Bushcraft on a budget - Cotton jacket

[Dyemor]

Hi Guys,

I've only been getting into bushcraft/camping in the last year and I'm slowly putting my kit together. I've got a pretty basic knife, tarp, sleeping kit, all of which I'd like to upgrade in the future, but at the moment I'm looking to get a non-plastic jacket for outdoors work that will see me through the majority of the bad weather we get here in the UK.

I'm not looking to be outside in snowfalls and if it starts to chuck it down I'm more than likely going to put up a tarp and make a cup of tea (if I haven't got one up already). I wanted to get a jacket which was either wool or cotton which would be quite hard wearing and have some water repellent properties.

The swandarri range of jackets are nice, but for the moment the £120 price tag is a bit steep. I have recently been looking at some old army surplus jackets (combat and parka types) but these don't have any innate water proofing qualities. The material seemed fine and I can pick one up for around £25. I guess I could waterproof it with some Barbour wax (£7) to get something slightly water repellent.

Can anyone let me know if you've tried waterproofing cotten jackets like this or suggest an alternative, sub £50 jacket?

 

[benjamin.oneill]

What size are you?

Might you be interested in this?

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=12632

 

[Dyemor]

I think I'm a bit bigger than a small. It would be good to get another layer or two under it if needed. I know those jackets can get quite cold or so I've been told.

Thanks for the link though. They look like a bargin. May have to get one for my G/f if he still has them next month.

 

[wingstoo]

Dyemor,

Have checked this link out and see that they have a dutch military jacket that is waterproof, it's the one at the top of the page, all the ones below are for the ladies.

There are other links on this site for military jackets that I have not checked out...

LS

http://uk.nextag.com/military-jacket/zzukzB1z0--search-html

 

[scanker]

They look a good price LS. I was going to suggest a Swedish Army Parka, something like:http://www.surplusandadventure.com/ishop/800/shopscr2122.html They're not sold as waterproof, but I expect someone could suggest something to try if you wanted, maybe fabsil or some such.

If you search here for Sewdish Parka, you'll find a lot of opinions.

 

[Fenlander]

This might be the sort of thing you're looking for...

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It was a white swedish army cotton smock (from the 1960's) which I bought on ebay for £11. I bought an olive green dye for £5 and a bottle of Nikwax Cotton proof also for £5 and replaced the white buttons with green ones. Now I have a water/wind proof cotton smock for £21.

You can buy them here:

http://www.factsurplus.co.uk/10245.html but they are bit more expensive.

 

[Dyemor]

Thanks for the good advice guys. I think I've seen those smocks around and definetly seen some parkas. I'll find that nikwax cotton too.

 

[Gill]

what kind of dye did you use for the smock mate it looks great i have seen these smocks dyed before and they do not look as good as yours

 

[falcon]

In terms of cheapness plus durability, a couple of people I respect speak highly of the M65 jacket treated with Nikwax up to shower conditions, then stick an army poncho on in a downpour as a waterproof layer.

 

[Mikey P]

what kind of dye did you use for the smock mate it looks great i have seen these smocks dyed before and they do not look as good as yours

I managed to get one of these from an army surplus place last year that was already dyed dark green - so you don't have to do it yourself. I've proofed it with Nikwax cotton proofing and it's now showerproof. It's a good alternative to the much more expensive Swanndris as long as you add some insulating layers underneath.

The M65 jackets are good but I find them a bit 'heavy' - some might like that but you have to wear them so much more to make them feel lived in. Having said that, they are relatively cheap, hardwearing, and well-designed.

 

[Fenlander]

what kind of dye did you use for the smock mate it looks great i have seen these smocks dyed before and they do not look as good as yours

I think they are called "Dylon". Woolworths sell them, but i got mine from a fabric shop.

 

[halo]

hia dymor,have you thought about an m65 jacket with a detatchable liner,i have one got it from here,www.springfields army store.co.uk,i only paid £35 for it might be worth a look

halo

 

[addyb]

My buddy's Father was in the US Air Force years ago, and he has two M65 jackets. Anway, this buddy occasionally wears one as a cold weather jacket, and I used the other one once. I wasn't that impressed with it, it was far too heavy and although it was treated with Quarpel, I didn't find the water repellency to be too great.

Just my $0.02 cents!

Adam