What are Pea Coats?
Pea coats are warm, woolen, double-breasted coats that were originally worn only by sailors. Usually a classic navy blue, pea coats were made of heavy, course wool to protect seafarers from harsh weather on the open seas. Some believe that the name comes from the pea-soup conditions often endured by tough sailors, but pea coats are not named for the weather. In the early 1700s, pea coats were created from pilot cloth, a thick, course, twilled cloth with the nap on one side. As is the tradition in the Navy, the name “pilot cloth” was replaced by the abbreviated “P-cloth.” The coat soon became known as a P-jacket, and later, a pea coat. Pea coats became a standard part of the gear a sailor kept in his sea chest.
