
 BJ> Another thing to consider for a survival kit, at least here in Washington
 BJ> State, WOOL clothing. Wool is one of the few fabrics which have the
 BJ> ability to keep you warm even when wet. (And as you might well know, here
 BJ> in Washington state it is often wet!) Having done considerable
 BJ> back-packing in the Olympics, I always wore wool clothing: pants, shirts,
 BJ> coats, hat, and socks (men's nylon stockings underneath). Used military
 BJ> wool clothing, which can be purchased at the Goodwell store, works great.
 BJ> I taught a survival class a few times and had a demonstration showing that
 BJ> when wet, it is better to be naked then wear wet cotton clothing. To
 BJ> see for yourself, fill a few 1 gallon used coleman fuel cans with 100
 BJ> degree water. Have each can wrapped in different cloth, say cotton, wool,
 BJ> ski jacket, acetate, polyester, and one with no cloth on it. Thoroughly
 BJ> wet each can and cloth and let set out side in a slight breeze for about
 BJ> an hour. Then use a thermometer to read the temperature of the water in
 BJ> each can. The several times I did the demonstration, the cotton can was
 BJ> several degrees colder than the bare can. The wool can was always the
 BJ> warmest. (When dry, however, cotton holds the heat better than the wool,
 BJ> but by only a few degrees.) Bill

Yes.  I frequently forget to add information about wool when I am writing.
Thanks for reminding me!  Also of note is that wolverine fur (on the endangered
species list) is the only fur that will not ice up when used as a ruff for a
parka hood.

