torso, and tend to wad up under your waist belt on a pack.

But seriously, try some for a base layer...

Touched?? Errr, shot at, blown up, frozen, burned, but touched, no. Nothing so gentle...

As to base layers, I live in Smart Wool and -33. Got a great deal over here on the -33 so got a basic metric shi%^& ton of tops and bottoms and live in the stuff for most of the year. Just put on the multi-cams and go to work. Even in the 120 degrees we are now enjoying I still sport the Smart wool light wts. under my Asolos.
As I am deployed with an ODA there is great latitude in what we can wear and use, so I take full advantage of that.