Wool Facts

Ted Ranck

Ted is the recognized expert in woven wool camo clothing, having developed both King of the Mountain Sports' Omnitherm™ and Sleeping Indian Designs' Comf-4-Lock® products. Currently residing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, he is a partner in and the designer for Sleeping Indian Designs clothing.

Excerpts from an interview with the Jackson Hole Net  (September 1997)

Jackson Hole Net Magazine: Ted, you started King of the Mountain Sports in 1980 with King Cavalier and went on to establish Sleeping Indian Designs. Why have you put so much effort into wool camo?

Ted: Twenty years ago when I started developing and designing gear I was finding myself cold, wet and miserable much too often. Having grown up the son of an Air Force SAC pilot, I learned the value of outdoor survival, stealth and concealment very early. When I played hide-and-seek with my Dad, we took it to a pretty sophisticated level. If you have clothing that really works in the field—when you are warm, dry and comfortable—you can focus on being quiet and undetected.

JHNM: King of the Mountain claims their wool is machine-washable. Having developed both King of the Mountain wool and Sleeping Indian's Comf-4-Lock® wool, what is your opinion about putting wool in a washing machine?

Ted: I agree with the International Wool Bureau, which recommends only cold-water hand washing or dry cleaning for wool. The Wool Bureau—which operates independently from the manufacturers of wool fabric—points out that natural, untreated wool can shrink when subjected to the combination of water and agitation in a washing machine. King of the Mountain says you can machine-wash, but they haven't changed the nature of wool. They even acknowledge the fact in their own catalog:

"After ... a few trips through a washing machine,the already tight weave got even tighter."

They aren't calling a spade a spade, but you don't have to be a wool expert to understand what happens when a "tight weave gets tighter"—it has shrunk. I might add that when wool shrinks the fabric becomes less breathable.

JHNM: If natural, untreated wool can shrink in a washing machine, why does King of the Mountain recommend machine washing?

Ted: I can't tell you why, but I can tell you how. Again, check out what they say in their catalog:

" We size Omnitherm slightly larger than usual...your new gear should fit loosely and allow for a slight 'fulling' that occurs with the first washing."

If you look in a dictionary, you'll find the words "full" and "fulling" defined as "to shrink and thicken wool cloth." One of the problems with fulling is that—in the washing machine at least—you have no control over how much shrinkage takes place. One or two percent and you might still have something that fits alright. Shrink it five percent and it's unwearable.

JHNM: So who should we believe, Sleeping Indian or King of the Mountain?

Ted: I can't control the way King of the Mountain chooses to market their clothing, but when Kathy Etling, Clothing Editor of Petersen's Hunting and Petersen's Bowhunting magazines evaluated gear from both companies in January, 1994, she came to what I think is a very reasonable conclusion:

" With the price of a shirt from either company hovering at...$225... and with matching pants costing another $159 to $245, I don't think I'd be too quick to toss them into a washing machine, no matter what the manufacturers recommended."

JHNM: Why do you consider Sleeping Indian Designs' clothing to be so much better than the rest?

Ted: Sleeping Indian's Comf-4-Lock® is the best for many reasons. Don't get me wrong, I think King of the Mountain makes a very good product, but Comf-4-Lock® is a great product. All wool is not the same. Here is just one example of the difference between King of the Mountain and Sleeping Indian: which is stronger, a single-strand steel cable or a braided cable? Which is stronger: our two-ply yarn or King of the Mountain's single ply yarn? Our Comf-4-Lock® is stronger and softer.

JHNM: What is new in the Sleeping Indian line?

Ted: We've added great value in our Sheep Mountain line of clothing. Sheep Mountain is more affordable, but still functions well over a temperature range of -20F to +60F. Our wool or cotton Chumaki-Baka suit is a great addition to our product line. You become virtually invisible when wearing it. Our new Mountain Storm raingear is made to fit comfortably over our clothes to provide a waterproof layer when needed. We have also applied our camo expertise to the Trailmaster Cotton™ clothing line. Adding cotton to our line means Sleeping Indian can dress you for an incredible range of conditions: from -40F to +90F.

Jackson Hole Net can be located on the Internet at http://www.jacksonholenet.com