# Fur trim on clothes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** fashion-clothing\ **Created:** [November 23, 2025, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fur-trim-on-clothes/1025071 "2025-11-23T21:06:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2025, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fur-trim-on-clothes/1025071/21 "2025-11-25T00:35:54Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > If it is warm enough that it might rain, i usually wear a synthetic. The modern synthetics are pretty good. If it’s colder than that, i usually wear down. As do I, I’m a Patagonia man, myself. I was just saying that wool will keep you warm. Edmund Hillary wore wool as a key part of his layered clothing system on Everest, including underwear, shirts, and sweaters, made from materials like Shetland wool on his historic 1953 ascent of Mount Everest, after all, and most all early Everest climbers wore wool. If I’m on a short day hike I might wear down, but I’ve had enough horrible experiences with wet down that I rarely wear it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2025, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fur-trim-on-clothes/1025071/22 "2025-11-25T00:53:31Z")
I’ve had hundreds of days when i had to wait for the train on a cold platform. Down rocks. I also mostly skied in down, where its comfort and light weight were appreciated. I had a wool coat as a teen. I hated that coat. I bought a nifty wool cloak as a young adult. It was fun to wear, but it was heavier than less warm than alternatives. I’m really surprised Hillary didn’t wear fur, honestly. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2025, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fur-trim-on-clothes/1025071/23 "2025-11-25T01:00:07Z")
But i just researched it, and he wore down, as well as wool. 😆 > **[Gear that Powered Hillary and Norgay to the Top of Everest](https://www.history.com/articles/everest-hillary-norgay-gear)** > > See what gear Hillary and Norgay used to climb Everest in 1953. > ## Clothing Layers > Hillary wore multiple layers, many of which were made from or lined with wool, including a [sweater](https://photos.shetlandmuseumandarchives.org.uk/view-item?i=45722&WINID=1745791743954) that was made solely from the neck area of Shetland sheep, spun into the finest of yarns. He also wore a down jacket manufactured by a French company called [Alpcan](https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/six_key_pieces_of_historic_mountain_clothing-15811), which manufactured duvets and sleeping bags and applied the technology and theory behind those products and applied them to clothing. > > At lower elevations—below Camp 3, which is at about 27,000 feet— Waters wears a wool or synthetic base layer and then layers up with a mid-layer including something like a fleece, topped with a down jacket. For extreme cold, he’ll add a [full-body down suit](https://everestexpedition.co.uk/everest/down-suits-review/). That last paragraph is about a modern Everest climber: > If there is a trend in mountaineering equipment since 1953, says [Ryan Waters](https://www.mtnprofessionals.com/about-us/ryan-waters/), who owns a guiding company called [Mountain Professionals](https://www.mtnprofessionals.com/) and has summited Everest seven times, it is toward significant improvements in such things as warmth, waterproofing and, above all, weight. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2025, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fur-trim-on-clothes/1025071/24 "2025-11-25T01:45:07Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I walk the dog in a nylon coat with fur trim on the hood. The way the fur blocks the wind is unreal. If I walk with a different type of hood, the hood just fills up with cold air. > > It’s a wind barrier. Most useful before the invention of elastic. [This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=179xP-fF6wA) by Scilabus (in French but you can get English subtitles) explains the wind barrier effect. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fur-trim-on-clothes/1025071.md?page=1)