Light, Breathable and Warm, the Most Versatile Wool

As we are getting closer to Christmas time, and the weather is getting cooler, people are looking to grab their heavier clothes. 

And that only makes sense, right? It's getting cooler and so your lighter piece of clothing just aren't going to be able to cut it. Neither your short sleeved t-shirt nor your long sleeved dress shirt, no matter how nice it is, is going to effectively keep you warm when the temperature gets closer to freezing. As such, it makes sense to go for the heavier items. 

But is that actually your best bet? 

While certainly grabbing a heavy jacket or a fur coat will keep you warm this holiday season, it's not all that comfortable or really all that manageable. They only really work for when you are directly outside and only really in the cooler areas. They aren't all that easy to walk around in and ultimately are there to just make sure you're warm. 

What if there were a better option? 

Well, that is what we are going to go over here. You don't have to deal with an uncomfortable, unpleasant coat when you don't have to. Instead, with only one adjustment to your clothing choices, you can enjoy nicer clothes that do just as well a job in keeping your warm while  also being lightweight, breathable, and, above all, comfortable. 

It's called Alpaca Wool, and it's legitimately one of, if not the, most versatile wools to be discovered. 

In this article we are going to break down why alpaca beats every other wool or fur material and why you should consider buying just them from here on out. 

The Issue with other Wools and Furs

Before we can go over why you should get alpaca, it's important to know why materials like cotton, sheep's wool, silk, or animal furs are NOT able to do the job. After all, you're much more familiar with all of these other materials. They've been in our lives for hundreds of years at this point. Surely there's a reason they can't do what alpaca can. 

Breathability

The first real reason that these other materials just can't compete with alpaca is that the majority of them are just not "breathable". 

Now, what does "breathability" mean? 

Breathability simply means that a material is properly insulated. An example of a material that is breathable would be materials like cotton or silk. These fibers allow excess heat to escape, thus creating a very comfortable feel while in them. Insulated materials acts as a sort of "second skin" in the sense that you don't feel "blocked" or "covered" while wearing them. 

The issue is that, while materials like cotton or silk have this, the vast majority of other fabrics and fibers do not. It's the reason why jackets, gloves, coats, and scarves made from sheep's wool or animal furs are not worn outside of winter seasons. They are just too stuffy to wear unless in particularly cold environments. 

Alpaca material is incredibly insulated and breathable. Scarves, as an example, can be worn virtually year round due to the fact that, unlike animal or sheep's wool scarves, they do not cause your neck to sweat or feel "stuffy" while worn. Many people will wear alpaca scarves for spring as well as fall in addition to during the winter. 

Lightweight

Next is lightweight. 

Again, a great example of lightweight materials falls in the camp of materials like cotton and silk. These, similar to their breathability, give them a sort of "second skin" feeling in that they do not feel burdensome when wearing. You can move around in lightweight materials much more freely than you can in materials that are much heavier, like the various other wools or furs. 

It's the reason people so often wear materials made with either cotton or silk throughout the year. 

And again, like cotton and silk, alpaca is a prime example of what a lightweight fiber material should feel like. It does not weigh heavily on the body like other wools and allows you the same level of movement as if you were wearing clothes made from silk. 

Warm

So, if cotton and silk are pretty much the same as alpaca, why not just get them? After all, they're much more well known and available compared to alpaca. Surely that's the smarter option, right?

Well, that's where this last one comes in.


While cotton and silk are exceptional ways to breathe and move around, they are abysmal methods of actually staying warm. Just think about why cotton exploded as a commodity during the early years of American history. It was because it was a  cooler alternative to wools and furs, especially in the south. 

That was in the south. In cooler climates during the more brutal winters, people needed the "uncomfortable" and "stuffy" wool and fur coats so that they could function without potentially freezing over. In those instance, cotton and silk were almost a death sentence. 

Guess what, while cottons and silks, despite their lightweight and breathability, are terrible for the winter seasons, alpaca can keep you warm just as well as the heavier and stuffier materials like sheep's wool or animal furs. That means you can wear your alpaca scarves for winter just as much as you'd wear it for the fall or the spring. 

Conclusion

As you can see, when it comes to versatility, there really isn't anything like alpaca and alpaca wool. You can wear the same scarves, socks, and gloves in the fall, winter, and spring, all without missing a beat. 

If you're someone that dreads wearing heavy clothes, but know they are the only way to keep you warm, there is another option, and it's alpaca.