Weird thing about coats and warmth..

[SnowyPheasants]

I have a few good coats - an older Barbour wax, 2 long wool coats, a thin Barbour rain mac and a small puffer.

Surprised recently by something I discovered when out in the damp, biting cold of the north UK.
I wore a merino base layer under a donegal wool jumper with thick trousers and warm accessories and felt warmer than when wearing any of my coats!

Couldn't get my head around this as I have always loved coats, the bigger the better, and they can cover a multitude of sins, lol. But I can't lie, the decent combination of wool layers did make a terrific difference, and without the bulk (my woolies are not terribly chunky, just very good knits).

It left me slightly confused and disinclined to buy anymore expensive padded winter coats, maybe just something for the rain.

I too find some wools itchy and unbearable, but am fine with merino and lambswool. Cashmere irritates me for some reason and I am not fond of alpaca.

I love a good duffle but do find them heavy.

A lot of people can't afford wool, which is a tragedy in a first world country:(

@SnowyPheasants when farmers are fortunate to be paid pence for fleeces, it's appalling.

Wool is practically worthless to many farmers and yet look at the RRP of wool products, and then consider who the winners and losers are 😕

Wool is awesome. I'm a knitter, crocheter and spinner. The socks, hats, mittens and jumpers I've made myself out of good wool (and the wool garments I've bought and spent a decent amount on) are so much warmer than anything synthetic I've ever owned. They are just nicer to wear too. They need washing less often and seem to absorb nice smells like my perfume!

OH has had his Norwegian sweaters for decades. Great outdoors. He bought a Merino base layer last year which he loves. Barbours pah, stiff and cold but my drizabone was great when out feeding and letting out putting in poultry.

Weirdly the warmest windproof lightest coat walking the dogs is a faux fur cheapie from Roman clothing years ago. I guess it traps air.

Also wool socks are the only ones that truly keep feet warm when there is a circulation issue. Sheep’s wool, Mohair, Cashmere and Alpaca are wonderful for keeping my feet warm. Synthetic fibres not so much. Socks for day to day wear, rather than bed socks do benefit from a little bit of synthetic fibre to add strength, but the majority of the fibre must be wool or my feet are cold.

Wool doesn’t need washing even remotely as often as synthetic fibre. It is better to spot clean if a mark gets on a wool garment, then hang it up (well supported) and let it air. It has a self cleaning property. I wear a wool jumper or cardigan all winter and maybe a good part if the following winter too without washing it! Wool socks I do wash on a cool delicate machine wash and leave flat to dry. I don’t have problems with them, or wool jumpers and cardigans shrinking.

My Samsung washing machine does have a great wool cycle - 45 mins.
It does a better job than hand washing.

Where have you found the alpaca lambs wool mix, @JaceLancs ? I would love to know!

What's made it better for you? Whenever I've tried merino wool jumpers, they felt scratchy. I suppose it would probably be all right if I always wore a long sleeve top beneath it, since then it's not touching skin, but as my first layer is always a short sleeved top, I don't want to buy something so layering dependent. Mostly when I wear jumpers it's on a short sleeved top.

I can highly recommend Dilling for woolen clothing.
Excellent quality and very reasonable prices.
They also do a wool/silk blend which is lovely, and they do children's clothing.

@RunLolaRun102

The secret to preventing shrinkage in the washing machine is Woolite and cold water, followed by stretching and rolling the garment in a clean towel overnight, and drying flat after unrolling it.

@IlonaRN
maisonlener.com/en/fall-winter-women-collection/836-5658-overcoat-oversize-alpaca-virgin-wool-camel.html#/3-taille-l/12-couleur-camel
I have it in a grey and black herringbone
sometimes pop up in tkmaxx or Vestiaire

"If you’re going outside in horrid weather on your way to somewhere indoors that’ll be warm (office, restaurant, friends house, shop etc) then you will want to go for the big coat over the layers since it’s not possible to remove thermals without a full strip!"

Exactly. Imagine going shopping, in and out of shops all the time. You can't stop to take off all your mid layers, let alone your thermals, but you can take your coat off.
Also, if you have a good coat you can wear something nice underneath whereas if your coat is not good, you have to load yourself with thick things underneath and then the coat doesn't even fit on top.

"followed by stretching and rolling the garment in a clean towel overnight, and drying flat after unrolling it."

Life is too short.

I dont have a problem hand washing so long as the garment isnt too heavy. Waiting one day for it to dry isnt exactly long. I'm trying to cut down on mass produced shit though, which is likely an unwelcome concept considering the popularity of black friday

It takes all of two minutes to roll a damp sweater in a clean towel.

Surely synthetic knits dont keep people warm? They often make them insanely chunky too so impossible to cram under a coat.

Unfortunately these days many people can't afford to make a choice.
If anyone is struggling I would recommend a decent merino base layer from mountain warehouse, always on sale and very, very warm. Often much cheaper than an acrylic or polyester knit from H&M tbh.
Fleece also good for keeping out a chill, but they seem to be like marmite, loved or loathed. My DP wears one in winter but I don't suit them.

I have also purchased some very good wool coats 'as new' on ebay over the years, always worth a look there.

I doubt many people can either afford or justify over £300 on a jumper. Even if I can technically afford it, it feels a bit excessive. I personally don't find cashmere to age as well as reported, and I've had some good stuff in the past (Brora, etc). It is so very easy to mess it up.