Särmä Blanket Shirt

The Särmä Blanket Shirt is a primitive low-tech super garment where the natural qualities of wool combined with simple and clever details make for a very functional outdoors jacket. These are made from military surplus wool blankets and other interesting materials!

The idea of the Blanket Shirt stems from ancient outdoor garments. Wool jackets with this basic form have been used from around the middle ages. In more recent times, these have gained popularity among traditionalists.

A bag of old tricks

The Särmä Blanket Shirt is a simple and functional garment that doesn't throw tried and true features away. These were good back in the day and not the least bit worse in the days to come. We didn't reinvent the wheel, just made our variation of it with practical features.

The chest pocket is large and positioned a bit higher up on the chest so as not to interfere with backpack hip belts or equipment belts worn over the shirt. Great for storage or warming your cold fingers. Inside the pocket is a smaller pocket, sewn onto the body side of the shirt. This little flat pocket is intended to store any important valuables such as mobile phones safely. Access slits on the sides to make rummaging through your trouser pockets or accessing equipment on your trouser belt easier.

The hood offers protection from wind and rain and keeps your head warm, an obvious necessity if there ever was one. The hem is way longer on the back, which will keep the crack of your arse covered in any squatting position, and it also offers protection from wet or cold surfaces when sitting. Unbemazing! From the end of 2020 onwards, the hood is less of a cultist model and more functional.

Raglan sleeves, these are an elegant solution! No seams anywhere on top of the shoulders, so there's no chafing when carrying backpacks. Mobility of the arms is better as well.

Materials and care

We used to make these for a long time under the Jämä brand from army surplus blankets and other materials we happened to find, hence the name. The availability couldn't keep up with the demand, so these are now made from purpose-sourced materials as the Särmä Blanket Shirt. The wool fabric is the same as we use on our Woolshell garments: 70% recycled wool, 30% recycled polyester, weight at least 400 g/m², and the fabrics are made in Italy. Särmä Luhkas and Blanket Shirts are sewed in Finland by Kolmituote, Salon Seudun Työkeskus Oy.

Made in Finland!

Airing out will do the garment good and this is basically the regular "cleaning" you'll do. What comes to more thorough cleaning, as the first option it's best to try just brushing off any stains or spot clean with water and mild soap. If you manage to get this dirty as hell and absolutely need to use a washing machine, try a gentle wool cycle at 30 degrees Celsius (86 F). Use wool care products while you're at it, it'll make the garment restore its natural woolly goody features. Hang dry, stretch the garment out a bit while it's drying.

Due to Circular Economy, you may find used Jämä Blanket Shirts available on this page from time to time. If you don't see any, we don't have them. If you do, act fast.

Size info

These come in three sizes with a loose fit. Each size has a recommended user height and chest circumference. Understand that the fit is not like a parade dress or in any other way or form a socially normative choice.

The main thing to consider is the chest circumference, as a too-small shirt will be difficult to don. The length is generous and if the sleeves overshoot your hands, just fold them for a tailored fit.

Size chart (metric units)

Size chart (freedom units)

Above are more detailed charts of the garment measurements as follows: chest width (pit to pit), front length from the collar to the hem, center back length from the bottom of the hood to the hem, sleeve top length from the base of the hood to the cuff, and sleeve length from the armpit to the cuff. The tolerance is about 1 cm (0.4") either way.