Fleece Vs Wool Blankets: Which is Better

Wool and fleece, the cozy companions of cold weather, are often our go-to materials for comfort. But the choice between wool and fleece might leave you wondering when embarking on a cold-weather adventure. The most significant difference between these two fabrics is their origin-wool, a natural fiber, and fleece, an artificial one. Yet, they share commonalities in softness, weight, and cost, each offering a unique comfort that suits different preferences.

Both fleece and wool are designed to retain warmth in cold environments, providing a sense of security in harsh weather conditions. Interestingly, their distinct qualities can influence your preference. In this article, we delve into the differences between fleece and wool. This comparison will empower you to make an informed choice, ensuring your investment in either wool or fleece is a durable one.

Fleece and Wool: How Are They Different?

Breathability

Since the clothes are to keep you warm, they need to have some breathability level, too, to allow you to stay comfortable. Wool and fleece are very much breathing materials. Nevertheless, wool is still a natural product that must be taken in higher count, for it is little more than breathable than fleece. This is because wool originally belonged to an animal, allowing it to breathe comfortably among the fibers.

The various kinds of fleece fabric are woven differently, which allows some to be more breathable than others. Sherpa fleece could sometimes feel stuffy, considering how it is applied to clothing. Fleece material may be treated with chemicals like flame retardants or waterproofing treatments. This affects its breathability because air doesn't dive into the fibers as easily as before. Particularly when it comes to breathability, wool works slightly better than cotton.

 

Durability

What is fleece made of? Fleece is generally made of synthetic substances, usually more long-wearing than wool. Synthetic fabrics have a significant advantage in that they are made to last, are strong, and are long-lasting. These fibers are very resilient and remain intact even when the garment is worn. This is because they often just need some simple stuff to keep them looking so good for so long.

Wool, however, is quite durable when taken care of, and proper precautions are ensured. It is a very solid fabric and more resistant to prone wearing than other natural fabrics such as cotton and silk. This fiber has excellent properties, bending out of shape but being difficult to tear. However, it will gradually lose its properties if you don't care for wool. Fleece's synthetic nature makes it last longer than wool. If you are looking for winter clothing that you want to use repeatedly, fleece is the better choice.

 

Warmth

Wool is naturally insulating because it is meant to keep animals warm, but it was initially grown on them. This gives wool the advantage over fleece because it is slightly warmer. Most people who live in winter climates wear woolen coats because they keep us warm in very cold places. A drawback of wool is that it is warmer only if it is not wet. If the clothing absorbs as much water as the fleece while soaking in the rain, snow, or other weather, it drips longer than the fleece. Being wet in the cold will be no good, as that won't keep you warm.

Fleece is not as naturally warm as wool, but it is still warm. Conversely, the plus point with fleece is that it will be completely dried out if soaked because it is better for drying faster. These materials have low water absorption and are synthetic, so they disintegrate relatively quickly. This rule says that fleece keeps you warmer than wool if wet. In addition to such features, each of the materials has its pros. However, if it's freezing, consider the activities and weather you're about to do. If the winter's cold and wet and you're planning to spend more time outside, you might wear a warmer fleece vest! But if it is drier than cold weather, wool will keep you warmer than fleece.

 

Weight

Wool weighs more than fleece when it comes to weight. This is yet another place where it gives you the additional push to warm yourself even more. Medium-weight fabrics can hold in warmer air. On the other hand, if it is heavy now when it is dry, it will be extremely hefty after it is wet. However, that's not a perfect situation, as it's known that wool takes an extended period to dry.

Fleece fabric is light and made from artificial materials. Generally, the finest of these articles provide the majority of the heat because of the fuzzy texture rather than due to the weight. However, fleece's weakness is its lightweight, and its insulating capacity is not as great as some other fabric types. However, others who don't like heavy fabrics have the same problem of being uncomfortable. This may be your case if you belong to the class of people who like light fleece jackets rather than heavy woolen jackets.

 

Cost

Although wool is more expensive than fleece, it is much more durable, weather-resistant, wrinkle-free, and breathable. This is because an animal that gives wool is only sheared once a year. In other words, the demand is relatively low, and production is not uniform, which results in high costs. Moreover, the less common wool options, like qiviut, cashmere, and alpaca, have higher price tags and are among the most expensive fibers in the world. Other than that, specific places may offer inexpensive wool blankets at noncompromising quality.

In contrast to wool, which can be expensive because it's natural, fleece is cheaper because it's artificial. Additionally, it can be manufactured or created, which is less labor-intensive than the production of natural resources. Fleece production involves merely chemical reactions. Overall, these reasons make the pricing low.

 

Uses

Wool and fleece are versatile and ideal for outdoor clothing in cold temperatures. They can be your trusted companions in various forms—blankets, scarves, coats, and socks—adapting to your needs and preferences.

Fleece and wool can similarly be used as sweaters, while fleece if used by itself, can be used under other raw materials such as denim jackets. Contrary to this, fleece mainly suits performance wear, while wool caters more to casual or business attire such as suits and pants.

Conclusion

This guide will help you identify the difference between wool and fleece varieties. Each one has advantages and disadvantages, so you just need to choose based on your personal taste. Both will keep you very warm and dry. Furthermore, they can last long, provided you care for them.