New Mexico

8,000 Foot Elevation

12 July 2017

Dr John Gehm is from Texas, but he sent us these really interesting pictures from his June, 2017 trip to New Mexico. We love the way the LYNX Pattern works in the sand and the sage. The staff gives these pictures a sort of Biblical feel. Thanks Dr John!!! And thank you for becoming a WeatherWool Advisor.

 

 

 

28 December 2015, updated 13 March 2017

Jeff Cook of Washington State is one of our most thoughtful and active testers. And he gets OUT THERE a lot! Here is Jeff at 8000 feet in New Mexico in December 2015. This is just a gorgeous picture and an old Warrior of a Bull Elk taken specifically for the meat. Jeff actually has both a MidWeight Anorak and this FullWeight Anorak in LYNX. [As of March 2017, Jeff had given these Anoraks away to his Dad and to a favorite guide, and has purchased three more for himself.]

Here are Jeff's comments regarding the performance of the Anorak:

The wool performed excellent on the hunt. We were at 8,000 feet and saw temperatures from 10-degrees to 45-degrees. The wind was always blowing and on the last day we had a good snow storm. The wool performed great from the cool mornings with a stiff breeze on the ridge tops to the late afternoons with falling temperatures and long walks back to the truck. The Lynx pattern was perfect for the the broken snow landscapes on the North slopes and the brushy bottoms. We stopped this bull at 1,400 yards and crawled through the bottom of the valley in the background along the brush to 350 yards to shoot him in his bed. I pretty much lived in the wool for the entire hunt and gave it some good use. My perspiration would wick through the wool and freeze on the outside during the long hikes, but it kept me warm and dry. Now I just wish you made the Medium weight pants in the lynx pattern!

Jeff's observation that moisture wicked through the Anorak and froze on the outside while he stayed warm and dry on the inside is exactly why we have eliminated all liner fabrics from our garments. If we had used the typical synthetic liners that makers of other, coarse woolens use, the perspiration would have created a big wet rag on the back of Jeff's neck, and elsewhere, and he would have been cold and clammy. If Jeff had been wearing a typical ‘windproof and waterproof and breathable’ garment, perspiration would have condensed on the inside of the garment in the cold weather and Jeff would again have felt cold and clammy at best. Plus of course, the windproof-waterproof-breathable (never actually found one that was all three) garments don't have any warmth either. For more Tester Comments about Al's Anoraks, please click here. There are also Testimonials on the Anoraks.

THANKS for the story, and for working with us, Jeff! Always a pleasure!!

 

Corn Ranch in New Mexico

20 August 2017

Mike Corn was recently elected President of the American Sheep Industry Association! Mike is also owner Roswell Wool, the largest wool storage and auction house in the USA.

Like it says on the header of every page on this website, WeatherWool is the best pure-American Woolen Outerwear we can figure out how to make. And of course, the best woolens start with the best wool. And WeatherWool started with some super fiber from Mike Corn's Ranch in New Mexico.

Mike is now a WeatherWool Advisor. He has huge knowledge about sheep of course ... and some very interesting stories. The biggest threat to his sheep? Predators! Lots of them, several different kinds!! Mike is a friend of ours ... give him a call ... I'm sure you'll both enjoy the talk.

Mike and his son Bronson raise their sheep at elevation of 3500 to 6500 feet (1067 to 1829 meters) above sea level. Summer temperatures are guaranteed to exceed 110F/43C for two or three weeks. June brings scorching hot winds. The winter of 2014 hasn't even officially begun yet, but Mike tells me the temperature has already fallen below 10F/-12C. When I was visited in 2011 in February, low temps in the higher elevations were -30F/-34C. And of course it gets seriously windy on some of those frigid nights. The sun can be scorching, even in winter. Alex and I needed our wool to keep warm in the sub-freezing morning, but within a few hours the wool was protecting us from heat and sunburn.

Mike wrote me this morning: “We love our coats and vests. My son wears his vest every day! Very well made vest, warm and sheds moisture extremely well. Thanks for making such a Great product.” And THANKS for growing such great wool!

 What's good for the sheep is good for the shepherd!  Click here for more info on Mike and Bronson Corn and the Corn Ranch.

 

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