Thanks to the guys at DriFire, I had a chance to check out a new line of clothing made from American wool. Look for more on this exciting brand soon.
The benefits of wool are well known; warm even when wet, naturally anti-microbial and no-melt no-drip. Plus, in this case, it’s grown, processed and manufactured right here in the USA.
Tags: ADS, Drifire, Duckworth, Warrior Expo
Debut at OR this year…former I/O merino execs…US wool sourcing small but, very immature, on-time delivery from suppliers a big problem.
Hi this is Graham from Duckworth. We are wool supply chain specialists, 30 years plus experience around the world and growing our own fine Montana Rambouilet merino wool (18.9micron) in significant quantities . The accredited USA supply chain is far shorter than the Asian supply chain i.e. managed within a 2,000 mile range rather than 10-20,000miles from ASIA and it is source verified. Not only are we sure where the wool comes from our supply and re supply is the best in the industry.
The benefits of a CONUS supply change should be obvious, the issue at hand is availability of your raw goods.
I know Smartwool has dabbled and Ibex has tried to grow beyond their small style assortment of US sourced wool. Their biggest hangups has been the inconsistencies of wool yield from the ranchers and the limited micron ability of US grown wool; 21-micron being the finest available…good for mid-layers but, too thick for next to skin. What is Duckworth doing differently that the other two have failed at?
I’ve seen the no-melt-no-drip thing written about wool before along with its natural FR property but I’m curious as to what does happen to wool and other FR fabrics when exposed to flames/high heat. Do they just catch fire and just flake off as it burns, burns off in a flash, or what? I’m really curious since I’ve never seen FR materials in action before.
I’ll see if I can source some test burn footage for wool. As for Nomex and PolyCotton, I posted videos a couple of years ago from a visit with DuPont.
The material doesn’t ignite into flames but, simply burns to ash.