Topic

Wool weight


Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Home Forums Gear Forums Gear (General) Wool weight

  • This topic is empty.
Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #1229582
    Yoyo
    Spectator

    @dgposton

    Locale: NYC metro

    Is there a formula for converting g/m2 into microns? Sometimes they list microns, other times g/m2.

    PS–Can someone recommend a summer-weight long sleeve wool baselayer for women that is super comfortable? (My wife couldn't stand the Smartwool lightweight).

    #1438574
    victoria maki
    BPL Member

    @clt1953

    Locale: northern minnesota

    david. have you looked into the merino wool shirt that bpl has to offer. i ordered one(it's alittle pricey),but doesn't itch like other wools i've tried. i have sensitive skin also…very light wt…vic

    #1438576
    Robert Devereux
    Spectator

    @robdev

    Locale: Pittsburgh, PA

    There's no way to convert microns and g/m2 since they refer to different things. The micron size is the thickness of each individual fiber of wool. g/m2 is a function of how the wool is woven. You can have thinner wool woven into a heavier fabric, thicker wool woven into a lighter weave.

    As for a woman's top, Icebreaker is generally more comfortable than Smartwool. Here are some of their long sleeve tops that are light for summer:
    http://www.icebreaker.com/site/icebreaker_woman_bodyfit150_ls_atlas.html
    http://www.icebreaker.com/site/icebreaker_woman_superfine190_airport.html
    http://www.icebreaker.com/site/icebreaker_woman_superfine190_mako_crewe.html
    http://www.icebreaker.com/site/icebreaker_woman_superfine190_mako_zip.html

    Ibex is another possibility:
    http://www.ibexwear.com/shop/ProductDetail.php?GID=942&VID=10879&Product=Outback-Long-Sleeve
    http://www.ibexwear.com/shop/ProductDetail.php?GID=944&VID=10907&Product=Escape-Long-Sleeve-Zip

    At least on those two options, Ibex lists both g/m2 and microns.

    #1438584
    Yoyo
    Spectator

    @dgposton

    Locale: NYC metro

    Robert,

    So…let me get this straight…microns refers to the mass of the actual fiber, while g/m2 refers to the density of the fabric as a whole?

    How does Patagucci wool 2 compare to icebreaker and ibex?

    #1438593
    Robert Devereux
    Spectator

    @robdev

    Locale: Pittsburgh, PA

    That's basically right. Micron the width of the fiber, so a lower micron fiber will have a lower mass (assuming the same length of fiber). g/m2 is the mass of the whole fabric.

    I've never worn Patagonia wool. Just touching it in stores makes me think it's not as soft as Icebreaker or Ibex.

    #1438612
    Eric Noble
    BPL Member

    @ericnoble

    Locale: Colorado Rockies

    If your trying to minimize itch and your not allergic to the fabric then the width of the fiber will have an impact. Ibex uses 17.5 micron in some of their garments, which is the finest I'm aware of for our purposes. There are really expensive suits made of finer stuff. I could be wrong but I believe all the other manufactures use 18.5 micron fiber. It's generally being poked by the ends of the fibers that causes the itch. The finer the fiber the more it bends and the less you get poked. I would imagine that the weave of the fabric could also have an impact but I would guess it would be small compared to fiber width.

    #1438639
    Richard Lyon
    BPL Member

    @richardglyon

    Locale: Bridger Mountains

    I've found Patagonia Wool 2 and Ibex to be the softest and most comfortable wool base layers, with Icebreaker close behind. Patagonia just released the weight of its wool base layer fabrics, and this has confirmed my "ouch test" that Wool 2 is the lightest out there – 111g/m2 for men's and 125g/m2 for women. Ibex is a bit heavier but a much tighter weave and therefore is more resistant to tears and pinholes. You can't go wrong with either (or, for that matter, with Icebreaker or MEC).

    #1438863
    Franco Malaguti
    Member

    @franco-1

    if Icebreaker Merino isn't comfortable, I don't know what is

    #1438888
    Woubeir (from Europe)
    BPL Member

    @woubeir

    Where did you get those figures? The Patagonia website still lists 148 g/m² as far as I can see.

    #1438937
    Yoyo
    Spectator

    @dgposton

    Locale: NYC metro

    I emailed Patagonia on the g/m2, still waiting for reply. I recently bought the wool 2 and can't wait to try it on my July trip to Colorado this summer. My only complaint with the wool 2 is a) the price and b) why did they put a big tag in the neck seam? This just adds unnecessary weight and another potential source of irritation for your skin. I also tend to find the seams in Patagonia's clothing (particularly the Capilene 2, 3, 4, etc.) a bit big and irritating.

    Oh, and I just ordered the Ibex woolies LS crew for my wife from Backcountry.com. It's 150 g/m2 if I'm not mistaken. (Patagonia wool 2 was not in stock, neither was Icebreaker 150–I prefer to buy from sites with 100% guarantees).

    #1439335
    Richard Lyon
    BPL Member

    @richardglyon

    Locale: Bridger Mountains

    Tom, see http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/patagonia.go?assetid=2301 Men's Wool 2 is 111g/m2, women's 125.

Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Get the Newsletter

Get our free Handbook and Receive our weekly newsletter to see what's new at Backpacking Light!

Gear Research & Discovery Tools


Loading...