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.
THE ORIGINS OF
KAKADU TRADERS
Kakadu didn't start in a boardroom. It grew from a family that knew a thing or two about rough weather and making do with what was at hand.
With roots stretching back to the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse on South Australia's rugged Limestone Coast, the Whillas family had long been accustomed to the Southern Ocean throwing everything it had at them. Cold winds, salt spray and hard weather came with the territory.
That practical, make-it-work attitude followed the Whillas family. Using an old wringer mangler and their own combination of oils and waxes, they began developing oilskin cloth tough enough to stand up to Australian conditions.
It wasn't made to win any fashion awards. It was made to work.
That same thinking became the foundation of Kakadu Traders Australia.
Before long, the Whillas family was turning tough fabrics, leather and oilskin into Australian-made hats, jackets and rugged outdoor gear. Word travelled beyond the coast, then beyond Australia. What started with a simple belief in making useful gear properly found its way onto farms, worksites, outback tracks and adventures around the world.
More than 50 years later, we're still a family-run Australian business, and the thinking hasn't changed much.
We believe good gear should earn its keep.
That's why we still work with materials that have some guts to them. Heavy-duty canvas. Refined oils and waxes. Rugged cowhide and kangaroo leather. Australian wool and fur felt. Materials chosen because they can take a knock, collect a few scars and come back tomorrow ready to do it again.
We're not too worried about keeping things spotless.
A scratched leather hat tells a better yarn than a clean one. An old oilskin jacket that's seen a few winters has earned its place by the door. Around here, worn-in beats worn-out.
From the Limestone Coast to the Australian Outback and beyond, Kakadu gear has found its way onto people who travel further, work harder and don't mind a bit of weather.
An Australian family company since 1972.
CAPE JAFFA LIGHTHOUSE
Kingston SE, South Australia
