Willis & Geiger bush poplin garments

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Rorschach

Full Member
May 22, 2018
45
13
54
Finland
I am surprised that these are not talked about or known here. Like at all. W & G was one of the true premium makers, i.e. emphasis was on quality. They outfitted a large number of expeditions, safaris and similar stuff in the 20th century.

https://www.jamestownsun.com/sports/outdoors/3755339-kuntz-ode-willis-geiger

Burt Avedon interview on Willis & Geiger: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/avnmdp/the-great-lost-expedition-brand-000212-v20n2

Their proprietary cotton, the bush poplin, is an absolutely amazing fabric: extremely durable, mosquito proof, wind resistant (maybe even wind proof), somewhat water resistant. It is kind of related to ventile cotton, both being extremely tight weaves and made of the longest cotton strands. Shirts, jackets and trousers made of bush poplin are extremely good for summer use. I have and use many W & G bush poplin garments. If you're looking to get rid of polymer / plastic based polluting crap, you'd do yourself a favor by looking into it.

Here are some musings on this forgotten gem:

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/the-first-and-still-the-best.25253/

https://www.edcforums.com/threads/willis-and-geiger-fans.58584/
 

GuestD

Need to contact Admin...
Feb 10, 2019
1,445
700
Just had a look on evilbay, and surprisingly the prices don't look too bad. :)
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
A few years ago I met in Oslo in a hostel an old English gentleman, who shoed me an olive green simple cotton bag.

He told me that somebody made it for him from a fabric, that was used in the british army, long times ago, but still available.

He told me this bag would be water proof!
A water proof uncoated cotton bag!

It was a very fine fabric, in the first view a bit like the well known army Gore-Tex.

Unfortunately I can't find his telefon number, he gave me.

Does anybody has an Idea which fabric it could be, and who sells it?

For me it looks as if this fabric could have been used by W&G too.
If I remember it right, it was a bit thicker than the usual Barbour jackets.
 
Last edited:

Rorschach

Full Member
May 22, 2018
45
13
54
Finland
A few years ago I met in Oslo in a hostel an old English gentleman, who shoed me an olive green simple cotton bag.

He told me that somebody made it for him from a fabric, that was used in the british army, long tomes ago, but still available.

He told me this bag would be water proof!
A water proof uncoated cotton bag!

I was a very fine fabric, in the first view a bit like the well known army Gore-Tex.

Unfortunately I can't find his telefon number, he gave me.

Does anybody has an Idea which fabric it could be, and who sells it?

For me it looks as if this fabric could have been used by W&G too.
If I remember it right, it was a bit thicker than the usual Barbour jackets.

I would say that the fabric was almost certainly ventile cotton. That indeed was the fabric developed and used by the British military. They still use it in certain applications. Whereas the bush poplin cotton developed and used by Willis & Geiger was used in the US (also by the US military).

However, after WW2 ventile cotton was used by many, also by Willis & Geiger for some garments and items.
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
Aah!

Yes, that seemes to be it!

Thank you very much!

I didn't know it, because similar german fabrics had been called different, and I never have seen a Ventile smok.
 
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