Homemade Gabardine Smock

[madelinew]

I want to make one for myself having had heart failure at the prices of these but I'm not too sure about fabric quality. I understand that true gabardine has waterproof and breathable qualities but how do I tell true gabardine?

Is this likely to be any good or am I wasting my money?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=200250788679

 

[scanker]

From my (very) little reading about gabardine, I understood that it was windproof, not at all waterproof, but dries very quickly.

Looking at the seller's feedback, he's sold quite a few lots of gaberdine, all with positive feedback. Maybe worth dropping the seller a line with your questions? One of the other auctions I looked at said he was happy to send out samples of his fabrics.

 

[madelinew]

I suppose I could always wash it in Nikwax to give it some water repellancy

 

[madelinew]

I got the idea from an article in this month's Walk magazine which has an article on 2 guys who belong to the Band of Historical Hillwalkers. They had gabardine smocks made from vintage WWII cotton gabardine which they claim is waterproof as well as windproof. I think I'll give the stuff from Ebay a go as it's cheap enough and as I say above, I can always wash it in Nikwax. Most of the rest of their gear is wool based.

 

[scanker]

Fair enough. I may well be wrong. I only came across some snippets about gabardine when I was researching a ventile smock last month. IIRC Mallory (?) used gabardine.

 

[John Fenna]

I used to have a gabardine SAS smock whick I treated with Nikwax cotton proof.
A good showerproof windproof is how I would describe it.

 

[madelinew]

Fair enough. I may well be wrong. I only came across some snippets about gabardine when I was researching a ventile smock last month. IIRC Mallory (?) used gabardine.

He did indeed. I seem to remember a programme about the clothing he wore and how it held up to modern fabrics - very well apparently. I've got a feeling Bruce Parry wore gabardine when he replicated Scott's South Pole journey too. OK the reindeer furs the 'Amundsen' team wore were better for various reasons but probably not for man-hauling sledges and also not terribly practical here on the Isle of Wight! Not that I shall be hauling sledges..........

 

[madelinew]

Anyway, I've ordered it and shall devise some sort of pattern for it to the best of my abilities based on pictures of smocks I've seen on the web and I'll put it through the washing machine with some nikwax for good measure.

 

[scanker]

Let us know how you get on. It was a good price IMO, far cheaper than ventile and the like. Will be very interested if it does turn out to be somewhat waterproof.

 

[saddle_tramp]

this ought to be just up your alley

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VENTILE-L28-5...39:1|66:2|65:12|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

[scanker]

Hmmm. That looks familar! I was watching the last lot: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VENTILE-L28-5...268351847QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220268351847

 

[saddle_tramp]

Blimey, it fetches a bit then

 

[Ogri the trog]

Hmmm. That looks familar! I was watching the last lot: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VENTILE-L28-5...268351847QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220268351847

Ouch,
and there was me keeping quiet about the stuff Saddle Tramp linked to!

Might have to think again

Ogri the trog

 

[saddle_tramp]

:sad6:

Ooops

 

[Ogri the trog]

:sad6:

Ooops

Don't worry ST,
If I had known about the price of he previous batch, I wouldn't have been watching it so closely. And I'dstill need a pattern anyway.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[jayuk]

That seller also 'sold' the smock he has listed a few weeks ago. Although I'm probably being paranoid and he does/did have two identical brand new smocks in the same size.

 

[MikeE]

You could try PointNorth I think they're called! They supply lots of different materials and zips / fasteners, etc. You'd only need a pattern then!

 

[madelinew]

I couldn't find a pattern I liked so I'm going to attempt to design it myself. The gabardine arrived this morning. It's a very strong green colour but seems good quality. It's quite heavy. Now I need to think about how long to make it - below my bum I think. And do I make it pull on or zip up? How do I design the hood. Draw string waist or not. Bib style pocket on front or side pockets?

Would help if I got my sewing machine fixed before I start though

BTW I clicked on the link for the ventile and then the link within that auction for the smock. Is it just me or is this link to "Readers Wives" for the survival fetishist.........? :-D

 

[jayuk]

Depending on your size, could you reverse engineer (take apart and use as a template)something like this with your own modifications?:


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/British-Army-...39:1|66:2|65:12|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

[historyphil]

Hello all, re: Mallory and his clothing. Go to the www.chocolatefish.merino website and put Mallory in their search box or look for a link to Mallory on their Wooly History page. There is a great deal of info about Mallory and the 3 year duration academic tests of the clothing he was wearing when his body was found on Everest were subjected to. It seems that his gaberdine, wool and tweed layering system was lighter and more efficient than all the modern synthetic fabrics put together ! Also the type of 1920's boots he was using were found to be more than equal to the task. "Mallory's clothing and footwear was 20% and 40% lighter respectively."