Cold weather – think wool. This Dachstein sweater could be a good investment for your survival gear.
by Leon Pantenburg
Sweater Chalet supplied the Dachstein Woolwear for this sweater review. I was not paid to do this review, and at the time of publication, SweaterChalet is not a sponsor of Survivalcommonsense.com.
Wool is a great fabric for cold weather. I have relied heavily on wool sweaters in different circumstances. Here’s how versatile the garment is:
The Dechstein 100 percent wool mittens, sweater and socks are durable, effective choices for cold weather wear.
However, the solution to the problem of hair loss is one of the major chemotherapy side generic cialis from india http://deeprootsmag.org/2015/11/11/video-moment-for-the-ages-3/ effects. So he can find generic viagra tab out what type of dyslexia that child has. Biliary dyskinesia is defined as a gallbladder evacuation http://deeprootsmag.org/2012/11/13/find-my-way-home/ buy cheap viagra disorder characterized by the inability to attain and sustain an erection even after sexual stimulation. Throughout the ages men are seen with single desire of vigorous sexual health that may viagra pills australia help them to maintain the masculinity.
- I was duck hunting, wading in 33 degree water up to my waist at dawn, breaking ice along the way. Periodically, I blew a feeding cackle on my call. The sound of whistling wings started to be heard. I swung the shotgun on a swooping mallard, tripped over a submerged log and did a face plant. I emerged sputtering, and headed for shore and my parked car. I was glad to have a wool sweater on underneath my camo.
- The temperature was in the upper 30s and the rain poured down. I was sitting in a tree stand, watching a whitetail buck edge toward me. The poncho covered my blackpowder rifle and kept me dry. The wool sweater kept me warm.
- The walk from the metro to the downtown Washington D.C office was going to be cold and nasty. Rain had turned to sleet, and I had about 3/4-mile to walk. I was glad to have a wool hat with three-inch brim, a wool sweater on underneath my trench coat and wool dress pants and socks.
In these situations, wool works well.
I’m always upgrading my winter gear, so the Dachstein all wool sweater intrigued me.
The sweater is imported from Austria, and business is headed by Herman Rabenhaupt. The company employs many stay-at-home knitters, according to their website, who are “able to enjoy the company of their children while working at their own pace on sweaters, socks, and gloves.”
Dechstein products are organic and processed with hot water only, according to their website. The business premises and process machinery are heated by a biomass heating system supplied by local forests.
Before doing a Dachstein review, I consulted a wool expert, my sister Karla Pantenburg Moore. In addition to being one of the most savvy homesteader-types I know, Karla is also a soaper and fibers expert. She teaches soapmaking classes, gardens and cans, washes and cards wool fleeces, then spins the yarn on a spinning wheel. She knits the yarn into beautiful, artisan fiber products.
Karla Moore spins wool yarn directly from the washed and combed fleece. Here is a sample of her work.
“The reason wool is so warm is that the fiber insulates so well,” she said. “A cotton sweater will wick the heat away from your body.”
Other aspects that affect a sweater’s heat retention, Karla added, was the type of wool used, the tightness of the yarn and what kind of sheep the fleece comes from.
First impressions of the Dechstein sweater are that it’s well-made and nearly bullet proof. It weighs in at about four pounds and is so thick and tightly knitted as to be nearly impervious to rain.
I started wearing the sweater immediately around my house, with the temperatures at about 65-70 degrees. It wasn’t too hot, since I wasn’t exerting myself. Outside, temperatures were between 20 and 30 degrees when my Labs take me for our nightly 1.4-mile walk.
For the past few weeks, all I’ve worn on these walks is the Dechstein sweater, a tee shirt, stocking cap, jeans and light gloves, and I’ve stayed comfortably warm.
The long sleeves worked particularly well with the Dechstein wool mittens. The mittens cover my hands about nine inches from the finger tips. The sleeves overlap the mitten cuffs and make a really warm seal.
The reason wool is comfortable over a wide temperature range, Karla said, is that wool “breathes” and and that helps regulate the body temperatures.
Here’s some wool info from the Dechstein website:
- Wool is up to 10 times more breathable than artificial fiber textiles.
- Sheep wool is antibacterial, anti-static, and does not irritate the skin.
- When worn often, wool does not retain body odors.
- Wool as a natural product, without being modified, has naturally a level of wind and water resistance.
- Wool can be 100% recycled and is nature friendly.
I liked:
Fit: All Dechstein sweaters fit the buyer. You measure a sweater that fits well, and your sleeve length, and send these measurements to the company. In short order, you have essentially a custom sweater.
Sleeves are long and loose. When your base layer shirt, watch, sweater and windbreaker cuffs all come together at the same point on your wrist, the mass bunches up, slides together, and at some point exposes bare skin to the cold. This won’t happen with a Dechstein.
I really liked being able to comfortably slide the sleeves up on my arms, without them being too tight.
Torso length: The sweater is long, and extends about four inches below my belt. This makes the design warmer, since it uses more wool and covers more body area than a conventional sweater. When you bend over, the sweater keeps you covered. This eliminates the plumbers butt view.
Weave: The weave is so tight as to be wind and water repellant. On one sleety dog walk, the sweater effectively repelled the moisture and chill associated with 30-degree temperatures and gusty wind.
Dachstein sweaters aren’t cheap. They start out at just under $200 and you’d drop three Benjamins getting the top of the line.
This makes them overpriced and overkill for most people…
IF
I was dressed entirely in wool on the cold November day this bull elk was harvested.
…all you want is a good-looking garment to wear casually in town. You can get something cheaper. The casual user, not particularly concerned about the heat retention of a garment, doesn’t need this kind of quality.
…you want to make a fashion statement. The Dechsteins are good looking, but their primary purpose is to keep you warm.
…you’re not concerned about durability or using organic products.
…you’re fine with cheap, machine-made sweaters that rely on slave labor to keep costs down.
“People are used to cheap, machine-made things,” Karla commented. “Anything handmade is going to be expensive. A handmade sweater takes a lot of time, energy and skill to make. At $200 -$300 each, I doubt the knitter makes much more than minimum wage.”
Still wondering if a Dechstein sweater is worth the cost? Then, think about what you might be using the sweater for, and where will it be worn.
Then, consider if the sweater could be an investment.
If you can see yourself wearing a sweater frequently, and relying on it as part of your survival gear, then a Dechstein is a good deal.
And maybe, someday, that quality sweater will keep you from getting hypothermic outdoors. Or it could be, the sweater helps you get home when the winter storm stalls the car and you are forced to walk.
At times like this, cost won’t even be a consideration, and you’ll be glad you invested wisely.
Please click here to check out and subscribe to the SurvivalCommonSense.com YouTube channel, and here to subscribe to our email update – thanks!
//