Ecologically reasonable insulated Jacket

[Janne]

The Soviet armed forces had a kind of quilted jackets in the past ( I do not what they have these days).
Their winter great overcoats were thick wool.

We do not see much Soviet surplus stuff, do we?

The Irvin sheepskin jacket is not that heavy, once you have it on you do not feel it.
Yes, down insulated synthetic outer is lighter. I do not know how much a jacket with an ecologically neutral ( cotton? Wool cloth?) down insulated jacket weights.
Or even exists?

The Irvin is very, very warm.

 

[santaman2000]

Double post

 

[santaman2000]

Wool on its own is not briliant at being wind proof. Synthetics robson are not an option. Sheepskin flight jackets are heavy Janne, really really heavy and they do not dry the best. I cant believe wool is worse than down at drying erbswurst

I was wondering whether anyone had created coats in a similar vein to these quilts.

https://www.thewoolroom.com/bedding/wool-duvets/

When I a somebody motion sheepskin my first thought was of rancher’s or outback styles rather than flight jackets. Largely due to the nature of this forum. That said, they still ave te same Ilimitations you mentioned.

 

[Janne]

I doubt you can find a rancher’s style sheepskin coat or jacket in UK these days.
Of course you can wear an Irvin in the forest, but it has to be very cold as they are very warm.
You can wear anything you like in nature. High heels maybe not, those you should save only for those special Friday evenings!

 

[Robson Valley]

I have an Australian sheepskin ranch coat. I know exactly what they are like.
I can't wear it warmer than -20C. Like Inuit clothing = fur inside where it belongs.

Cotton is light-years away from being ecologically neutral.
Look it up. Very cold, heavy and soggy when wet.

Carhartt is always #1 here. Buy it once, buy it for life. I have two of them. 20 winters and 2 winters.
Dakota oil rig coats are #2 and maybe even better at -40C for that particular model.

If you insist on natural, orgasmic materials, have a coat made.
Probably less $$$ than you think and _exactly_ your design.

 

[Janne]

Britain has some fantastic woolen fabrics made ‘in house’.
The best.
This forum has some talented seamsters.
A match in Heaven?

Son wears his Irvin now I think. Being just below Zero, I guess with just a thin cotton jumper under. I hope he wears his Canuck hat, so he does not catch a bug...

 

[C_Claycomb]

Has the old insulated jacket become lighter than when it was purchased? Generally synthetic insulation ceases to loft, rather than the material actually disappear in the wash.

Nitrambur appears to have nailed the best option. Mostly merino wool instead of synthetic fill with a light, windproof synthetic face fabric
https://uk.icebreaker.com/en/web-sp...ket/103874_WS.html?dwvar_103874__WS_color=403

If you don't like that, then I think you may be looking for a unicorn, that is if you want light, warm, compact, non-flammable, fast drying, all natural, and ecologically sound, which appears to be the list of criteria.

 

[Erbswurst]

Oh!

I was wrong.

But why do they throw it out???

I am convinced, that wool dries better than down, even if it's enclosed in plastic fabrics.

And if wool becomes a bit whet it generates heat, down looses insulation force.
That's why down regulates better the body temperature, if you sweat, it looses insulation force.

But of course, if it becomes really whet it collapses and looses the ability to insulate. Light but dangerous!

In my opinion wool is the better option.

I prefere idiot proof stuff.

 

[sunndog]

Have I missed something or are we considering down to be 'ecologically unsound' ?

If so then filling with a waste product such as recovered wool is indeed the only option as already pointed out

 

[Erbswurst]

Yes, unicorn in theory.

But a robust woolen jumper and a waxed cotton jacket will work fine and last for many years.

Or a three layer military Goretex quality jacket over the jumper. That lasts many years too.

Ultra light stuff usually goes ultra fast to the bin.

 

[ammo]

Patagonia use recycled materials to make some fantastic jackets. My personal choice is normally wool and wax canvas.

 

[Erbswurst]

In the past nearly every army put the old coats inside the new ones.
They stiched recycled material in between new outer fabric an lining.

The most ecological is to buy military surplus or used civil woolen clothing.

I do that, by the way. It's the cheapest way to get a high end equipment.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Erbswurst, some of your assertions about wool and down are not quite accurate. Some of this may be down to language, but some is not.

Wool in clothing does not generate heat when wet. Even if it did, this would make no useful contribution towards the performance of clothing.
This is why some say wool self-heats:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00288233.1960.10419304
Microbes, the same thing that means a compost heap self heats.

Insulation is not a "force".

Down is noted for being useless when it gets wet, and it becomes progressively less effective insulation as it gets damp. This is not "regulation" of body temperature. Wool is better at regulating body temperature, down it better (per weight or thickness) at dry insulation.

 

[Janne]

I am looking for an insulated jacket, the one I have is synthetic, it it getting to be thin., which means the insulation has washed away and is inside of the cod i will have with chips in a years time. I have looked at down and wool as an alternate. Do you have any ideas of jackets of insulating standard ? I do not have any precidence for facing material as plastic is good for non absorbing qualities, but cotton is good for non burning qualities.

If I go back to your original post:
What insulation level do you need?
Do you need it to be water resistant?
A lined wax or non waxed jacket with a woolen jumper can cover 99% of your British needs. Regulate the insulation level with different jumperd.

Sheepskin jacket or coat?
Leather jacket or coat, uninsulated, with jumper?

 

[tiger stacker]

Would Harris tweed be acceptable ? after all it is still popular every day attire.

 

[santaman2000]

I have an Australian sheepskin ranch coat. I know exactly what they are like.
I can't wear it warmer than -20C. Like Inuit clothing = fur inside where it belongs....

Those were quite common in the Cotswolds when I was stationed in England. They called them “outback’ coats though IIRC. In any case they’re quite expensive as well as heavy.

 

[Robson Valley]

Mine is no more than a bunch of sheepskins sewn together. Custom made and left for me as a gift.
Actually, I pretty much replace it with a monster of an Eddie Bauer down parka & hood.
That thing really is blizzard warm. You get what you pay for.

Outback Trading and Driazabone and Kakadu(?) make good outdoor coats.
They are thin and do not meet the level of the organic ecological quality needed here.
Most of my coats have cotton/canvas outer shells which don't flame if they catch a spark.
Perfect as cold evening camp coats.

 

[Janne]

So you look like that character Declan Harp ( J. Momoa) in Frontier?

 

[Robson Valley]

Yes, I do. It was a very simple sheepskin coat and hotter than Hades. So I whacked off the sleeves.
I have adequate insulation for my arms. Pedal to the metal, off we go.
I guess I could complete the image with a flintlock rifle ($15k from the maker) and snowshoes?
I'm done, buying and selling guns.

I have a full suit of NatGear snow camo. My old Carhartt coat is kinda dirty so I wear the camo shell over that
when I think I need to dress up formal.
Look for the gun barrel when I'm goose hunting. Otherwise in a pea field, you will never see me.

Honestly, if I lived in the UK, I think I'd need to rethink just about all of my outerwear for winters.
Winters in the BC interior are -30C cold and dry, except for blizzards.
All I read about in BCUK is brutally cold and seriously wet.

 

[Erbswurst]

Your critics on my text are absolutely right.
I agree, I didn't describe it correctly.

But with the regulation of damp down it is a bit more complicated:

You close the sleeping bag and sweat in it.
It looses ability to insulate, you sweat less but dry it out. Than it gets its full ability to insulate back. (Of course that doesn't work in every conditions.)

That I meant.

But I do not recommend down equipment.
I know, that a down sleeping bag is very comfortable in a wood fire heated tent. But who owns one?

I prefere plastic fillings and wool.
In my opinion down equipment is dangerous.