1940s Swedish Army Canvas Coat With Shearling Lining

[clarinetplayer]

This is an amazing coat. Wonderful pictures. Thanks for posting.

 

[Philalethes]

Amazing coat, Rudie! Thanks for sharing. I'd love to have one of those...

 

[Rudie]

Winter has come at last, -10°C during the day and -17°C at night. Just walking in my coat I feel warm and comfy, but riding my bike in it I even started sweating yesterday! I love it! My old Avirex (now Cockpit) Irvin repro has seen zero wear this winter so far. I might as well sell it. It can't compete at all with this wonderful coat.

 

[Flicka]

Just stumbled over what looks like the exact same jacket on Swedish eBay:

http://www.tradera.com/militar-army-vintage-vinter-jacka-parka-unik-xl-xxl-auktion_340285_148598346

It is the same, isn't it?

Translation of ad:

"Selling unique military army vintage jacket parka, no size tag. But according to me XL/XXL. Measurements (ca.) armpit-armpit 63 cm, length 107 cm. Armlength 70. The jacket is wickedly comfortable and warm. Well-used and has tiny flaws, see mark picture 5.

International buyers accepted."

 

[Rudie]

Probably a different maker and the shearling seems to be made of larger and more regular pieces than mine. But yes, it's the same M1909 model.

Wow, just 300 Swedish Kronas, that's €35. That's a helluva good deal! If I didn't have one already I'd snatch this one up right away!!!

 

[rayban]

Dating Swdish army canvas coat sheepskin lined

Dear all,

I managed to buy one of these swedish army coats on ebay. The one I got today has "1" stamped just above the hem. I suppose it means size one. Even if this is so, it still is quite a large coat. And heavy too. I'd say it weighs around 4kg's, so it's comparable (in weight) to the RN duffel coat and a Bulgarian army sheepskin lined coat I bought a while ago. Can't tell you how effective it is because spring has just arrived in The Netherlands, however I think it will keep me quite warm when it's freezing.

I also own two Russian army Bekeshas. These are somewhat lighter 3.5 kg's. The main difference is that Bekeshas are (basically) patches of sheepskin (turned inside out) and stitched together. The sheepskin of these coats is untreated so the hairs are long. As soon as I find a way to download pictures from my smartphone I'll write a little story in which I compare these coats + pictures.

I have one question about the Swedish army coat. Can someone please date these coats for me? When were they introduced for service and until when? There are a few unreadable stamps on the inside of my coat. The only thing I am able to discern is "Örebro" the name of a town to the north east of lake Vättern and to the west of Stockholm.

When looking on the Internet I found that most of these Swedish coats seem to be situated before, during and just after WW2 (until the 60's). Your thoughts/insights are most welcome.

 

[Flicka]

I'm not that good at Swedish military outfits (except that I recognise the later stuff I've worn myself) but a good place to look is the Swedish Army Museum. They have most of their collection online here: http://www.digitaltmuseum.se/
I think they have most every kind of clothing ever made for the Swedish Army going back hundreds of years. However, you need to search in Swedish - unless you know it, it might be hard (but I'd be happy to help if you need translations).

 

[Flicka]

OK, I did a quick search. I think it's a 'livpäls' so I'm hooking you up with a link for a search for that and then you can just see if you can find a match (might it be a Model 1944 - m/44? http://www.digitaltmuseum.se/things/livpls-m1944/S-AM/AM.003837):

http://www.digitaltmuseum.se/search?query=livpäls

I hope that helped you out a bit!

 

[rayban]

livpäls

Hej! Jag talar lite svenska.......... but I wouldn't have thought to look for a 'livpäls'. Tack mycket

 

[Edward]

Fantastic looking coat. I'm now actively hunting for one, though I'm looking for a Size 3. Most seem to be a size 2. I see size 2s listed as measuring 50" pit to pit, though not sure how boxy they are. I need a bit more room than a lot of tapered coats allow if I'm going to be wearing anything much underneath. Not that I think I'd need a lot under one of these, but still I don't like a heavy Winter overcoat to be too close-fitting. Folks on eBay always seem to describe these as "huge" and such, but I've learned in the past never to trust an eBay description, especially not when they come out with classics like "My husband measures a 48" chest and it fits him", then proceeding to give the jacket measurement as 48"....

 

[rocketeer]

I have had a couple of these, superbly warm but not worth the effort if it gets wet as they weigh a ton even when dry. I never wore mine again due to a soaking and sold it for £20 to someone who thought it was a Russian Gulag guards coat. The other one I found sticking out of a clothes bank at the local dump. Hawked it around for ages before I cut it up for the cats blankets. Sorry chaps, just no one wanted it this time.
Both of mine looked unworn, exactly the same as the pic in the original post, WWII? Or has the design not changed in all those years?

 

[Rudie]

Edward, what is your chest size? These coats really run large.