Effect of lanolin on wicking

[Richard Brownkatz]

Anyone have any idea what effect adding lanolin to a wool garment would have on the garment's wicking abilities?
We added lanolin to some surplus military wool sweaters and it made them non-scratchy and pretty water resistant. Now I'm thinking of doing the same to some homemade wool balaclavas, mittens and booties, and to some Merino sweaters we will use as base layers.
Thanks.

[Dustin Short]

As far as sweat wicking I have no idea, I do know you're now wearing a pretty nice source of tinder though for survival situations…just be careful around flints and floating embers.

[Richard Brownkatz]

Thanks Dustin. Hadn't thought of that.

[Kevin Beeden]

I'd expect the lanolin to inhibit wicking, to some degree; that's why adding it makes it water-repellent (and why woolly animals produce lanolin (aka wool wax/fat) to waterproof their fleeces…).

[Rebecca Ribbing]

It will inhibit wicking. There's actually a whole group of people that cloth diaper and use lanolin-ized wool covers over the cloth diapers. According to my friend, there are no leaks at all, which means that the moisture would be kept inside against the skin. (Sorry if that's too graphic)

[Dustin Short]

(Sorry if that's too graphic)

It's only too graphic because you said "people that cloth diaper"and not "people that cloth diaper their babies". Combined with no mention of your friend being a parent or if they use this technique on themselves…

I'm assuming this is for babies, but the damage of the mental image has already been done and the resultant drinking to kill those memories begun.

[Rebecca Ribbing]

I'm so sorry for that bad image! I post mostly on backpacker.com where my name is Joyfulmama. I forgot it wasn't obvious from my name and photos that I have a kid. Yes, my friend is cloth diapering a baby ;)

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