1940s Swedish Army Canvas Coat With Shearling Lining

[Rudie]

The mailman just delivered me this incredible Swedish WWII military canvas coat I recently found on the bay. It is fully lined with cream shearling and has this huge light brown mouton collar and huge map pockets. It is in absolutely pristine condition and fits like a glove!

The pics really don't do it justice. If you're interested I'll take some pictures of the details during daylight tomorrow.

Winter, I'm ready!

 

[normanf]

Amazing find.... looks like a canvas jacket version of the B-3 with sheepskin lining!

Wear yours for the winter in good health!

 

[cuthbert]

Is it as warm as it looks?

 

[normanf]

I imagine cotton canvas which is tough and durable can be quite warm.

My Hemp Hoodlamb Classic jacket with its satin fur lining, is a descendant of the Swedish Canvas Army jacket. Its made with a mixture of hemp and cotton canvas fibers and is plenty warm.

 

[Rudie]

It's quite warm, but I couldn't test it in real cold weather yet.

There are several of these coats in mint condition up for auction right now. Different makers but very similar design, kinda like with the different A2 makers. Just search for "Swedish sheepskin coat".

 

[Aether]

That's great Rudie!

That looks lovely and toasty. But then I'd imagine the Swedish army know how to make a warm jacket...

 

[Rudie]

I just took a walk for an hour. 6°C outside and I wore a shirt and a very thin wool mix jumper under the coat. It was a bit warm, but I could bear it. It's probably as warm as my Avirex (now Cockpit) repro Irvin or even warmer.

 

[svennex]

Oh dear. December 1 and not even a hint of snow yet.

 

[Rudie]

Well, I'm glad about it and I hope we'll have a much milder winter this year as public transportation tends to break down as soon as it starts freezing since the Deutsche Bahn started preparing for a stock market launch a few years ago.

 

[JanSolo]

Rudie, what a great jacket! And you got it off German ebay? I always get a blocked page when something is described as WWII era or similar...
I would love to own one of those! How much did you pay? And what's your size if I may ask?

 

[Tony B]

Jan you have a PM

 

[Rudie]

Thanks, Jan. It was listed on the British ebay. Sometimes they are listed without a WWII tag. It cost me ₤114. Seems like they come up pretty regularly and usually in very good to mint condition.

I recently learned how to prevent ebay from blocking the auctions. You just have to change your language settings to English and restart. That's it.

I'm not sure I have a "size" at all. I'm 6'2", chest is 40, waist 32 or 33 and arms like an orang utan. My best guess is that my coat is actually a size 44L. The coat's shoulders are a bit too wide for me (as well as the chest) but I figured correctly that it would help with the sleeve length.

 

[Rudie]

Here are some more pictures. Enjoy!

It's a size 2, whatever that means. The second stamp usually shows the year it was made, unfortunately it is unreadable.

The fleece is quite irregular, in some places long and shaggy and in others short. The lining is made from lots of different fleece scraps. As I've seen coats with more regular linings, obviously made from one singular fleece, my best guess is that this coat was made later during the war when even the smallest scrap of fleece was put to use.

 

[Rudie]

Quilted sleeves

Fleece detail at the sleeves

Fleece detail

Does anybody know what the use of this chest strap is?

A2 style collar closure. The cotton canvas is so heavy and dense that it's probably nearly waterproof.

Any idea what these loops at the inside corner of the bottom hem are for?

Buttons are secured with leather discs from the other side.

Fleece detail

 

[JanSolo]

What a great jacket!! Thanks for the pictures! I must get one...

 

[Isis]

In case you wonder what the labels says. The white one, "Malsäkrad" means that it's prepared to withstand moths. The other one is the manufacturer, Öje skinnbeklädnad (Öje leatherclothes) it also tells the location, Öje, a village in a part of Sweden (Malung, Dalarna) that are known for its leather industry. And the telephone numer is 20.

 

[Rudie]

Thanks for the info, Isis!

Jan, you're welcome. I'm so glad I pulled the trigger on this one and that it's such a good fit! This coat can really take a beating. You can't go wrong with one of these!

 

[Spitfire]

A trip down memory lane - these coats were extremely popular among us hippies in Denmark in the late 60's. The first ones came in white canvas or plain sheepskin. But the design was the same.
Here's yours truly in East Berlin in 1968.

 

[Spitfire]

The credits for this photo must go to one of the two East German policemen who followed us along the Wall, taking polaroid pictures of us from their car, as we went along. How did I get it?
I stole it from them, as I left their car - after my passport had been checked. And I had answered their questions on my staying in East Berlin, the purpose of my travel etc. etc.
Piece of Cake!

 

[Tony B]

Jesus...that place looks like stalingrad on a bad day....except for the western subversive up to no good.