Fabrications

IRONCLAD CANVAS

We call it Ironclad as the extra tight weave basically forms an unbreakable armour that would give a tiger snake a chipped tooth if it came at you. Our Ring spun canvas uses the longest yarns available and is twisted tight for extra strength to give our Ironclad canvas the brawn to get the job done time and time again. Used for our heavyweight canvas jackets, shirts and pants.

SHEET CLOTH

For warmer climates, there’s nothing more comfortable against your skin than lightweight 100% cotton. The tight weave of our 5-oz Sheet Cloth gives it a strength and durability that you didn’t see coming from a lightweight fabric. It’s right at home out on safaris or trekking through the bush, rain, hail or shine. Kakadu’s Sheet Cloth is a new standard for year-round versatility and comfort for the great outdoors. Used for our lightweight cotton shirts.

RIPSTOP TARPAULIN

Originally developed in WW2 to stop Parachutes from ripping, Ripstop fabric is the preferred choice for tactical gear worldwide. Ripstop is made by incorporating strong threads into the weave of a fabric in a repeating crisscross pattern. These threads significantly increase the tear-strength of the fabric, and are normally only noticeable under close examination.

We’ve used a Ripstop tarpaulin used for military tents and adopted it to our bag luggage range. Lighter yet stronger than a traditional heavyweight canvas, our Ripstop tarpaulin has been dry waxed to add a firm, showerproof finish to give our bag range all the toughness and dependability for work & adventure in all conditions. Used for our bags and accessories.

AUSTRALIAN OILSKIN

You can’t get more Australian than oilskin. Like all good ideas, oilskin was born out of necessity as sailors on the old windjammers would recycle old torn sails into long coats and paint them with a mixture of oils to fend off the rains and relentless ocean spray. These coats would eventually adapt to life on land and be adopted by the colony's squatters, settlers and drovers and gain a reputation for being bloody decent wet weather wear.

Our ancestors after migrating from the Scottish highlands would eventually end up in South Australia manning the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse located 8km out to sea on the Margaret Brock Reef. They would adopt a similar method of oiling old tarpaulins to protect them and their wharf equipment against the harsh arctic winds & rain that lashed the coast.

Three generations of Whillas family with nearly 50 years of manufacturing quality outerwear, Kakadu carries on the tradition of building tough, reliable Australian Oilskin gear that goes the distance. 

Abrasion-resistant, windproof and water-repellent Australian Oilskin fabric has stood the test of time as proven over the past 100 years.