Cashmere Sweater...

My daughter comes over this morning with a "100% Cashmere" sweater that she bought for $3 at a local thrift store and gave it to me. She also bought a down jacket, again for $3, that she kept for herself. They are both like new.

She actually got them for when we go hiking (of course, she'll be hiking mostly with her boyfriend )

It's a nice sweater, pretty thick, has a nice tight weave, seems pretty durable to me. It's not super duper soft and cozy, but it's not itchy or scratchy either, and it's warm, I'm wearing it right now.

Anyone here ever use cashmere it for hiking/backpacking? Any reason not to?

Cashmere-clad one might be considered a bit of a dandy, but other than that I say, "go for it."

Cheers,

If you fill out the sweater nicely enough you may get wolf-whistled.

if its a wool sweater, then its good to go.

Cashmere is actually goat hair, not wool, but it is softer than merino wool and has many of its qualities. It would have long since been a backpacking favorite if it weren't so expensive! Enjoy your fabulous bargain! You've inspired me to go browse my local thrift stores!

I have both an alpaca sweater and hat that I bought in Peru when we hiked to Machu Picchu. Quite inexpensive down there, and they are beautiful.

And man, do they keep me toasty warm! SO yeah, on cold trips I take them along!

Hmmm... I hadn't thought of that

It's made by a company called "Gobi", in Mongolia. I found some similar to it that are selling for $129 here.

My daughter said the women at the thrift store told her they didn't know anything about cashmere or down, or seem to care one bit. She said they were happy getting the $3 bucks and to be rid of the stuff though.

I think I'll take OM's advice and just enjoy it, and I just won't mention what it's made of. I can't imagine any of the hillbillies I hang with asking "Is that cashmere?" Just the idea of that makes me chuckle, but if I brought it up it'd surely make them howl and I'd never hear the end of it

So is this a fuzzy pink sweater? I always liked those on the girls. Of course what color is it if its under something in the dark? Actually I skied in a cashmere sweater for years, it seems more breathable than wool to me as I simply cannot stand to wear wool, and with a shell over it, it was a great insulator, no shell it breathed.

I got a Camp7 downbag from a homeless friend that only needs to be cleaned and a small hole sewed up. I got it for a poor friend who wants to go camping. I also traded for a "new condition" ALICE pack for her to carry. What I like about the ALICE is the loop you pull to silently disconnect the right side shoulder strap to free your gun hand while you set the pack down with your left arm.

Many a marine have "liberated" fuzzy sweaters while out on survival training missions. "Well sheriff these three big guys in khaki with camo paint snuck into my shed and left wearing some old cashmere sweaters."
Jim

I have a merino/possum down sweatter (245g) and a very similar one in cashmere (255g).
The cashmere is softer and seems (at almost the same weight) to be a little bit warmer .
(they are black...)


A lot of what is sold as "100%" cashmere isn't.
One shop owner in Kathmandu ( a childhood friend of my friend/guide who works here in Melbourne) showed me the different types, all of them with a label stating "100%" or in some cases 70%.
The real ones have a different feel to it.
Franco