Blanket jackets, I just don't get it?

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Aug 27, 2017
9
0
lincs
Hi all..

Can anyone explain what the idea of making a coat from an old blanket is all about. There is so much decent waterproof warm clothing about, modern gear fits well, doesn't weigh a ton when wet, looks stylish, and doesn't cost a fortune. I just don't understand the trend?

Is it all about just making something from waste? Don't get me wrong, if I was really hard up, lived rough I may be pleased of one. But I'm not. I don't even think they look good compared to something you can buy. Clearly I'm missing the point, so what is it?

Thanks.
 

Mesquite

It is what it is.
Mar 5, 2008
27,802
2,892
62
~Hemel Hempstead~
Each to their own as they say.

Personally I think they have more character than a modern manufactured coat and there's the satisfaction of making it yourself.
 

Trotsky

Full Member
There's a certain style thing going off I'm sure but, wool is warm as hell and also still warm when wet, provided you take care of it it will shed water well (ie won't weigh a ton), you can make one yourself for the price of a blanket or two which is hardly a fortune. In the end it's horses for courses, you get what gear you want to get, each to their own and all that. There are those who have all the ultra modern gear, those who eschew everything modern and those who strike some middle ground, whatever works for you I guess.

Any way, which bit of Lincs are you in?
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
….and they fit, and can be configured to suit the person they're made for, and they're warm :D and once on it's an effort to get folks out of them at times :rolleyes:

They're not all made from blankets, it's just that really good quality blankets are made from really good quality wool, and while a good blanket might cost thirty quid, I paid £28.95, a metre, for wool cloth last time….and one metre doesn't make a jacket.

M
 

Jaeger

Full Member
Dec 3, 2014
670
24
United Kingdom
Aye Up Richard,

I notice your join date is recent so unless you have been following the 'trend' on BCUK for some time you may not have picked up on all the aspects.

Here's my take on it - (you asked! :lmao:)

As stated - making a garment from something else - an achievement in itself;
Making it yourself (My Own Gear -MYOG) - commendable -yet more personal achievement; (You may learn new techniques too)
Making it well - it can be a better bespoke fit than a commercially manufactured garment that you buy off the peg;

Natural materials tend to 'breathe' er - naturally and so used correctly you can stay warm, dry and comfortable which modern, so called breathable fabrics don't achieve as often as people might believe.

Using natural materials (wool/cotton etc) usually means that you don't have to worry about fire-spark and abrasion damage - think bushcraft fire making/tending etc.

In my experience natural materials are easier to look after (and self repair!) post use too.

Back in the day I ruined a brand new pair of fibre pile lined, Cordura Goretex mitts whilst snow and ice climbing through rope abrasion which my all-wool Dachstein mitts would have laughed at! I've seen a few expensive jackets suffer similarly in the past too - ouch!

Of note is that there has long been a sort of commercial revival in the use of natural materials for base/mid layers and I have seen recently someone basing a modern outer layer on them too. (Notably the country sports scene in Germany and Austria never completely gave up on 'Loden').

Just imagine if we could revive our own sheep farming/woolen industry?!

And if you are mega eco conscious, apparently each time that you wash a synthetic garment you introduce yet more plastic onto the planet which it now appears we are drinking!

All that stated I use a mix of natural and synthetic material garments depending on circumstances - I'm just about to post a recomm for a synthetic base layer for example.

Lastly - assuming the impressive quality of many of the 'maker' made garments I have seen on BCUK I would rather buy from them than line the pockets of Bigbusiness.global.laughing. :)
 
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decorum

Full Member
May 2, 2007
5,064
12
Warwickshire
... Clearly I'm missing the point ...

I don't think you are missing the point. You have identified what you require from your clothes and blanket coats neither tick your boxes nor tickle your fancy. And there's nothing wrong with them not being for you ;) Others like them and there's nothing wrong with that either.

Kit choice is personal, there's no point using something just because someone else insists it's the best for the job - it might be for them, it might fail miserably for you :eek: . There is no single best way :D. ('cus that way lies a bushcraft uniform ;) )
 
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John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,106
2,833
66
Pembrokeshire
Aye Up Richard,

I notice your join date is recent so unless you have been following the 'trend' on BCUK for some time you may not have picked up on all the aspects.

Here's my take on it - (you asked! :lmao:)

As stated - making a garment from something else - an achievement in itself;
Making it yourself (My Own Gear -MYOG) - commendable -yet more personal achievement; (You may learn new techniques too)
Making it well - it can be a better bespoke fit than a commercially manufactured garment that you buy off the peg;

Natural materials tend to 'breathe' er - naturally and so used correctly you can stay warm, dry and comfortable which modern, so called breathable fabrics don't achieve as often as people might believe.

Using natural materials (wool/cotton etc) usually means that you don't have to worry about fire-spark and abrasion damage - think bushcraft fire making/tending etc.

In my experience natural materials are easier to look after (and self repair!) post use too.

Back in the day I ruined a brand new pair of fibre pile lined, Cordura Goretex mitts whilst snow and ice climbing through rope abrasion which my all-wool Dachstein mitts would have laughed at! I've seen a few expensive jackets suffer similarly in the past too - ouch!

Of note is that there has long been a sort of commercial revival in the use of natural materials for base/mid layers and I have seen recently someone basing a modern outer layer on them too. (Notably the country sports scene in Germany and Austria never completely gave up on 'Loden').

Just imagine if we could revive our own sheep farming/woolen industry?!

And if you are mega eco conscious, apparently each time that you wash a synthetic garment you introduce yet more plastic onto the planet which it now appears we are drinking!

All that stated I use a mix of natural and synthetic material garments depending on circumstances - I'm just about to post a recomm for a synthetic base layer for example.

Lastly - assuming the impressive quality of many of the 'maker' made garments I have seen on BCUK I would rather buy from them than line the pockets of Bigbusiness.global.laughing. :)

Yup - nailed it for me!
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,438
2,859
W.Sussex
Though I don't own a blanket jacket, I appreciate the function of wool. I have a couple of the Bison Bushcraft Guide shirts and love them as a top layer, or under a shell such as the Twodogs Raindogs wax smock. Wool doesn't offer much in terms of windproofing, but it's a material that has stood the test of time for holding loft and warmth

I've been down the Ventile, Goretex etc path, and come back to wool and waxed cloth, for my needs it works very well.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
Try wool gaberdine; it's both wind and rain proof :)
It will get wet, but it fair takes its time, and it'll be warm all the time.

M
 

Leshy

Full Member
Jun 14, 2016
2,389
57
Wiltshire
Aye Up Richard,

I notice your join date is recent so unless you have been following the 'trend' on BCUK for some time you may not have picked up on all the aspects.

Here's my take on it - (you asked! :lmao:)

As stated - making a garment from something else - an achievement in itself;
Making it yourself (My Own Gear -MYOG) - commendable -yet more personal achievement; (You may learn new techniques too)
Making it well - it can be a better bespoke fit than a commercially manufactured garment that you buy off the peg;

Natural materials tend to 'breathe' er - naturally and so used correctly you can stay warm, dry and comfortable which modern, so called breathable fabrics don't achieve as often as people might believe.

Using natural materials (wool/cotton etc) usually means that you don't have to worry about fire-spark and abrasion damage - think bushcraft fire making/tending etc.

In my experience natural materials are easier to look after (and self repair!) post use too.

Back in the day I ruined a brand new pair of fibre pile lined, Cordura Goretex mitts whilst snow and ice climbing through rope abrasion which my all-wool Dachstein mitts would have laughed at! I've seen a few expensive jackets suffer similarly in the past too - ouch!

Of note is that there has long been a sort of commercial revival in the use of natural materials for base/mid layers and I have seen recently someone basing a modern outer layer on them too. (Notably the country sports scene in Germany and Austria never completely gave up on 'Loden').

Just imagine if we could revive our own sheep farming/woolen industry?!

And if you are mega eco conscious, apparently each time that you wash a synthetic garment you introduce yet more plastic onto the planet which it now appears we are drinking!

All that stated I use a mix of natural and synthetic material garments depending on circumstances - I'm just about to post a recomm for a synthetic base layer for example.

Lastly - assuming the impressive quality of many of the 'maker' made garments I have seen on BCUK I would rather buy from them than line the pockets of Bigbusiness.global.laughing. :)
100% agreed on that , especially with Twodogs gear from this parish!
Just Top custom gear made with love... Not off the shelf templates...
 

sunndog

Full Member
May 23, 2014
3,561
477
derbyshire
Jeager covered it very well. i will add though you can wear wool for weeks before it really starts to smell whereas i'll get a couple of days out of synthetic stuff and i want to wash it, which isnt always practical
 

MountainGoat

Tenderfoot
Nov 1, 2016
67
0
Scotland
Hi all..

Can anyone explain what the idea of making a coat from an old blanket is all about.
Recycling?


There is so much decent waterproof warm clothing about, modern gear fits well, doesn't weigh a ton when wet, looks stylish, and doesn't cost a fortune. I just don't understand the trend?
Is there a trend? I haven't noticed.

Side-note, but possibly worth mentioning: woollen products don't reflect light when wet due to how water acts on the surface. Plastics etc do. In certain situations, certain materials just won't cut it due to this.

Most waterproofs aren't 'warm' - they are simply a waterproof external layer. Warmth normally comes from layering, not a single piece itself.

Personally I think most modern gear looks ridiculous. Each to their own, I suppose.



Is it all about just making something from waste?
Probably not 'all' about that. No-one here can speak on behalf of others, so it's a difficult question to answer. But if recycling something is a cost-effective method of clothing oneself, I don't see the issue.


Don't get me wrong, if I was really hard up, lived rough I may be pleased of one.
I'd be pleased of anything keeping me warm in that situation!!



I don't even think they look good compared to something you can buy.
Ah, aesthetics. Most hillwalkers these days look like fluorescent markers. Again, each to their own...


Clearly I'm missing the point, so what is it?

1) Learning to make something is rewarding/develops patience etc
2) Learning to improvise with what one has is a very valuable skill set to have - perhaps more valuable than viewing each and every item as having a single purpose
3) Starting to think along the lines of improvisation etc develops a mindset that can be useful in other scenarios (you may start looking at many items and considering varying uses/different ways of doing things)
4) Reusing something can be cost-effective
5) Some may have sentimaental value atached to certain items

Others here have mentioned specific properties of the likes of wool, and how it is beneficial in terms of heat retention (when wet etc) - all valid points. Wool is especially warm etc when boiled & compressed (a la Dachsteins - which someone else mentioned).


Playing devil's advocate - I do agree with you that it can be wasteful. This can be seen in the 'whittling' community where many spend hundreds on knives/books/wood etc - much cheaper would be buying a wooden spoon.... Financially it can be ridiculous. Again, not necessarily ridiculous in other terms - but it certainly can be financially.

The same can be said when deciding to make something like you mention. Many buy the best sewing machines etc, spending thousands when a new jacket would be far cheaper.

'If only I had the latest MacLaren, I'd be the greatest driver in the world'.... it's a trap.


No arguments please - I'm making a point from both sides.
 

Nomad64

Full Member
Nov 21, 2015
1,072
593
UK
....

Personally I think most modern gear looks ridiculous. Each to their own, I suppose.

....

Ah, aesthetics. Most hillwalkers these days look like fluorescent markers. Again, each to their own

....

I'm having a bit of difficulty keeping up with your recommendations MG! A couple of weeks ago on this thread (#6)

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=146500&p=1827042#post1827042

you seemed to be suggesting that civilians with OD or camo kit were "walts" and should wear/carry hi viz orange but if they do, they look ridiculous. :confused:

This is a civilian forum (I'm sure there are plenty of forums where old soldiers can share tales of derring do) and although many members here have served or continue to serve in HM armed forces they generally seem to be comfortable enough in their own skins to be able to share relevant knowledge and experience where helpful without the need to continually sneer at the idea of mere civilians enjoying themselves outdoors or heaven forbid owning a FAK, a compass or something that may have come from an army surplus shop.

I'm sure you've got some really useful stuff to contribute but perhaps change the tone a bit, a lot of your posts so far do seem to be borderline trolling - albeit from a troll with a carefully practiced 1000 yard stare! :)
 

Klenchblaize

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 25, 2005
2,610
135
65
Greensand Ridge
There is nothing at all wrong with looking like a plonker:
1918-AceHighcolor.jpg

K
:)
 
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SaraR

Full Member
Mar 25, 2017
1,631
1,177
Ceredigion
If you're main aim is to have something that will keep you warm when you're in camp and that won't be particularly sensitive to open flames than a woolen jumper makes sense. Make one from woven and fulled fabric and it will keep the wind off too.

And most people who are not regulars at the local haberdashery will probably feel more comfortable with buying a set number of wool blankets of a certain type than trying to get the right type, width and length of wool fabric. Plus as said above, it can be a lot cheaper and you get the fun of turning something into something else (which is surprisingly appealing to many).
 

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