Michel Tremblay

Forest survival specialist, explorer, adventurer, trainer, speaker and author

Published on 03 September |Last updated on 20 November

For his latest expedition on the Manicouagan reservoir, Michel Tremblay, our ambassador specializing in forest survival and author of the Survie Boréale blog, wanted to transform one of his favorite Chlorophylle garments into a coat suitable for his adventures. He describes his process in this story.


Transforming our Baffin jacket into a paddling jacket

A little jacket makeover? I don't see why not.

I love to see things put to good use. As a seasoned kayaker, I had the idea of transforming my Baffin jacket into a paddling jacket: the garment was still in good condition and I was in great need of a new kayak raincoat.

I had first tested the possibility of using the Baffin jacket for this purpose. In fact, I had already worn it under my floatation jacket during a kayak outing that lasted several days. Despite the bad weather, it kept me dry with its sealed zippers and well-fitting hood. The only downside was the sleeves: even at their tightest, they were not watertight. Needless to say, I was wet up to my elbows!

I thought it would be a nice little winter project. So I ordered some latex and glue (Seam Grip) to hold it all together and make sure that, even under tension, the latex would stick around the circumference of the sleeve.

I turned the sleeves inside out and inserted DVD cases that matched the diameter of the sleeves. I then laid down the latex, making sure it didn't extend beyond the sleeve of the Baffin jacket.

Once everything was in position, I had to join it all together using the glue. I then folded the latex over itself by a centimetre and sealed each sleeve. I had to use the glue sparingly to avoid it dripping everywhere as I unrolled the latex. That would have been quite a mess! After the last joint of glue, all I had to do was wait 24 hours for it to dry.

Mission accomplished, as I just returned from a nine-day expedition on the Manicouagan reservoir, wearing my super jacket and staying dry despite all types of weather. 

A great success!

 

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Forest survival specialist, explorer, adventurer, trainer, speaker and author

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