Bushcraft Jacket Cape-let

[Jaeger]

The first time that I saw one of these items (as an individual garment) was back in the mid 90’s whilst I was researching suitable C&E for a unit that I was a member of. It was on the shoulders of a Danish serviceman and in that excellent green season/coniferous cam pattern – M84 – it blended so well with his jacket that I hadn’t noticed it until close up. (my example - image 1. not as good due to difference in ages/wear of garments).
Back then something else came up and I didn’t pursue the cape-let any further.

At that time there were two other things that I wasn’t initially aware of – 1. The cape-let was waterproof; 2. I had in fact been in close proximity to a version of them for years – they were a part of the Barbour Durham (unlined) favoured by some of my officers as an exercise back-up waterproof. (In those days PVC coated nylon was the best we got!).

Almost two decades later! a member of staff at S&O Kidderminster asked me if I had heard of the M84 ‘cape-let’? At the time (probably due to the descriptive term) I said that I hadn’t – I’d been expecting a much bigger garment than that which he eventually showed me and which I subsequently bought, more as an accompaniment to go with the set of M84 that I had eventually procured for a specific deployment back in the 90’s than anything else.

As my post operational activities have seen me spending even more time in the great outdoors than previously, during the very wet brown and early green seasons of 2013/14 I decided to revisit the Danish system for it’s weather protection. I’m not a great fan of wearing DPM all the time that I’m out and about (amongst other reasons it un-nerves the public!) so I reserved the M84 ‘trial’ for the spring when it would be less of a contrast within the locations that I move in.

I found that in close country where rain rarely came at me sideways, the cape-let was quite effective – it provided a reasonable degree of weather protection without totally compromising breathability of the jacket beneath (a KA03). Another useful function also came to light.

Anyone who has moved through close woodland will have probably experienced the situation – the uncomfortable itch/scratch of tree debris fallen into the clothing at the neck line and lying irritatingly against the skin, usually at your back or lower sides. Anyone spending any amount of time in hawthorn, gorse, bramble bracken will most likely add the horror of ‘tick-tacs’ to the party!

In conjunction with a bush hat the cape-let worked well on both the weather and the debris-ingress counts, all I needed after that was a jacket/cape-let configuration that I would be comfortable using year round. The KA03 proved to be the answer for me. (see Best Bushcraft Jackets Part 1. and Part 2.).

I constructed the cape-let by dismantling an original M84 version and using it as a pattern. Here’s where I added my own twist – I decided to make the cape-let reversible. One side I made from the PU coated nylon material taken from a damaged (and cheap) Austrian surplus poncho, (I wanted as a good a match to the KA03 jacket colour as possible) the other side from a damaged (not so cheap!) German-surplus Goretex, flecktarn (ex) water proof jacket. I chose the GTX not for its primary properties but as it seems to hold the flecktarn colours better than polycotton.
Cotton used was Gueterman 976 upholstery thread and the tie straps are Brit surplus equipment
(nylon - £3.99). The olive side was sprayed with two coats of Fabsil Gold.

I’ve been using a KA03 jacket for a few years now but this new combination has yet to be tested year round, I think that it is almost a foregone conclusion that it will work. Beyond its weather and debris protection and now its reversible/cam aspects, further advantages of the cape-let are:
That it is a removable item and when not required it needn’t compromise the breathability of a jacket;
It can be removed if open fire is a danger;
It can be folded up and easily stowed in a jacket/trouser pocket or pouch;
It is transferable to other garments.

 

[Dogoak]

Neat bit of kit, thanks for the post.

 

[Twodogs]

yep very useful item ,
never seen one before

 

[Toddy]

Tidily done Nice to see a good write up too

I have seen them before, my Dad had one made of oilskin, and I've made them, more usually of wool though, when they become an extra layer over a bushshirt or a reenactor's kirtle.
I have one of the same green waxed fabric as my jacket and one that's made from the same wool as my bush shirt.

I found reference years ago to the Wodesman's Weir, which was a leather or woollen version. If it's made of boiled wool (like the Dachstein Mitts) and oiled like a fisherman's jumper then it's warm, heavily showerproof, breathable and yet hard wearing.
Good kit

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Jaeger]

Positive responses appreciated thanks - and that interesting information too Toddy.

Notably, whilst I was working on it, at one stage I thought - "Should I extend the collar up to include a hood?" I already had a ready made one from the flecktarn Goretex garment. It would have looked something like one of those head and shoulder garments that you sometimes see worn in medieval films/re-enactments but I then thought - whooooa! next I'll be adding a piece to cover the body and I'll will have re-invented the poncho!
It would have also bulked the cape-let out and defeated the 'slip-it-in-a-pocket advantage - so I stopped meself!

 

[Toddy]

Very true
Modern 'sensibilities' lead us to make clothing 'athletic cut' and in ways that add ons like your caplet look as though they're part of the garment. In the past the better off you were the more layers of clothing (and volume in those layers) that you wore.
Heaven knows what they'd have made of the mini skirt
I think your slip-it-in-a-pocket makes the whole thing very practical indeed. My Dad's was very effective but it was a bit like a stockman's coat over layer, iimmc. No idea why but it had leather straps instead of fabric, at the oxters to keep it tidily in place even when we were out on the boat. Packed up smallish, like a folded sou'wester, but not as small as yours does.
The woollen ones I made for HWMBLT and others are easily tucked inside the bushshirt to provide an extra layer, especially in a right cold dreich night sitting around a fire with the wind blowing a hoolie. Bushcraft draughtproofing

M

 

[Harvestman]

Looks a fine piece of kit, though I would prefer one of Mary's woollen or leather ones.

The psychological benefit of things like hats and capes is that if the top of your body feels dry, you don't seem to worry about the torso and legs until the rain becomes truly saturating. So a garment like this gives you that lightweight feel for longer without you feeling like you have to fling on something bulky to keep you dry.

 

[Jaeger]

Toddy - Again you raise an interesting point - garment fit!

Back in the days when I was a 'lean green fighting machine' (so the acheyes told us - anyone remember that term?) it was derigueur to wear your kit 'tailored'.
KF shirts had darts in the back to pull-in the excess material, combat jackets likewise, lightweight 'denims' had sewn in creases down the legs (when you were allowed them!) and didn't we look great - until you were out in the field (and it was wet - rain or sweat) and all that tailoring meant tight fitting/uncomfortable clothing with less space for extra mid layers, less room to trap (warm) air and tight/cold spots at knees/elbows/shoulders etc!

I learned the lesson quickly and from then on my kit was large and loose - and comfortable. (apart from those horribly scratchy wool KF shirts (sorry Toddy I'm scarred for life where wool is concerned - once almost permanently where Dachstein mitts were involved - give me water shedding kit anyday )

I wrote about jacket fit in Part 1. of a recent post on the Austrian mil surplus KA03 jacket.

Re the leather instead of fabric – those straps in the original M84 cape-let that I used as a pattern were nylon webbing – and they disintegrated as I took the garment apart – I assume due to the perspiration and heat that they had suffered during use – maybe that’s why leather?

Harvestman – you are so right about that psychological effect – I suffered it many times as a young squaddy. It’s especially noticeable when the back of your neck is wet/cold and particularly when that part between your shoulders becomes wet.

I’ve pondered the original design of the M84 caplet – it wears longer at the front than the back when it’s on and it protects both the lower neck, shoulders back and front and the upper chest - not unplanned by those clever Danes I would venture.


Even now after a quick cross country hike-in, when I doff my rucksack I’m almost instantly aware of the effect of perspiration in between my shoulder blades than other equally perspiration or rain wetted parts of my clothing. That effect has lessened with the (un caplet-ed) KA03 (Polycotton) which I then cover with the caplet when I become stationary and have cooled down a bit.

 

[Toddy]

Good wool is the most comfortable and breathable garment you'll ever wear. Well, apart from silk I know folks who wear it all year long and even in Summer they are comfortable.
Too many folks get put off wool because they have to take what's given/available, and when kit is made to the lowest price point, it really shows

That might well explain the leather straps. They were waxy from the dubbin stuff my Dad used and seemed to be shaped into curves with wear….the way a leather belt shapes, I mean.

John Fenna's the fellow to chip in on this discussion; he designed outdoor kit

M

 

[Laurentius]

Good wool is the most comfortable and breathable garment you'll ever wear. Well, apart from silk I know folks who wear it all year long and even in Summer they are comfortable.
Too many folks get put off wool because they have to take what's given/available, and when kit is made to the lowest price point, it really shows

That might well explain the leather straps. They were waxy from the dubbin stuff my Dad used and seemed to be shaped into curves with wear….the way a leather belt shapes, I mean.

John Fenna's the fellow to chip in on this discussion; he designed outdoor kit

M

I would agree with you in that. I have been going out in the recent rain in what was my mum's traditional welsh wool birrus brittanicus style cape and not felt wet or cold.

 

[Goatboy]

Hi Jaeger,
Good write up and interesting thoughts on an under-rated bit of kit. First had a caplet from a stockmans coat I had. Handy thing and handy over an oiled wool jumper on a driech day when working outdoors, especially when doing something like fencing which is heavy going but fairly static. Allows the body to breathe but keeps the worst of the rain off. Like you pointed out medievil versions were popular though they often seemed to have a hood attatched. I don't like hoods, for a start they make me feel very paranoid when up and they restrict my hearing and vision. So I like a hat. Found a wide brimmed hat and a capelet or a leather engineers waistcoat a great combo for most types of outdoor work. Especially moving through wet close woodland.
Cheers for posting up.
GB.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[mrcharly]

Didn't paramo make a jacket that used something like this?

 

[Jaeger]

Toddy,
I totally agree with you about the wool quality issue - by all accounts some of the 'technical' wools marketed today would have alleviated that KF shirt/horse blanket itch - but they are expensive.

My view is that without a doubt wool is great as an insulator (ask any sheep!) particularly in dry-cold conditions - as a mid layer garment.
If correctly treated and maintained it can also shed a degree of H20 when used as a (temporary) outer layer.

I've experienced both those conditions with the Austrian woolly pulley (a real wool pullover, not that wool mix that we Brits were issued with (there's your quality/price-down issue Toddy!) When/if wool does become wet, even saturated (often the case where an element of pressure is applied - think Dachsteins +ice axe and wooly pully + rucksack shoulder straps, H20 will go straight through it. Yes, it will keep you warm whilst your body temp is up (active) but if you become static and cool off it just conducts heat away from you. If you can't dry it out and you don't take care to keep it warm in sub zero temps overnight you may awake to find it frozen solid! (I've seen this happen to others and experienced something similar myself, not with wool but with - Ventile!!)

So whilst I am a fan of the 'natural' options for some uses, I believe that synthetic water 'shed-ers' (mid and outer layers) have the edge.
By the way, the most potentially hostile weather environment in which my clothing has ever been put to the test is the cold, wet winters of bonny Scotland!

Mrcharly
I've not seen a Paramo with a caplet but they may have tried it. Not sure how it would function with their 'pump' technology though unless it just acts as an extra external barrier. I do have a couple of their products (Velez smock, Aspira jacket & trousers & Taiga fleece) - great 'walkers' and to a degree wild life observer's gear though as in my ref above re wool and 'pressure' I've found that H20 goes straight through it at knees, elbows and seat if you are prone/squatting/kneeling. Again I end up back at water shed-ers!


Goatboy
I can see how that combo of an oiled woolly pully and a caplet would meet the conditions that you were using it in - and perhaps there-in lays the holy grail of outdoor activities clothing - mix and match versatility! The transferable and compactness elements of the caplet are defo an asset.
Re hoods - I too prefer a hat to a hood especially when I'm on the move but if I'm static and the wind/rain is coming from behind (and I'm not expecting activity in that direction) - out comes a (detchable) Goretex hood.
By the way what is the wide brimmed hat that you use and is it waterproof?
Re that leather 'engineers' waistcoat - you don't mean of the type shown in the image by any chance? (modified version).

 

[Toddy]

I know men who work out in that Scottish weather all year long….and they wear estate tweeds and wax jackets.

I worked sodden wet in windchill of -17C, but I had waterproofs on top of my woollens and you're right; keep moving and you're fine. Stop and you'll freeze.
Best way we found was to stop when there was a gap in the weather, and no or snow falling, open up the waterproofs and let the body heat steam off a lot of the wet.

It was the wind that was the killer, but so long as we kept moving, and stopped the wind, we were fine. Good, real, gaberdine does that. It does get heavy with wet though, and goretex is a very good thing indeed

M

 

[mrcharly]

mrcharly
I've not seen a Paramo with a caplet but they may have tried it. Not sure how it would function with their 'pump' technology though unless it just acts as an extra external barrier. I do have a couple of their products (Velez smock, Aspira jacket & trousers & Taiga fleece) - great 'walkers' and to a degree wild life observer's gear though as in my ref above re wool and 'pressure' I've found that H20 goes straight through it at knees, elbows and seat if you are prone/squatting/kneeling. Again I end up back at water shed-ers!

found it? Not quite a caplet, it included sleeves.

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/product-reviews/paramo-third-element---first-look/4062.html

 

[John Fenna]

John Fenna's the fellow to chip in on this discussion; he designed outdoor kit

M

So I will
I like the idea of a Cape-let ... mine is woolen, with a hood and a laced front opening. I like wool and waxed cotton and apart from an old MOD cape I no longer have any synthetics in my clothing selection.
I find the Cape-let very versatile - the felted Merino of mine keeps out a fair bit of wet and is comfortable even if it does get soaked. If I keep it dry it is great for sitting around the fire at night and even wearing as a night-cap (I hate close fitting sleeping bag hoods) and have been thinking of making a waxed cotton one for wet but mild weather - the wool one is WARM!
My woolen one has no straps but is cut to conform to the body so does not flap too much - I think that a waxed one would benefit from straps as the fabric is more prone to flap than wool (in my experience).
I would use leather for straps - as it conforms to shape over time, is more "treatable" and just plain looks better than synthetics!

 

[Goatboy]

Jaeger.

The waistcoat I'm talking about was the type issused to British troops through WWI/WWII. Brown leather, buttons up the front, lined with thin felted wool. Some had pockets though most didn't. (I'll dig out some pictures tomorrow). I got my first one from an old shed on the estate sawmill. Had been hanging there for years and no-one wanted it so they said I could have it. Took me an age clean it up and feed the leather. That one was eventually pinched but I managed to get my hands on a 1941 issue PVC version. Same lay out with felt lining. (The leather ones are really pricey these days).
I do like that waistcoat in your pictures, where did you get that? Fancy one myself.
On the hat front it's mainly Tilley hats I wear. I have a couple of cotton ones, the hemp one (my favourite) and the tweed winter one which has built in ear covers. (It also has a strange bit to pull down to keep the forehead warm... But it just gets in the way of the eyes.)
Between the hat and an upturned collar and or a merino buff nothing gets through. Have in the past worn balaclavas when on winter belay but I really cant do hoods.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[tombear]

Well that's definitely something i'll be making, when I've decided what material to make it from, thanks!

ive made couple of Norse hoods based on excavated examples, ones from thick blanket wool that's been felted and lanolised about three times now and smells distinctly sheepy.

ive one of those leather fronted modern jerkins I use when carrying stone or similar tasks when a bit of armouring to the fronts a good idea. They had a bail of HFB sized ones at a sir show for three quid a pop and so regret not buying more. If I ca get more cheap I'm going to make two into one with a leather back and a wool liner as per the old style ones. I've a small sized leather one and a huge PVC one in the collection. I'd love to find a real leather one to fit my girth or afford one of the modern replicas made for reenactors but the latter are at least 99 quid a pop but at least are made big. You used to be able to get Belgium 1950s ones relatively cheep, leather but a bit shinier than Commonwealth ones but they seam to have dried up.

atb

tom

Ps, shame these have cotton canvas lining
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRITISH-1...-REMAKE-Button-holes-very-tight-/400934928392

 

[Jaeger]

Tombear and Goatboy,

I know the one you mean Goatboy - one of my uncles (ex WW2) used to wear one when I was a kid for his plumbing business!

The leather jerkin in the image I posted is a recent (80's/90's/00's) a Brit army FIBUA vest, sometimes described as an ammunition (boxes and crates) handling jerkin.

I blagged several in the early nineties and modified them as shown for a specific task.

In the early 00's I purchased one for £15 and used it whilst I was renovating our house - came in great when humping bricks around.

More recently 2010 I purchased a few more for only £5 each - and cut them up to use the leather for other projects!
Not sure if you can track them down on ebabe any more.
The leather is really supple and I would image could probably be dyed and the garment adjusted for re-enactment.

Thanks for that info re the hats Goatboy.

JF - I've just completed one in canvas - will be trial-ing it out soon - weather permitting!