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!
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 is 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 woolen version.
The fabric is essentially a 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 woolen coat underneath, you'll be pretty well off.
We recommend washing by hand only if the need arises, machine wash doesn't seem to do good for the fabric.
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.
Marty H.
andy c.