Alright. After owning this piece for several weeks now, I decided to turn the cotton material into oilcloth by mixing 1 part boiled linseed oil with 1 equal part distilled mineral spirits. Using a 5 gal bucket from Lowe's and mixing the two fluids directly into the bucket, the complete saturation of the cape took less than 45 minutes. Drying took seven days of direct sunlight with a moderate breeze and temps in the mid 60s. The result is a stiffer fabric that now repels water. Unlike most capes that secure below the adam's apple and leaves a huge opening in the front, due to the cape's unique pattern, the front is now covered by two huge pieces of material while one's back is protected by a single piece of material reminiscent of a flying squirrel, leaving plenty of material to drape overhead making a decent piece of foul weather kit. I'm 6 ft and 250 lbs with extra large mitts and my only complaint is that for my size, the buttons are a little tough to manipulate so switching them out for toggles might make doffing and donning a little easier.
The cloak is a good weight and thickness and I appreciate it being 100% cotton. With that said, expect a little bit of shrinking. That's not a big issue though as this is one-size fits all and is already designed with excess fabric. You'll definitely want to iron this as well, as it is prone to wrinkling. It can be a little confusing to put this one for the first time, as you need to crisscross the front flaps of the cape and button them behind you, meaning you can't see where the holes are. Keep in mind as well that this is not a true cloak with a hood. It has two long pieces of fabric that make a long "scarf" that you can style how you want, making a wrap-around hood if you so desire.
