Swedish Pea Coat, Surplus

Proper nice old-fashioned pea coats, these are genuine Swedish navy surplus. Not some fluffy pseudo wool usually found in clothing stores, but the real deal. Made in Sweden during the Cold War.

Are you after a good pea coat made for real action between men and hopelessly obsolete by modern military standards? You're on the right track! This coat is a conservative model with brass buttons and good quality wool fabric. Not the coarse "man-wool" usually found in East European or Russian stuff, but civilized Swedish production.

On the inside you'll find a thinner lining fabric to ease donning and to protect against wind. There are two outside pockets and one on the inside. The pocket styles vary, some are diagonal, some are horizontal, but they always serve the same purpose. The buttons are traditional brass ones and can be replaced for a more toned-down look. Of course, we would leave it as it is.

Material and care

Made of woolrich fabric. We do not know if there's a percentage of synthetic fibers mixed in or not - might also depend on the year of production. Anyway, it's good stuff. These do not require washing, just airing it out and brushing it once in a while will work as regular maintenance.

Size info

The labels on the jackets vary between two different sizing systems but these are very similar in principle. The important thing to know is that the EU size system is always half of the chest circumference e.g. a European 48 is made for a 96 cm chest. This is the user's measurement - the garment itself has some clearance.

These jackets are form-fitting and are to be worn with pride. You can fit a dress shirt and a midweight shirt underneath if you pick the size that matches your exact measurements.

We have divided the jackets roughly into three length groups, short ones first. If you want to make it simple, pick your length and see if there's a suitable chest size available.

If people incorrectly call you autistic when in reality you're just thorough and careful, read on and you might be rewarded with a much better fit.

Numbers mean width

As some jackets are labeled to EU sizes, these have a small number like 48. Another jacket of the exact same size may be labeled 96. Both of these mean the same: a 96 cm chest circumference.

Prefix letters mean the cut

All sizes have a prefix letter I, N, or U / B, C, or D. These mean "drop" i.e. how much the waist tapers compared to the chest. The I means an athletic V-form and U allows for a bit of a belly. The waist is smaller than the chest about this much:

• I or B (slender waist): -12 cm
• N or C (normal waist): -8 cm
• U or D (stout waist): -4 cm

Suffix letters mean length

Some sizes have a suffix letter K, M, or L. These designate a length, K is short and L means tall like so:

• K (short): 166-172 cm
• M (regular): 172-178 cm
• L (tall): 178-184 cm

If the suffix letter is missing, the user height is designated right after the prefix letter: tall sizes have an additional "1" while regular lengths have nothing.

Examples: C150 is the same as C50 but taller. C150 is the same jacket as N100L, just with a different kind of label.

Swedish military surplus

These have been used and the age shows, but in general not that scruffy at all. It's not like these were used for infantry combat exercises.