Velvet vs wool warmth

[RichardtheLarge]

Hello Rabble,

I wanted to ask about the relative warmth of cotton velvet vs barathea for jackets and doublets. I had always heard and assumed that velvet must be much warmer, suitable for late autumn and through the winter, but I’ve never actually worn a velvet doublet or kilt jacket. Would someone who has one weigh in about its relative weight to a barathea jacket, and when it tends to be worn?

Thanks!

[bdkilted]

I haven't worn velvet since I was a kid and my mother dressed me in it; but I would think it would be much like fur....it is warmer worn with fur in as it traps heat. A tight knit wool would be quite warm.

[McMurdo]

I've worn both, yes the velvet is warm but a barathea Montrose doublet can be just as warm. Having said that, I've danced the Reel of the 51st Division in my barathea Montrose and I would hate to try that in my Velvet Balmoral Doublet.

[Father Bill]

If you get caught in the rain, wool will always be warmer than velvet from all I've ever read.

[Steve Ashton]

A scientist will tell you that what determines how warm or cool a fabric will feel on you, will depend on how fast heat will pass through the fabric.

Wool passes heat slower than cotton which is slower than synthetics or silk. So wool retains heat better, for a longer period. It is a better insulator.

But if you were to turn velvet inside out, the loops would trap air which is a great insulator, and inside out velvet would be very warm.

The thing about wet fabrics being better insulators is counter intuitive. But like a SCUBA wet suit what you are actually doing is trapping a layer of water next to the skin, which you warm up, and that warm layer is now an insulator. You feel colder at first and then warmer.

Then you have to take into account the bodies natural heat regulating system. A well insulated body will slow down producing heat. And then sweat to give off heat. This is why you do not (normally) overheat in a wool kilt in Texas, in August.

[SF Jeff]

But like a SCUBA wet suit what you are actually doing is trapping a layer of water next to the skin, which you warm up, and that warm layer is now an insulator.

So true. That's why they are called wetsuits. They are not meant to keep you dry, they are meant to keep you warm. And to do that you need insulation next to your skin, and a thin layer of water works very well (although as Steve noted, not at first!).