H.Johnson
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,562
- Location
- Midlands, UK
Mr. Past,
Ventile (R) is, of course woven today under licence and smallish quantities (e.g. 'fent ends') are available (albeit in unauthorised form) from various sources. See the Performance Fabrics catalogue. Its scarcity is somewhat mythical, unless you want to go into mass production.
Grenfell cloth is no longer made (or, more accurately, is made in name only) since the takeover of the company. There are records of interesting dialogue between the War Department and the Haythornthwaite family over the military use of the cloth (or lack of it) and WW2 and later the contentious isse of its use on the 1952-3 Everest expedition.
Professor Mary Rose (guess who is her husband?) is the most authoritative source on Lancashire cotton. She is, of course, joint author of 'Invisible on Everest' and was the drive behind the 1924 expedition clothing (this has been well covered in other threads on the forum). The lady who actually made the clothing for the project has full specifications and patterns (in my size, as it happens) but prefers not to be bothered for now. I have been in communication with her, but she is contemplating production of the items and so I think it unreasonable to place demands on her. The cloth for the jackets was woven specially by one of Burberry's suppliers (who I undertsand have since ceased to trade).
If by 'canvas' you mean a weave without a twill, there is no reason why it shouldn't be windproof and yet tough enough for a rucksack - it depends on the tightness of the spun fibre and the closeness of the resulting weave. My 1930s Bergan rucksack is relatively lightweight and is in a closely woven fabric - not quite like Ventile (R) but not far off. Much lighter than a modern Swedish military ruckack, which it most closely resembles.
Have you seen the types of cloth from which the wartime British windproof suits are made (I mean originals, not reproductions)?
Ventile (R) is, of course woven today under licence and smallish quantities (e.g. 'fent ends') are available (albeit in unauthorised form) from various sources. See the Performance Fabrics catalogue. Its scarcity is somewhat mythical, unless you want to go into mass production.
Grenfell cloth is no longer made (or, more accurately, is made in name only) since the takeover of the company. There are records of interesting dialogue between the War Department and the Haythornthwaite family over the military use of the cloth (or lack of it) and WW2 and later the contentious isse of its use on the 1952-3 Everest expedition.
Professor Mary Rose (guess who is her husband?) is the most authoritative source on Lancashire cotton. She is, of course, joint author of 'Invisible on Everest' and was the drive behind the 1924 expedition clothing (this has been well covered in other threads on the forum). The lady who actually made the clothing for the project has full specifications and patterns (in my size, as it happens) but prefers not to be bothered for now. I have been in communication with her, but she is contemplating production of the items and so I think it unreasonable to place demands on her. The cloth for the jackets was woven specially by one of Burberry's suppliers (who I undertsand have since ceased to trade).
If by 'canvas' you mean a weave without a twill, there is no reason why it shouldn't be windproof and yet tough enough for a rucksack - it depends on the tightness of the spun fibre and the closeness of the resulting weave. My 1930s Bergan rucksack is relatively lightweight and is in a closely woven fabric - not quite like Ventile (R) but not far off. Much lighter than a modern Swedish military ruckack, which it most closely resembles.
Have you seen the types of cloth from which the wartime British windproof suits are made (I mean originals, not reproductions)?