Hello everyone! My name is Mike Hughes and I am a bladesmith in manchester ct. During the winter i freeze my ass off in my shop while working on blades, then freeze my ass off more while at the forge outside! Im looking to get a really nice jacket to help battle the Connecticut cold winters. My budget is around 300$. It needs to be able to take a beating (rain, sleet, cold, random shop debree) and look decent incase i wear it out and about.
So far i have been considering the Filson mackinaw cruser or double mackinaw cruser. Only problem is they are so much money! (But i hear very worth it!)
Any advise on jackets you have had or know of would be appreciated! Thanks for your time!
You just want us to play the role of enabler to buy a Filson, right? Not that there's anything wrong with that!!!
I live in the Boston area and own a couple of hand-me-down Mackinaws. One from Johnson Woolen Mills and another labeled Naraganset, I think from Providence, RI. I also used to work as a ski instructor a loooooooong time ago up in Vermont. Some thoughts....
First, I think you need to think about the outer layer of the jacket and be clear about what sort wear and tear you need to protect against. Canvas (Carhartt and many others) wears well against abrasion and tears but wears out from repeated bending and folding over time. In terms of looks, it goes from crisp to rumbled to tattered.
Wool protects against sparks and doesn't wear from bending (which is why I wear a jacket made in the 1930s) but doesn't stand up to abrasion well. This is why it's common to see old tweed blazers and sweaters with elbow patches.
Heavy duty nlyon like Supplex or better, Ballast cloth can be as abrasion and tear resistant as canvas and won't wear out from bending. It won't stand up to flames and sparks though. It looks good over time so long as you stick to dark stain hiding colors and pick a machine washable jacket.
Second, I would think about warmth. Neither canvas nor nylon is warm, so you need to rely on built-in or layered underneath insulation. Wool is warm on its own but incredibly heavy. I prefer wool for mid layers, as in sweaters, but not as outer layers unless I'm hunting (it's quiet in the pucker bush). Activity also factors into warmth. The warmest jackets I own are longer, hip length. They protect my kidneys and keep me warmer but they are bulkier when driving in the car. My less warm jackets are waist length and are easier to move around in but aren't as warm.
My approach for working at a ski area which I use at home too is to have 2 jackets: at work jacket and a town jacket. At home, I rotate old town jackets into barn coat status. For fall, I like denim or canvas over fleece/wool. For winter, I use what is essentially non-GoreTex insulated ski jackets. I like a single insulated outer jacket and I layer up various fleece/wool layers under that.
