Thursday, October 7, 2010

Barbour Jacket Alternatives

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me that he was in the market for a Barbour-like jacket and asked if I had any suggestions. I came up with a list for him, and while a number of these have been pointed out on some other blogs (like Dreams of Perfection), I figured I would compile them all here as a sort of guide to waxed cotton field coats. I'm assuming that pretty much everyone knows about the Barbour Bedale and Beaufort, as a well as the Filson Tin Cloth jacket, so I have not included them. Without further ado, here are the jackets.

LL Bean Upland Field Coat- $99
Arguably the best value of the bunch. The padded shoulder pads are a nice touch, and the fact that it's available in a version with a blaze orange upper half makes it a good candidate for a quail hunt.


Lands End Waxed Cotton Field Coat- currently $119
Clearly a Barbour knock-off, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The sale price of $119 is pretty tough to beat.
**UPDATE- According to Greg from Manifold Destiny, this jacket fits like a Beaufort in terms of length.


LL Bean Signature 1947 Field Coat- $185
A slimmer version of the classic in Millerain canvas that also comes with a button-out liner vest.


J. Crew Woodland Jacket- $278
A J. Crew original; the snap front with clasp-fastening storm flap makes it a bit different from the rest of the pack.


Eddie Bauer Waxed Expedition Cloth Saddle Coat- $299
Somewhat of a surprising offering from Eddie Bauer with some nice features, but the contrasting color of the moleskin collar could be a deal-breaker for some.

Barbour Ursula Jacket at Orvis- $379
Said to be a reproduction of the jackets provided to crews of Royal Navy submarines, while it's not technically a field coat, this jacket is pretty awesome. The lack of a hood (or means of attaching a hood) makes it a little less versatile.


Barbour Derwent at J. Crew- $399
Described by J. Crew as a "tackle jacket," this wouldn't make a bad choice out in the field, especially with the built-in hood.


Eddie Bauer Upland Field Coat with Blaze Vest- $429
Another great offering from Eddie Bauer (which I actually wrote about last September), this jacket has some great features like the padded shoulders, shell pockets, and removable blaze orange vest, but the price is pretty steep. However, like the Eddie Bauer Saddle Coat, some people may not care for the blaze orange collar.


Orvis Taylor Supply Supply Hill Climber Jacket- $495
With the shawl collar and button front, this jacket offers a unique look. Unfortunately, the $500 price tag is nearly impossible to justify, though it is made in the US.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've got the Lands End Waxed Field Coat and I absolutely love it. Couldn't be happier for ~1/4 the cost of a Beaufort.

Main Line Sportsman said...

Where is the Filson??!!??
The LL Bean is an excellent choice...I have had one for over 17 years and it will not wear out despite hard service.
The J Crew is stylized junk in my humble opinion.
Eddie Bauer is passable.

trip said...

MLS- As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, the Filson basically a given, like the Bedale and Beaufort, that's why I didn't include it.

NCJack said...

Tried the LLBean, but those buttons were a deal breaker. Wish they made this coat with zipper/snaps (returned it when I got a Barbour Border for a little less than 1/2 price at an Orvis warehouse sale; would have kept it otherwise)

JRS said...

Welcome back, Trip.

That EB Upland field Coat is really nice...$429 is steep, but you'd probably have it for 20 years.

Mr Ryan said...

Perfecting timing with this post! This Lands End jacket might be a winner. Thanks for the info Trip.

Anonymous said...

Hoggs of Fife has a jacket, the Woodsman similar to a Beaufort. The fabric is coarser than the Barbour. It has a Dress Gordon lining. I bought one from a retailer I found on the Hoggs website, Fife Country. It cost $109 delivered from the UK. The price included a flat cap which I did not like.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget the Belstaff Roadmaster, they don't come any better than that.

David M. said...

In Kittery, Maine there is a Barbour outlet which is where I got my International. I think I paid about $125.

Anonymous said...

why not just get the best? why even consider an alt to barbour?????

Cameron said...

Barbours are played out IMO. Every kid and their brother has one, even if they have never even held a shotgun or been on a quail hunt. To me, Barbours only look good when they've been used and abused, not as this season's must have jacket. That being said, that LL Bean Upland Jacket looks phenomenal.

Anonymous said...

I'm intrigued by the Hoggs of Fife jacket. How's the fit? I typically wear a large, but can sometimes wear a medium if it runs big.

Anonymous said...

You should have included the McAlister jacket. It's well under $200 and of equal or greater quality as the Barbour - plus you can buy a removable blaze cape for it.

Matthew Lawrence Woodwork said...

In south Georgia it is usually too warm to justify a wax jacket. I have a quilted Barbour jacket and one of Barbour's lightweight breathable jackets and both are generally sufficient for our weather. I do have a Le Chameau jacket I got on sale at Kevin's in Thomasville for the few days it is really cold.

Main Line Sportsman said...

No posts in a month...miss your input and selections

JRS said...

Trip - Where have you been? Get this blog crankin' again!

Best in 2011,

JRS

Death Bredon said...

John Partridge is an English, Barbour competitor, but their jackets are just as expensive if not more so.

I thought about buying Filson's cover-cloth weekend jacket at a scant $260, but staid with the Barbour Beaufort. Trends come and go, but the classics endure.

BoTyz.com said...

Very informative. Thanks