Wool Blankets Weather It All
By Adelia Ladson
Wool is one of the earliest used textiles in the world with a history going back thousands of years. Somewhere, somebody looked at a sheep and said, “Hey! I wanna wear what he’s wearing.” And the rest is history.
Seriously, though, folks. The properties of wool put it way ahead of other textiles, making it suitable in any environment or weather condition. The crimp in the wool’s individual fibers give it more bulk than other textiles, allowing them to hold air. In turn, wool acts as a temperature regulator, keeping you either warm or cool. The fabric resists heat flow, impeding heat transfer either in or out, which makes it great insulation from the heat of the desert or the cold of the mountains. Just ask a Bedouin from the Sahara Desert or a Sherpa from the Himalayan Mountains.
Another benefit of heat flow resistance is that wool ignites at a higher temperature than other fabrics and has a lower rate of flame spread and a lower heat combustion. These properties have made it the specified fabric for carpets in airplanes and hotels and for garments worn by firefighters and other occupations that may be exposed to fire.
Wool is also the only natural fiber that retains its insulating abilities even while wet. It can absorb almost one-third of its own weight in water, giving it an inherent wicking ability. That being said, you can definitely see the advantage of having a wool coat or wool blanket when it’s cold and rainy.
As far as I can see, wool is the absolute perfect material, especially, when it comes to survival. So, now is the time to add one of our wool blankets to your camping gear, bug-out bag and even the trunk of your vehicle. We have a few to choose from in different styles and colors.
Our Trailblazer Buffalo Plaid Wool Blanket is great-looking and is actually perfect to add to your mountain cabin, hunting lodge or fish camp family room décor. Our military replica blankets are made to the United States Armed Forces standards, which make them especially suitable for camping and survival gear. The US Army Medic Wool Blanket features the Army’s medical insignia printed in black and the US Military Medic Grey Wool Blanket features “US” printed in black. All of these blankets are a thick and warm 80% wool and are a good size of 64”x 84”.
