Jämä M91-Luhka

Essentially a short cape, in this case, made of tent canvas, surplus from the Savotta company. A compact, traditional alternative for protection from the elements. Rolls up to its hood and large enough to accommodate a small backpack underneath. Complete with a kangaroo pocket in the front!

• A short "Laplander cloak"
• Windproof and water resistant tent canvas
• One size fits most

The good old "Laplander Cloak". The Luhka, or Luhkka, is an age-old poncho style design that originates from the northernmost parts of Scandinavia. A simple and versatile piece of clothing developed by the indigenous peoples of the far north for outdoor work in a harsh climate. The M91 camouflaged tent canvas is surplus from Savotta, an established Finnish gear maker.

A clever little detail we added is the simple toggle button "cuffs". By closing these toggles a sort of sleeves are formed at the outer edges of the cloak. These help keep the luhka in place and prevents it from flapping around wildly, quite handy when doing any kind of work with your hands. We really went bonkers with this and added a kangaroo pocket on the front for keeping important stuff quickly accessible.

The hood and collar area are sized to fit regular head sizes. The head hole and collar are quite tightly sized so that they cover up your neck properly for wind protection. We made the hole just a tad larger than on the woollen version.

Material

The fabric is essentially very dense ripstop-reinforced polycotton, with PU coating on the inside and DWR on the outside, making the fabric at least water resistant. Stronger rain might come through, but the cape will keep wind and light rain out. We left the seams untaped, but the seam construction itself is pretty solid. The cape form naturally helps with air circulation. If you pair this with a woollen coat underneath, you'll be pretty well off.

Care

We recommend washing by hand only if the need arises, machine wash doesn't seem to do good for the fabric.

One-size-fits-most

Since this is a poncho type cloak the only detail that is somewhat important when it comes to sizing is the hood. The hood is designed to fit "regular" size heads with a wool cap or even fur hat on. Bigger melons might be a tight squeeze with thicker headwear on.

Jämä is upcycled surplus

Click here for the whole Jämä selection.

Jämä is a Finnish word meaning leftovers or scraps. It’s also one of our house brands for equipment made from recycled or surplus materials. From time to time we accumulate stuff that doesn't sell well but is made out of outstanding materials. We've also got several capable seamstresses here, and the equation is pretty clear: cut that useless stuff apart and sew it back together to create something useful.

Because Finnish labour is one of the most expensive in the world, these are very simple, practical and rugged in design. Our development and prototype production remains in-house while most of the production is outsourced to Turku - still within Finland. Simplicity means strength: the fewer parts there are, the smaller the chance of breaking anything.