And they didn’t have Gore-Tex foul weather gear and down jackets. Wool.
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Wool is better actually - the others, once water soaks through, are worthless - wool remains warm when wet. Wool caps and wool gloves are still the best for long cold exposure. Its just more expensive and harder to find. They also used seal-skin fur-lined slickers.
Arctic and Antarctic weather is not just foul, its horrible cold, then it gets colder.
I had it for years, then it was left somewhere, and got moldy and rotted. I bought another one, but...it was thin, had a stupid satin liner that started tearing, and it wasn't that warm.
A couple of months ago, after griping about that jacket for years, I went out and decided to buy a good one. (My wife got tired of hearing me gripe)
I found this one, a Classic 32 oz Melton Wool Navy Pea Coat When I saw the price, I blanched. I thought I would spend $150, but this one was over $300...on sale.
Well, I have not been spending much money since February 2020 for obvious reasons and had a lot saved up, so I pulled the trigger on it.
Holy crap.
When it arrived, it weighs a ton. It is thick and completely dense, no wind gets through it, it has a collar you can put up which nearly goes to the top of your head, and the inside isn't that stupid satin liner, it is sewed and quilted. The day I got it was five degrees out, so I had to put it on...it is the warmest jacket I have ever owned, and the coolest looking one, too. LOL, I couldn't go for a walk more than around the block because there was ice everywhere, but...it was absolutely impervious to the weather!
And it is made in America...:)
I probably have only another decade or two of life, so...I doubt I will buy another winter jacket in my lifetime. I have never spent that kind of money on a jacket, but...what am gonna do? Take it with me? Absolutely love it.
Yeah...Wool!