Dry Plus membrane on wool?

[elk killer wannabe]

I am considering buying a Cabela's Outfitter's Series wool hunting suit. It comes in either plain wool or with a Dry Plus membrane. Do you think the Dry Plus is necessary with wool since it is naturally water repellent and stays warm even when wet? Also, does anyone know if the Dry Plus gets noisy in cold weather? One of the things I love about wool is how quiet it is. I would hate to lose that by making it noisy with a membrane on it. Thanks.

[dbl-haul]

If you are counting on just the wool for rain protection I would recommend getting the dry-plus as well. Wool does have natural water repellent properties, but in heavy rain it will soak through and get garments under the wool wet. I have bow hunted in extremely cold temperatures with dry-plus and in my opinion it is quiet, but not as quiet as just wool – hard to get a complete waterproof material that is completely silent in frozen conditions. Another great characteristic of wool is that it has great sound dampening qualities and will muffle excess noise.

[elk killer wannabe]

Thanks dbl-haul,

That's pretty much what I thought as far as the water repellency issue. It is good to hear that the Dry Plus is not too noisy n cold weather. I agree that wool does seem to dampen noise quite a bit and that is another thing I love about it too. I guess maybe I'll just have to cough up the extra $70 to get the Dry Plus. I plan on keeping this suit for a very long time so it won't seem like much to spend in the long run. I just have to convince my wife now. ;-)

[LLOYD]

One other possibility would be to buy the wool clothing without the Dry Plus, thereby getting the advantages of pure wool(quiet, nautural resistance to light rain, etc.) and buying a rain shell to put over the wool should you be in very wet conditions. This, of course only makes sense if you are not in an environment which is wet most of the time. One other point about wool being warm when wet is that although it may continue to insulate, wool can become very heavy if it gets water logged.

[Brent]

If you are looking for something quiet and waterproof, you might want to consider a garment with MTO50. Such as the item below:

Cabela's GORE-TEX® MTO50® Ultimate Insulated Hunting Jacket with Scent-Lok® Item:
XF-960081

This stuff is super quiet and 100% waterproof!!!

[RNTbomb]

Just remember that wool is so great because of it great insulating properties and its breathiblity. Dry-plus may be a "breathable" polyurathene membrane or coating but the garmet be it Dry-Plus, Gore-tex, PVC....will be much much more breathable with out the membrane or coating added to it. Wool is designed for cold temperatures and last time I checked it does not rain below 0. All it has to be is water resistant to keep snow out!!! Wool parkas are a great way to keep you hands and feet warm?

[elk killer wannabe]

Thanks guys. I already bought the suit and decided not to get the Dry Plus. I talked to my outfitter and he said basically that at the time I will be there (northern NM in early Dec) there will be no rain, just snow if anything. I will bring a poncho with me just in case but I don't think it will be a problem.

RNT Bomb wrote: "Wool parkas are a great way to keep you hands and feet warm?"

Where did this come from? The only thing I can say to that is when my core body is warm my hands and feet stay warmer. But, I don't see that anybody made that statement here. Oh well.

[RNTbomb]

The reason that I threw in there the little crack about the hands and feet is because somebody earlier in the reply's brought up that you should buy an active insulation jacket (ie. Thinsulate). It just really up sets me when someone is have a good conversation about a great insulator (Down, Wool, Primaloft, or some other high loft polyester's) and someone comes along and throws in there a "great" parka that will keep you warm if you hunt in warm weather or layer under it (with a wool, or down vest). Sometimes I forget that most of the gentlemen that write on these forms know the basics about general outdoor stuff, I just talk to too many people that want a 8,000 gram boot to keep there feet warm. So I guess the real reason I write on these forms is to try to help answer some questions but more to let me speak my opinions about the outdoor world something I don't get to do very often. I just have always questioned stuff and in my job you are not suppost to quesion stuff just believe everything and try to explain something you don't believe.


Like why are TMA certified treestands ever recalled???

Why if you fart in Scent-lok can you smell it???

If Thinsulate is measured in Grams per square meter (weight) and provides 1 ½ times the warmth of down and nearly twice the warmth of other high-loft synthetic insulations when equal thicknesses are compared.

And Down is measured in Ounces per yard(weight), and according to the Down Association of Canada, down is about 3 times warmer per ounce when compared to synthetics.
So I guess my real question is how thick is thisulate???
Just to give you something to chew on 200grams equates out to 5.89 oz. makes that 8 oz down coat look pretty warm!

Sorry about the little complain session I just had an argument with a guy at work about down jackets being to thick to pull your shotgun up to you shoulder. I hope you have a great Elk Hunt, from now on I will try to just answer questions and keep my 2 little cents worth of info for myself.

[elk killer wannabe]

RNTBomb,

That's cool, I happen to agree with you 100%. I just didn't understand where you were coming from originally. I think wool and down are both incredible insulators and hard to beat. My only complaint about down is the noise factor. I am mostly a deer bow hunter so I am very concerned about my clothing making noise. If they could make a down coat as quiet as wool I would buy it. I love my down sleeping bag though.

Keep on questioning, that's what makes life interesting.

EKW

[grayling]

Good thread!

The only question I have is why would you wear wool when you will be hiking through the mountains of N Mexico? You said that it is December, an obvious cold month, but wool, whether it is with Dry-Plus, or dry, or wet, can be heavy. It will get wet, especially with persperation, and snow that sticks to it, and melts because of body heat.

Unless you are hunting and returning to a nicer base camp each night it will be difficult to dry out in a one night period and be ready for the morning hunt. If you are out at a spike camp you will be limited to dry storage that can be heated to a high enough temperature that will be able to dry out your wool suit.

Layering was mentioned earlier and probably only because in the conditions you are going to see, it makes more sense to have articles of clothing that can be taken off when the body begins to overheat. I think wool is great for stand hunting in late seasons of the north but chasing game in the mountains might be impracticle. It is also a material that is hard to pack and you should be checking with your outfitter as to how many pounds you are allowed to bring into camp. Many in AK allow between 50-75 pounds per person.

I use wool bib clothing for deer hunting but when I do still hunting I have to take it off due to being to hot.

Take some back up clothing just in case.

Let us know how you do hunting. I hope your trip is successful!

Grayling

[elk killer wannabe]

Grayling,

I see your point but my hunt is going to be a little different than you imagine. It will be on a ranch in relatively flat high desert type country (7000 ft). I wanted a hunt that would not be too physically difficult for my dad who I am taking with me. We will be returning to the guide's ranch house for lunch and at night. He has a few places set up along fields that have been very productive for stand hunting. If necessary, I can strap the suit to my pack and put it on once I reach the stand. I will also be bringing lighter weight clothes as well for spot and stalk hunting or if the weather is warm. We are driving and weight of my gear is not an issue and I can bring all the clothes I want.

Also, I ended up buying the Columbia Gallatin Range wool suit rather than the Cabela's brand. It is not very heavy. It is not as nice as the Cabela's suit but it was 1/3 the price and will suit my needs just fine I think. Like I said, it is just one of the many choices of clothes I will be bringing along.

Thanks for the input and I hope my trip is successful too. Especially for my dad as this will probably be his last elk hunt.

EKW

[grayling]

Enough said. I have done a similar hunt and they can be very exciting! Good luck to the both of you. Nothing like a father and son hunt, no matter what ages you are at.

Grayling