I want to share my thoughts on the popular Lester River Bushcraft Boreal shirt. I investigated them for about a year before I pulled the trigger and bought one. Shugg’s video was the last one I watched before I ordered one. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CTuGJgka1qc
Anyway, for those who may not know the Lester River Boreal is basically a hoodie made from a wool Army blanket. It’s hand made and the quality is outstanding!! I first learned about them through the Bushcraft circles where they rave about it. I am a fan of wool but I do recognize the limitations. So, here are my thoughts.
the price was $260.00 which i don’t this is bad for a hand made garment. However, i ended up selling it for these reasons:
1. I found it to be restrictive as wool doesn’t have much stretch to it.
2. Was not as warm as a higher end Carhartt hoodie.
3. A little itchy when worn with just a T-shirt. Some say just to make sure you always wear long sleeves under it but that’s not always realistic.
4. It’s heavy for the amount of warmth it provides.
In my opinion you are better off buying a heavy weight Carhartt hoodie (or similar) with the dwr treatment. It’s about 1/3 the price, warmer, more stretchy and lighter. If you feel you must have wool then consider a Filson Mackinaw Cruiser or Woolrich Wool Stag Shirt Jac.
These are only my opinions. I’m interested in hearing what others think of the Boreal Shirt.