RAF ventile long coat

[snowlion]

Hi there, I think one of my favourite pieces that I have had ( now unfortunately long gone ) was a dark blue/grey ventile coat which I am pretty sure was from the 50s / early 60s and from the RAF. I wonder if any members have any info or can point to any resources on the 'net about this type of coat.
the coat was long, just over the knee. it had a belted waist. the outer fabric i am pretty sure was ventile. there was an inner (white/cream) blanket lining which was 'hanging' ie not sewn around the hem. the hood had a real fur trim, possibly coyote or similar.
i only have ever seen another of these coats and that was on ebay about 4 or 5 years ago .
apols if my noob question and/ or description is rather vague, im new here and dont know much about jackets etc but i do have a keen interest and want to learn. cheers dave

 

[zoomer]

I don't know much about RAF coats, but I do know ventile was, and is, strictly a British thing. US services decided on synthetics and chemically treated fabrics for water resistance, because we had a military/industrial complex that y'all didn't.

The last time anyone seriously tried marketing ventile over here was to high-end sportsmen in the 70s, right before stuff like Gore-tex started to come out, and it went absolutely nowhere.

The reason? Ventile is cotton, and if you're an outdoorsman in rugged, hypothermia-inducing climates like much of the US, you never wear anything cotton. No matter if it sheds moisture like a duck's back - the common wisdom says it absorbs moisture. Why? Because the common wisdom is based on thermal cotton underwear, flannel shirts, blue jeans and such - which can freeze you to death when wet.

 

[snowlion]

thanks for your reply zoomer- interesting to hear an american perspective.

i am familiar with some of the arguments for and against ventile. it did have its uses - indeed, it is still used in recent times by the likes of ranulph fiennes in his polar expeditions - and im sure that historically it served its purpose well , apparently saving the lives of alot of british airmen who had to bail out over the ocean during the course of ww2.

i have had a few ventile items myself over the years, and have experienced first hand its pros and cons, however im not trying to start a debate in this thread over the usefulness or limitations of the material - i just want to research this particular coat.

 

[snowlion]

if anyone was wondering what the hell i was on about, one has just turned up on the bay, although in a different colour, green and not RAF blue http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 5531wt_953