Bushcrafting: Bush Jacket Project

I really like the look of the Fjallraven Greenland jacket but I just can't afford one, champagne taste on a beer budget.  I prefer natural to synthetic fabrics when I'm out and there is a possibility of having a fire ember landing on me.  I also prefer earth tones when it comes to a bush jacket and I wanted something large enough to layer over my wool Swanndri shirt.  Another requirement that I wanted was a reasonable amount of weatherproofing.  It doesn't have to be completely water proof (my eVent rain shell wont be replaced)  but I'd like a fair amount of water and wind resistance.

So with a small amount of money, I started my search for the right jacket.  It had to be similar to the Fjallraven or an old military M65.  I found just what I was looking for in Old Navy, a $50 lined cotton military styled jacket with a hood.  It needed a lot of work to bring it up to the standards I was looking for.

First thing I did was replace all the cheap plastic buttons with antiqued brass ones.  Then I added a bunch  of cordlocks to the jacket's drawstrings.

To weatherproof it, I waxed it using Fjallraven's Greenland wax.  This is done by just rubbing it on the fabric and then ironing it to melt the wax in.  This was a tedious job and I did two separate layers.

 

Lastly, I sewed on a few patches.  I am thoroughly happy with the results and I feel that all the work invested in this jacket has made it worth more to me than any jacket I might have wanted to buy in the first place.

Mother's Day

I decided to take my wife out for the day and do some local tourist stuff.  The weather was warm and our luck rewarded us with perfect parking spots wherever we went.  We started out on Granville Island where we toured lots of artsy shops, walked through the market, and had lunch.

After lunch we headed for North Vancouver's Capilano Suspension Bridge where we walked suspended high in the tree canopy, along the side of a cliff, and swinging from a bridge 200 feet high above the river.  It was definitely not a place for someone afraid of heights!

All that walking over precipitous drop-offs got us thirsty so we bought some frozen lemonade at their Trading Post.   It was refreshing and delicious..I highly recommend it!

In truth, everyday should be treated like mother's day and we should always let those special ladies in our lives know how much we love them.  On that note, it's time to go and call my Mom.