Walk and Walkloden are one and the same, just a different term depending on the region. Walkloden is a GREAT fabric, very forgiving, and in my opinion
it never goes out of fashion. It is warm yet breathable, and best of all,
it is also water-repellent.
A genuine, good Walk is made of 100% virgin wool, because only then may this fabric
be called Walkloden. If I remember correctly, the sheep’s wool is turned into Walkloden
with soap and fulling, and the fat in the
sheep’s wool also makes it water-repellent,
Walkloden also has NO grainline, because it is a fulled fabric, similar to a knit fabric.
I myself have a loden coat that I sewed for myself in the early ’90s, and I still wear it
today. I only cut it shorter at some point because back then
I had sewn it almost ankle-length, but when I then had to walk with
walking aids, the very long length was impractical because the coat
kept wrapping around my *racing sticks* ;-)
A wool fabric, on the other hand, is a woven fabric; that is a significant difference, because my jacket made of Harris tweed is a woven wool fabric.
I love fulled fabrics :-)
I then sewed myself a hat from the cut-off piece, but I didn’t have it for very long, because it once went to London with our foster daughter, where she lives. :-)
Best, Inge