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Some questions:

Dear Lorraine

I have a Klepper Werke Rosenheim raincoat which looks and feels quite like rubber but smells more like some kind of plastic. Do you know whether they made macs in synthetic materials as well as rubber? Grateful for any help you could give.

Regards

David

Hi David

So sorry I'm late. I know just what you mean though. We have scoured the world for rubberised materials and keep getting offered materials made with artificial rubber or even plastic. The trouble is, though they may look like the traditional thing, they don't have the smell - and for most enthusiasts a lot of the magic is in the smell ... What the latest Kleppers are made of I don't know - sorry. If they made with genuine Hevea rubber (ie non-artificial) for the surfacing I would love to know where they get it ... With every best wish - so sorry for the delay.

Lorraine

Dear Lorraine

Thanks for your reply. I bought the klepper from Shinymac who said they thought all Kleppers were rubber. But you are quite right. It feels quite rubbery but the smell is plastic. I wonder what it is. I could set light to it to test it I suppose - but maybe on second thoughts not so wise! Very puzzling.

David

Hi

I think there is a tremendous variety these days of fabrics that are not rubberised! Some of them use neoprene instead of natural rubber, and this can give a close simulation of some features - tactile, visual, auditory: but not odour, which is for many people absolutely key. And there are huge numbers of fabrics which use varieties of plastic - especially polyurethanes - for various effects, some of which copy rubber/rubberising in some ways.

(Incidentally, it's only natural rubber that sparks allergic reaction in those susceptible. Neoprene does not. I myself think this is absolutely important in understanding the mechanisms underlying rubber enthusiasm...)

Non-enthusiasts are of course completely oblivious to the point of odour. We once imported a stock of macs from America that I was assured in all possible ways were made of genuine from-the-tree rubber only to find when they arrived that most of them were not that at all - though they looked and to an extent felt like that. The guy wasn't conning (I don't think!) - just totally oblivious to what he was guaranteeing!

For my money, yes, set fire to it if the odour isn't there, or cut it up into tiny little bits.

Sorry for the delay.

Very best wishes

Lorraine

 

Lorraine

Thanks for your further reply. I have just written to Klepper by chance this morning . They also make, would you believe, canoes of rubber fabric. They have the same brand name as the raincoat. I will let you know whether they can cast any light on the material. I am increasingly inclined to your view that it is a simulated rubber - very impressive but just not quite right, and without the rubbery smell. I wonder why they tried so hard to copy rubber though...

Another thing : it shows no sign of perishing which I think most rubber would.

Best Wishes

DG

 

 

 

Klepper is for many many people a name to conjure with. It is a firm and a style that has clearly made a magnificent contribution to impermeaphile culture.

 

 

 

 

Some answers:

The firm Klepper gave up making this classic coat some time ago and now make and market more modern outdoor weather jackets and of course the Klepper kayaks.

Thanks to hansrillo

The "true" Klepper fabric has a thin coating of genuine rubber on both sides of thin cotton, so the coats are very lightweight. As well as being a normal outdoor coat, it was also meant to be folded and put in a rucksack, much like as pacamac, except , as we know, much classier.

At some time, I think it was in the 1970s, they changed the coating to a plastic material which they called Gumpla, part of the German word for rubber which is Gummi and part of the word plastic. There is no mistaking a rubber Klepper due to its characteristic, but not overpowering smell. Similarly, an expert oleofactor has no difficulty identifying a gumpla.

There should be two labels, one of the Klepper trademark, with a laurel wreath on a blue background. The other is simpler, with stamped numbers, two of which should be the month and year of manufacture.

Thanks to hansrillo

They seem to age very well, especially if kept in a wardrobe and it is possible that postwar, a synthetic butyl type rubber was used, since the Bayer firm were early into synthetic rubber (not plastic). I strongly suspect that the lightweight double coated original Klepper fabric is no longer made.

They appear regularly on eBay and in UK a good specimen can fetch over £100. A recent "new" one with original tags went for nearly £150. Prices seem to be cheaper on e-Bay -Germany, -Austria and - Poland, usually less than £100 and some traders there have a long and good reputation and accept PayPal.

It may seem amazing to people like us, but there are traders who do not seem to know the difference between rubber and PVC. I have seen many coats described as "rubber" on eBay and there on the label, which the seller innocently shows, it clearly says PVC.

Robin

The Klepper experience Robin very kindly translates from the Klepper.net website

Klepper for all weather

Historical reports from customers.

Even the early Klepper catalogues published regular reports from Klepper customers. Read here reports of how Klepper clothing protected the wearer during cloudbursts, when hiking or just walking in town, as well as reports from the Alpine section of the club.

1927: Cycling and an indispensable friend.

The Klepper coat is absolutely waterproof, even in cloudbursts, nothing gets through.

I wore the coat during a six week cycle tour through Switzerland, at various speeds. It proved itself splendidly, especially when we were surprised by a snowstorm on the St Bernard pass. I appreciate its light weight and that it can be folded into a small space. I take it with me on all excursions and also wear it in the city. It has become my good indispensable friend. H.G. Mannheim.

1928: Hiking without a Klepper is unthinkable.

My coat proved itself during a four week hike through North Germany, especially during a very stormy, rainy North Sea trip on a fishing boat, as well as during many daily hikes. Going on a hike without my Klepper coat is unthinkable. That I also wear it on the way to work, is understandable. G.M. (Teacher) Geringswalde.

1929: It gave me almost a thievish joy, to let real streams of water flow over me.

In your Klepper coat, I have finally found the coat I have been searching for almost painfully for many years. I am hardly dependent on weather and I also find it possible to enjoy the beauty of the forest on rainy and stormy days without having to think about my comfort. My coat passed a splendid test this summer, as I sat for two hours on a hunting stand in a forest glade during cloudburst type rain. I count this experience almost as my most beautiful summer memory - as an observer of Nature. It gave me an almost thievish joy, to let rivulets of water flow over me, without getting wet. The hood was a huge advantage as well. M. (Chief city inspector) Torgau.

1950: Proven on an expedition.

As leader of the German Columbia expedition. I am pleased to inform you that the 34 Klepper raincoats that we bought from you proved themselves to be first class as we marched through the notorious climate of the Sierra Nevada, not only in scorching heat but also in downpours during the autumn rainy season. I would especially like to mention with praise, the durability of the material, as well as the comfort when worn, with respect to its mode of manufacture, the ability to allow perspiration to escape and its complete resistance to tearing under normal use.

A few coats are still in use, even after such an extensive test and I still use my own coat for climbing mountains. With respect to the quality of the material, it can be recognised with praise that it is light and not cumbersome and despite the tropical climate, heat and rain, it became neither sticky nor brittle. Leader of the German Columbia expedition. Munich.

1955: A true companion

For a long time, I have been a fan of Loden coats, but I have never had such a light and beautiful coat as your "Trabant". It passed its test in the heaviest rain and accompanied me on my summer hikes in the mountains. It is also very practical when cycling, due to the small fasteners at the bottom of the front. F. M., Fürstenau Castle.

1956. The globetrotter speaks

Thanks to Klepper.net

I have been round the world in my Klepper raincoat, i.e. in 27 weeks, I traveled through 27 countries and I can assure you that my Klepper coat gave me excellent service. As a raincoat it is completely waterproof, even in the heaviest tropical rain and as a winter coat, it kept me warm in the snowy regions of North India and the Andes. I have also occasionally used it as a traveling rug and pillow. I have brought the coat back home, completely undamaged. Prof, Dr. W. H., Münster.

 

 

Leads

Klepper.net

Klepper photostream on Flickr

On our fiction page:: "The making of a kleppermaniac".

     

 
     
   

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