Foo - wool or synthetic

I recently got new wool cycling socks and have a wool
jersey on the way. I like the way wool feels. Alternately
I have an old synthetic jersey that won't come clean--
smells no matter what.

Is Foo down with wool or synthetic? I like the retro-grouch points
of wool. Synthetic looks good on the right people. Discuss?

I find wool to be itchy. I've never had a problem with synthetic stuff smelling bad, but then I don't throw it in the hamper when it's still damp.

but then I don't throw it in the hamper when it's still damp.

*. . . oh* [lightbulb goes on].

Wool.

I'll buy stuff like the foo jersey in synthetic cause I really want one, but I am phasing out my synthetics.

I just like the feel of wool*, and the performance characteristics. That it looks better and has no stench seals the deal.

Downsides are cost and fragile in the wash....like a Brooks saddle, they need extra love.


*What X said - CBad have u tried Woolsitic or another really soft jersey? I know some people are more sensitive...my wife has fair skin and can't wear ragg wool or anything too scratchy. She wears the nice Woolistic stuff with a (synthetic) base, tho, no problems.

I know I been hand washing my wool socks.
hang to dry on spokes next to heater vent on
my soma

There are some synthetics that have more funk than The Brothers Johnson.
Wool, wool, wool.

There are some synthetics that have more funk than The Brothers Johnson.


and not in a good way

The only thing I don't like about wool is that it comes
from sheep. Sheep are cute but destructive little
green house gas emitting meadow maggots.

baaa! tough crowd!:eek:

sheep: tasty when marinated and subjected
to charring

socks: I don't remember but I don't think so.
wool can take a lot of abuse I have just
arbitrarily decided to take better care of these.
I used to machine wash and tumble dry wool boot
socks and they seemed to work fine.

are they smartwool socks? I've had great luck just throwing mine in the washing machine.

I had much worse luck when i accidentally threw a dry-clean-only sweater into the washer/dryer. :(

+1

At least the sheep are way off in New Zealand, bugging no one.

Except New Zealanders, I guess.

they like sheep, that's why they moved there-to be near the sheep.
just like we came to America to bring corn to the New World.

they like sheep, that's why they moved there-to be near the sheep.
just like we came to America to bring corn to the New World.

I see what you did there.

I find wool to be itchy. I've never had a problem with synthetic stuff smelling bad, but then I don't throw it in the hamper when it's still damp.

I get that too with some types of wool. Old school acrylic is horrible stuff though.

smartwool socks have been fine for me too

My Thor-lo cotton and spandex socks shrink more in the machine.

Synthetic stinks, literally. It's the wonder fabric of yesteryear. The new Merino wool is better in all respects except price.

One good source: http://www.ibexwear.com/shop/Products.php?Cat=1078&SubCat=40&Gender=Mens

Yep, I got a couple of sweaters. One was given to me and is acrylic. I Like everything about it except the fact that it's acrylic. I think I would go with just about any other material for a sweater. I prefer merino wool.

Ibex is wonderful, maybe the best out there, imo. Good stuff.

Swobo is decent too but I have found their fit a bit weird.

Woolistic is awesome, but super pricey.

Wool all the way. Smartwool mostly. Can find remainders online for uh... less than sticker price anyway. I wash it in cold in the (front-loading) machine same as everything else, but then airdry. The occasional item goes through the drier and nothing bad seems to happen but...

Wool all the way. Smartwool mostly. Can find remainders online for uh... less than sticker price anyway. I wash it in cold in the (front-loading) machine same as everything else, but then airdry. The occasional item goes through the drier and nothing bad seems to happen but...

Spot on, at least for jerseys. Lycra bibs for shorts, but merino wool is great for jerseys. Machine wash in cold water using Ivory Snow or something equally gentle (not Woolite!) and air dry. Done that way, merino woll starts soft and comfy and just . . . gets . . . better. :love:

What the hell are you people doing to get synthetics to stink?

What the hell are you people doing to get synthetics to stink?

sweat bacteria, over time just builds up. Some of us are so macho we just stink more. That's how my sweat rolls...
I washed my jerseys in cold water & hung dry....I still have a few synthetic Jerseys (Foo, for one) that haven't been worn yet - I may try washing in warm water right off the bat to see if that helps.

What the hell are you people doing to get synthetics to stink?

Well, with my cycling shorts I tend to rub my sweaty crotch all over it. That might have something to do with making it smelly.

Well, with my cycling shorts I tend to rub my sweaty crotch all over it.

hey, I'm gonna try that.

Wool for the win. I have a SmartWool undershirt that is far and away my favorite garment. If civilization went to hell and I had to pack up the family and run for the hills, the first thing I'd do is grab that shirt.

Wool socks. Everything else, synthetic.

Wool socks. Everything else, synthetic.

even the purple fuzzy hat?

Yup. That's synthetic.

Yup. That's synthetic.

Fooled me! It has such a nice natural look:D

Find me a purple sheep.

I'm allergic to wool. As in, I'll get red rashes from it.

I have yet to make my synthetic wear stinky. Guess I need to try harder or something. :D

Find me a purple sheep.

Oh, snap!

no, wait, that wasn't right either

Oh, snap!

no, wait, that wasn't right either

no. That snap didn't work AT ALL!!!! you fail.


EPICALLY!!!!

Wool, merino wool. I thought with the technological advancement, fabric engineers could come up with a synthetic version, but alas, hasn't happen yet.

Synthetic stinks, literally. It's the wonder fabric of yesteryear. The new Merino wool is better in all respects except price.

One good source: http://www.ibexwear.com/shop/Products.php?Cat=1078&SubCat=40&Gender=Mens

I just received my Ibex jersey and knickers. Holy cow! It's softer than lamb's wool! Merino wool has longer fibers than other wools, so it has less itch. Machine washable/dry flat, nice.

I've worn them just once. I expect to like them for many, many wearings.

My Smartwool socks are machine washable and dryable. Nice.

I still have synthetics and haven't had issues with residual odor. I use 1/4 cup of white vinegar in my rinse water for all my exercise/sweat-soaked clothes, have for years; works to keep the bacteria from setting up shop.

I just got the Ibex knickers too...they are just awesome, period.:)

I swing both ways:

I love Merino wool socks; I may never wear any other type of sock, whether for cycling, casual wear, formal wear, those black socks that ugly guys wear in porn flicks, whatever, I am definitely down with Merino wool socks.

I also have a couple short sleeve Merino wool base layers and one long sleeve Merino wool full zip cycling jersey (both from Ibex) and I conditionally love those too: They are wonderfully soft/comfortable, definitely no itch factor. They're very warm; if anything, they're too warm, as they seem to be much warmer than the equivalent synthetic product, so when I think "ah, looks like I should wear a long sleeve full zip cycling jersey today" I wind up overheating if I grabbed the Ibex instead of the Pearl Izumi or Louis Garneau etc.

But I also love my synthetics. Got way more of them than I do wool garments.

And I wash them all in the machine, all together, and hang 'em to dry, and none of 'em stink or fall apart.

eeee-ew

just got in from morning commute - synthetic base, mid and outer shell. and all three stink!

why, oh why did god make me so macho?:cry:

I also have a couple short sleeve Merino wool base layers and one long sleeve Merino wool full zip cycling jersey (both from Ibex) and I conditionally love those too: They are wonderfully soft/comfortable, definitely no itch factor. They're very warm; if anything, they're too warm, as they seem to be much warmer than the equivalent synthetic product, so when I think "ah, looks like I should wear a long sleeve full zip cycling jersey today" I wind up overheating if I grabbed the Ibex instead of the Pearl Izumi or Louis Garneau etc.

I get to know the fabric weights of different brands. I've wound up gravitating entirely away from ibex, but w/ smartwool, micro-and light-weight work for me and my seasons. Medium is just too much for me. I have a very few times worn 1 micro- and 1 light- layer. And when I got my new commuting raincoat, which is heavier and less ventilated than the one it replaced, I had to dial back one level of weight...


But I also love my synthetics. Got way more of them than I do wool garments.

And I wash them all in the machine, all together, and hang 'em to dry, and none of 'em stink or fall apart.

I gave about half my synthetics away here at BF, and the other half just recently at a homeless camp.

Regular wool was always way too itchy for me. Synthetic stinks BAD even if I soak and wash it right away. Once I found Merino wool, my whole world has changed. Such great stuff. I am trying to slowly replace all my stuff with merino.

sheep: tasty when marinated and subjected
to charring

socks: I don't remember but I don't think so.
wool can take a lot of abuse I have just
arbitrarily decided to take better care of these.
I used to machine wash and tumble dry wool boot
socks and they seemed to work fine.


mutton is the sheep. mmmm.

eeee-ew

just got in from morning commute - synthetic base, mid and outer shell. and all three stink!

why, oh why did god make me so macho?:cry:

You aren't pgoat for nuthin'.

I pass some angora goats and llamas on the way up my favorite hill. The oderiferousness is what reminds me of where I am on the climb. It permeates goat's milk as well. Mmmmm, goats!

You aren't pgoat for nuthin'.

I pass some angora goats and llamas on the way up my favorite hill. The oderiferousness is what reminds me of where I am on the climb. It permeates goat's milk as well. Mmmmm, goats!

I love that smell....wooden barns and goat poo and fresh cut grass and whatnot:love:

laugh if you wanna, but it beats the hell outta diesel fuel....bleccch!:mad:

At least the sheep are way off in New Zealand, bugging no one.

Except New Zealanders, I guess.


they like sheep, that's why they moved there-to be near the sheep.
just like we came to America to bring corn to the New World.

Our infatuation with sheep is being replaced by dairy cows and vineyards.:D The number of sheep is the lowest it has been for years, something like a mere 45 million sheep. There is no money in sheep and wool at the moment, but if you have a high rainfall or irrigation there is money in dairy and if you have the right local climate there is money in wine.

I'm mildly allergic to wool so I have to wear synthetics or cotton.:( I can tolerate a wool hat, if it doesn't touch the back of my neck and wool socks and that is it. If I wear wool anywhere else, then I itch for at least half an hour after taking the garment off, so I hate to think what it would be like once I got hot.:twitchy:

BTW, I'm also mildly allergic to linen and bee stings.

If Icebreaker Merino wasn't so expensive I would like to try a top to see if the superfine Merino aggravates my allergy.

:mad:

If you bas-tards drive up the price of merino wool or drive the merino-producing sheep to extinction just for more stupid cows, we're totally sinking your island into the ocean.

If you can produce the super fine merino that the Italians want for suits then you are probably ok. It is mainly the meat and other wool producing sheep that aren't worth money for a farmer. So we are probably safe from sinking from the US.:p

Oh and if everyone else swears that merino is the bees knees and the must have fabric of choice they will drive the price up not us.

well, whatever happens, hands off the stinky goat hair, k?

holy cow.


am wearing a synth. base top - second time I have worn it. third commute....and it smells like a sewer......

I just picked up three more smartwool base tops this weekend......I'm done with synthetics, I tells ya:mad:

i do wool inner and synthetic outer for cold weather stuff. Warm weather multi-day adventures are wool only.

Wool itches. Anyone who says it does not is lying.

Also the claim that it is cool in hot weather is a bodacious fib. The people I see claiming it to be so are usually sweating profusely, trying to rationalize their decision to wear a warm sweater on a hot day.