Outdoors writer Tom Lounsbury marvels at the many uses of wool

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Raising alpacas is gaining popularity in the U.S., with nearly 250,000 of them. However, sheep remain a wool-producing mainstay with more than 5 million in the U.S. Both sheep and alpacas have played major roles throughout time.

Sheep graze on new spring grass in a Thumb area pasture recently. Shearing time isn't far away.

Sheep ewes and lambs are pictured. Spring is "lambing time."

Tom Lounsbury

To adapt to the elements and survive the rigors provided by Mother Nature, humans, being hunters, first started out by wearing animal skins. The game they hunted not only provided food, but also materials for clothing, bedding and shelters. Eventually, humans started weaving animal hair for the same purposes.

Weaving sheep's wool dates to 10,000 BCE, when domesticating animals became a dependable and steady source for sustenance. Besides sheep's wool, the soft undercoats of goats (mohair) and camels were also used. Unlike cattle, which have hair, bison in North America have wool, which certain Native American tribes would weave into cloth. Unlike other animals which require shearing to obtain their wool, bison annually shed their heavy winter coats each spring, and gobs of wool could be gathered from trees, branches and whatever else the animals rubbed on to make room for a new summer coat.

Muskox do the same each spring and shed (molt) their inner, soft wool called qiviut, which is made into yarn, and at over $35 an ounce, it is the most expensive wool. Spinning qiviut into yarn was first done by an Alaskan home economics teacher in 1935, and domesticating muskox for wool production in Alaska began during the 1950s.

Way up high in the Andes Mountains of South America, the alpaca was bred many centuries ago, primarily for growing wool. Its larger close relative, the llama, was designed for work, but the smaller alpaca was bred for its soft wool, and its ingenious evolution from the wild vicuna was intentionally done. There is no evidence of there ever being any wild alpacas in the Andes, so it is the epitome of a domestic animal.

Wool has been beneficial to mankind throughout history, and besides garments and blankets, sheep's wool was the key material used for the sails of Viking ships. It was also used for creating shelters, such as the yurts still used in Mongolia today. The Incas used alpaca wool to create bridges to span across deep gorges in the Andes Mountains.

Being outdoors a lot, I’ve long depended upon wool, especially sheep's wool, as the mainstay in garments for handling a wide range of activities in a sometimes very challenging environment. A case in point happened nearly four decades ago on the opening morning of a Michigan firearm deer season.

I had permission to hunt on property bordering the north side of the Cass River. A side road bordered the south side, where I parked my truck on the shoulder and my hunting partner and I unloaded my canoe in the predawn darkness and lowered it down the steep embankment to the river. Crossing the river at this point would put us smackdab in the middle of matters in a quick, quiet and efficient manner.

For good measure, a snowstorm had just started and would quickly reach near-blizzard proportions, but it was truly a great opening morning atmosphere. A cedar-choked river bottomland during a snowstorm wasn't a bad place at all to be, because deer would be instinctively moving into the dense cover to weather the storm, and we’d be ready and waiting. This was back in the "stump-sitting" days, and any place which looked good would do the trick.

I was in the bow of the canoe because I knew in the darkness where we needed to beach. It took no time at all to cross the river, and I grabbed a handy tree branch to pull the canoe's bow up onto the riverbank. However, the branch snapped off and I went left arm-first into the water and nearly overturned the canoe.

Fortunately, the water wasn't more than knee-deep, and my hand was on the river bottom stopping the canoe from turning over, but I was in an awkward position and my only recourse was to slide on out of the canoe and into the water. Although shallow, the water was deep enough to get me thoroughly wet, and after pulling the canoe out, the only thing I had dry was my right arm, shoulder and head.

When asked if I wanted to head back to the truck, I let it be known I was there to hunt. Those long-awaited opening mornings only happen once a year!

What helped my situation is that I was wearing wool, including long underwear, socks, shirt, gloves and jacket. The only things not wool were my L.L. Bean boots and hunter-orange hat. A couple things were on my side because being on low ground and in heavy cover kept the wind at bay, and the temperature wasn't anywhere near subzero, but it sure was snowing!

Stump-sitting worked until a half hour after daybreak, when I realized I needed to move a bit, so I decided to begin still-hunting. Snow was coming down hard enough that I had to periodically blow my rear aperture sight clear on my 12-gauge Marlin "slug-gun." The swirling snow also limited visibility and created a surreal atmosphere. That is when a large doe walked by with a nice buck following close behind.

Neither deer sensed my snow-covered presence, and I slowly shouldered my shotgun and dropped the buck on the spot with a neck shot at a range of less than five yards. I tagged the buck and was field-dressing it when my hunting partner, having heard the shot, arrived to lend a hand if needed. He had also had enough of sitting out in a blizzard. The canoe wasn't far away, and we were soon back at the truck.

There is a saying that "wool can keep you warm, even when wet," and I can attest that in certain conditions it can get you by, but I can also attest that wearing wet wool in a blizzard is none too comfortable, either! Regardless, I confidently swear by wool.

I’ve been in backcountry situations where doing laundry wasn't much of an option. This is where I discovered that high-tech materials, especially regarding socks and underwear, can get a bit smelly over time, whereas wool does not, something it has a sound reputation for.

The fact is, there is a resurgence in the outdoor garment industry to have wool underwear noticeably back in the game (my favorite long underwear is made from merino sheep's wool, which is not itchy and is quite soft next to the skin).

A couple years ago, my wife Ginny was at a craft show and purchased a pair of alpaca boot-socks for me. They soon became my favorite because they remained odorless after repeated use and dried quicker than socks made from sheep's wool. This is because the long alpaca fibers are hollow, thus hold more heat and offer less water absorption, making them ideal for transferring perspiration.

Alpaca wool also doesn't contain lanolin and is lighter in weight than sheep wool. Although I won't sell my sheep wool socks, because they still do just fine, those alpaca socks are my favorite, and I began a search to find more.

Last year, I discovered a great online source for alpaca wool products, not only socks, but other apparel as well. PAKA Apparel (www.pakaapparel.com) manufactures everything in the Andes Mountains of Peru and employs over 100 local women who are artisans at weaving alpaca wool, which is purchased from local farmers. There is a very personalized touch to all the PAKA products, which are each accompanied by a card identifying the lady artisan who wove and created it. It is an ancient skill passed down by their Inca ancestors.

First on my shopping list were alpaca socks, which come in a variety of weights, from lightweight for running/walking shoes to heavy duty for boots, and I ordered both types to handle a variety of outdoor activities. I was so impressed with the quality that I ordered a "hoodie" as well, which has proven to work ideal as a mid-layer or just by itself. The hoodie is very soft, flexible and form-fitting, and I’ve worn it for just about everything I do outdoors. It also works great for casual wear. There are no strings or pockets, as it is simply an honest and very functional hoodie, which certainly works for me.

Raising alpacas in this country has been gaining in popularity, especially in recent years. It is estimated that there are almost 250,000 alpacas in the United States, but they are still outnumbered by the more than 5 million sheep!

High-tech materials have become very popular when it comes to outdoor apparel. However, wool has always maintained a strong foothold, because it is nature's (aka "green") miracle fiber which has been dependably used by humans for eons and is still ticking today.

Whatever type of wool you select, rest assured that it will work as advertised, as it always has.

Email freelance outdoors writer Tom Lounsbury at [email protected].