A while back I acquired Empire Canvas Works wool Camp Coat. I finally got to test it out over two winter treks this season, and I think I will be making it my standard outer insulation layer, since it has performed extremely well. The following is a gear report after putting the coat through the paces.
The ECW Camp Coat is a medium-heavy weight wool fabric that is about the equivalent type of insulation as my old standard 300 weight fleece. It has thickness for holding the heat in, and wool's amazing breathe-ability. It can be bundled up to keep the heat in, or opened snap by snap for maximum ventilation. And as per the supreme winter performance of wool, under extreme exertion (such as hauling sled), it does not feel clammy when laden with moisture (which is still a problem with fleece in the cold). It has a zipped chest pocket which is essential for me (holding my matches, lighter, and compass), and two generous zipped hand warmer pockets for stuff. And, I don't have to shy away from the fire with it on, since wool can handle the sparks easily with no damage, unlike my poor old spark hole-ridden fleece.
When Kevin and I first discussed the coat option for me, I mentioned that I cannot tolerate scratchy wool against my skin, and so he made mine with a polyester fleece lined inner collar, which has worked just great. I wear my inner light polyester fleece sweater underneath, and don't feel any wool. The fleece-lined collar is now a common option if you need it – just ask Kevin when ordering.
I am a standard size medium, and I found that the size medium Camp Coat fit me perfectly as an outer layer, with plenty of room to layer my sweater and vest underneath with no binding. The panels in the Camp Coat have been well thought out for a full, unrestrictive fit, and I don't feel any binding in the arms and shoulders. Here is the link from the ECW website, with two photos, where you can see the panel design and pockets.
http://www.empirecanvasworks.com/campcoat.htmThe following photos are of yours truly testing the Camp Coat recently:
You can see the snap closure front, hand warmer pocket, and the blue zipper pull string (which I added), is the vertical chest pocket. I like the dark navy blue.
Hauling sled at -25C. Note the mositure (as frost), coming through the fabric. Some of that is breath, but some of it is true breathe-ability.
Also at -25C, showing the moisture coming out of the wool. This is a good sign, showing how well the heavy wool breathes. When there is little wind for us heat generating types, using non-shell insulating layers of wool and fleece is the way to haul, allowing for full breathe-ability. I was wearing the coat hitched up here – it sits lower when wanted. You can see the draw string tube beside the knife.
Side view, showing the coat pulled down over the top of the hips.
Ski hauling sled at about -15C, in some wind, with coat fully open for venting steam. Hat and gloves go on and off all day for regulating body temp precisely, but in the wind, I like to keep the wool outer layer on.
One of the superior properties of thick wool for winter trekkers is its comfort range over a variety of activity and temperature levels. The wool Camp Coat has me hooked. A big thumbs up!
(P.S. Also see another report on the camp coat from GerryG,
http://wintertrekking.com/index.php?topic=435.0 )
