Särmä TST Woolshell Jacket

We've played around with many wool-based outdoor and military clothes over the years; the Woolshell is a completely rethought design based on experiences and ideas gathered from numerous projects. Functionally this is much like a modern tactical softshell jacket with its minimalistic and sleek appearance. Combining this functionality with high-quality natural wool fabrics makes this a rather unique garment!

Wool? As in old-timey clothes?

Yes! High-quality wool is not at all scratchy and nasty. Wool has some really useful properties:

• Breathes, doesn't feel like plastic
• Won't soil easily, but cleans up nicely
• Doesn't easily catch fire
• Forms on its wearer
• Relatively warm even if it gets moist, but won't really soak in water.
• Made in the EU, in Latvia

Good wool frieze is expensive and has some heft to it, that's why it's not nowadays used so much. It's still more than a viable application for temperate and cold-weather clothing articles.

Modern, functional design

• Snug fit
• Adjustable hood, the drawcord can be pulled into the jacket
• Front zipper w. interior storm flap
• Underarm ventilation zippers
• Elastic drawcord adjustable hem
• Articulated elbows
• Elbow reinforcements w. pad pockets
• Hook-and-loop cuffs
• Loop for sleeve patches
• Four pockets:
  • Two zippered chest pockets
  • Two zippered upper arm pockets
• Materials:
  • Wool frieze: 70/30% recycled wool/recycled polyamide, 400 g/m²(new model)
  • Wool frieze: 70/20/10% wool/polyamide/Cashmere, 340 g/m²(old model)
  • Reinforcements: 50/50% cotton/polyester
  • Pocket lining: 100% polyester

The original idea for the Woolshell design began as a simple fantasy - wouldn't it be great to have a wool suit that could comfortably be worn under gear and shell garments without causing too much excess bulk? Basically, this would be a garment that could alternate between shell and mid-layer functions, with the fantastic properties of wool being the main attraction. This idea matured over the years and eventually ended up as an update for our legacy wool jackets and pants, tying these together with the current Särmä TST clothing system designs.

Besides the wool and its naturally fantastic properties the other big thing about the Woolshell jacket is the design. The snug fit minimizes excess material which means a decrease in weight and less uncomfortable bunching up under gear and shell clothing. The fit and low-profile pocket design result in a sleek garment, especially considering the main material! And when the going gets tough, that's when the underarm ventilation zippers and breathable materials kick in.

Model Update 2022

We trimmed the cut to be smoother (size recommendations remain the same), switched to a thicker and stronger wool frieze, and the reinforcements of the Gray ones are blacker than ever. On the jackets, the elbow reinforcements are moved closer to the torso for better positioning when e.g. shooting prone. The Gray and Green Woolshells are all new, the Green-Browns and M05 variants are old.

The older Gray ones had ink-colored reinforcements, the new ones are black.

Sizing and fit

The cut is form-fitting to reduce weight and bulk. The fit tapers at the waist and is fairly snug for a jacket, yet it's not like a shirt.

The recommended size has room for sensible layers worn underneath. If you wear very thick mid-layers, you may want to consider a larger size than recommended.

Below, you'll find measurements of the garment itself. The widths are measured laid flat, the chest is from armpit to armpit. The center back length is measured from the bottom of the hood and the sleeve length from the shoulder seam.

Woolshell Jacket (Metric)

Woolshell Jacket (Imperial)

Materials

High-quality European wool frieze

The latest ones are heavier and stronger consisting of 70% wool and 30% polyamide, 400 g/m². Polyamide increases durability.

Reinforcements

50% polyester, 50% cotton, ripstop reinforced. Receptive to fabric wax, by the way!

Wash and care

As these are made of wool, they don't need to be washed very often - the best way to keep wool clothing clean is to simply brush off any dirt and if necessary wipe it with a wet cloth. If you must, we recommend dry cleaning. Machine washing at 30-40° degrees Celsius (86-104° F) with a wool cycle is also OK but don’t use a tumble dryer. Hang to dry. When drying, stretch the garment a bit to open up the fibers again. Use of wool care products recommended!