DS is asking for some more warm clothes for his bday and xmas. He wants some warm socks and sweaters. Quick question though… when something says it’s ragg wool, that’s the rough, itchy one right?
Ragg wool is not necessarily itchy. That depends more on the fabrication and if it is a blend or high quality lambswool etc. Ragg wool more describes the look of the garment with ragg wool having a marled look to it.
^Yes, often, although some people just use that term for the marked pattern.
I would recommend fleece and any of the washable wools. Maybe your son is better at managing his wardrobe than mine is, but if it requires special handling to stay clean, it is likely to get worn until it is past any normal cleanliness standard, then to come home at the holidays for cleaning.
Thank you for your responses! Looks like I’ll need to actually head out to feel the materials before I buy. The sweaters marked as ragg wool are largely far less expensive than the ones that are lambswool or cashmere blends. I don’t know if that makes a large difference in feel. He definitely doesn’t want anything that will irritate his skin.
He’s been (so far, it’s only been 2 months!) really good about taking care of his clothes. He only washes his jeans every so often & doesn’t put them in the dryer. He’s also already gone through an entire bottle of oxy clean max stain remover on his ultimate frisbee clothes!! LOL
Merino wool. It’s non-itchy, lighter weight an thinner but just as warm.
+1 merino wool. I just got my two kids Smartwool 250 weight base layer shirts that feel soft and fluffy (for reference around $95 a pop). Icebreaker also makes nice things at similar price point, plus they used to (might still) have a “which farm is your wool from” tag on their clothes that my family thinks is very cute.
Some may find merino wool not itchy but for me ANY wool is horrible. Put on a sweater recently that contains a small amount of marino wool and didn’t know ahead of time it had wool and as soon as I put it on I knew. . It irritates me to no end. Have to ask your son whether he thinks wool is bothersome in general.
@maya54 He’s never owned anything wool. The sweaters I sent him to school with are cotton blends. These are the first sweaters he’s ever worn.
I can’t wear wool…not even 5% wool…or cashmere or merino wool or any other wool…and this is even with a turtleneck or whatever under the sweater.
For warmth, I strongly suggest polar fleece. It’s machine washable, very warm and can be layered under jackets and the like. My kids both have polar fleece vests as well as zip up jackets.
@ChaosParent23 I’m assuming you are looking for warmth. If so, I would suggest fleece over wool. If he’s never worn wool before, I’d say no.
The possible exception would be socks. Get one pair of Smartwool socks and see if he can wear them comfortably. I can’t, but some folks who don’t deal well with wool can.
My kid who went to college in Boston never had wool socks…but he did have thinsulate lined ankle high boots that looked like a nice sneaker. Those were warm.
Yes wool isn’t for everyone! I suggest layers. A combo of base layer, fleece, thin down vests if its in his fashion wheelhouse. And don’t forget the value of accessories - warm gloves, scarfs or IMO better yet, a good gaiter, hat or headband. The think about cold climates is that INSIDE it’s generally warm - so you don’t want to dress too warm to be in class, etc. But OUTSIDE is where you want good pieces - that gaiter, that vest, that down coat or heavy fleece.
Moved to Massachusetts for undergrad after a lifetime in the subtropics, but have parents that grew up in New England. Wool is my best friend; the weather just changed fairly abruptly from summer to fall down where I am now and I’m so happy to switch into my SmartWool socks!
However, I never did wool base layers as I think I’d find them too hot and itchy; for a student going from building to building it’s much better to have many “cooler” layers and a nice wool (late fall/early spring) or polyfill/down coat (deep winter) over top. My boyfriend and I keep a similar pattern in winter: undershirt or tank top, long sleeve cotton shirt, mid-weight or heavy sweater, coat. My heavy sweaters are hand-me-downs from my mom (one was handmade by my grandmother, the other is an LL Bean classic); mid-weight sweaters are from LL Bean and Uniqlo.
Usually “ragg” seems to refer to a particular texture or pattern (variegated or tweedy look, chunky knit). However, my boyfriend does have one pair of ragg wool boot socks that I attempted to appropriate as slipper socks and they are the itchiest things on earth. A sweater might be OK but only with a cotton or polyester shirt covering all parts of the body that the sweater might touch.
I can’t wear wool either. The few wool sweaters I have I only wear in sub-zero temperatures when I can wear full coverage under them. I would never buy wool for a kid.
I wear Darn Tough merino wool socks year round.
My favorites are the Hiker No Show Light Cushion.
The Ultralights (biking or running) are good when a thinner sock is desired.
I think Darn Tough makes the best socks ever. Swoon!
I love my SmartWool 150 t-shirts.
For cooler & colder weather, Ice Breaker or SmartWool merino wool base layer in a 1/4 zip. Lighter weight for cool weather, heavy weight for cold.
Also, cannot live without my Ice Breaker merino wool neck chute.
I cannot wear old school boiled wool sweaters without the itching driving me mad. No problem with merino wool.
FYI Sierra Trading Post stores is a GREAT spot to find layering clothing at good prices.
Wow, so much info!! This is great!!
I think I’ll hold off on the wool. Ohio is definitely cold, but I made it thru UG w/o dressing like the Abominable Snowman.
However, he did ask for some lined athletic tights. He wants them for frisbee now and in the spring, but he could also wear them under jeans this winter when it gets really cold.
I think I’ll go back to Hollister for sweaters. They aren’t the greatest quality so we’ll see how they hold up, but they’re cotton & I know he likes them.
J Crew also has thick socks that look like wool boot socks, but they’re all cotton. I think they’ll go nicely w/ the Doc Martens he asked for as well.
If he is at an Ohio univ you might check this website for some local clothing (you can find general “Ohio” stuff or specific Ohio universities stuff) - it’s a very popular merchandiser. Their shirts and fleece and such is VERY very soft and comfy and generally wear well. Tshirts maybe run a little on the small side.
Home base for this company is Columbus. They also have a couple brick and mortar stores there.
I’ll second that Darn Tough recommendation. And I think they’ll replace the socks if you wear through them!
I inherited a couple of lines athletic tights from my kid as he outgrew them. Something I would never have thought to buy myself that I have come to love, whether for a run or hike in the winter. Good call!
In the winter, I hike in Polartec Power Stretch tights.
Warm enough to keep me comfortable and great flexibility.
I’d investigate “winter running tights” for winter frisbee.
From Wisconsin. I prefer synthetics for sweaters for feel. Also consider how one cleans things- never want to have dry clean only stuff that might get mixed in with washer items. The thickness makes the difference more than the material. You can buy extra war socks that are thicker- oftencotton/poly blend that may make shoes/boots feel small. It is one thing to dress for outdoors and another to dress for just getting to/from classes but spending most of the time indoors.
Beware of washing wool. No college student (or me) wants to spend time being sure things don’t shrink.