Jacket dilemma (I need input)

[MD_SPencer]

I have a jacket dilemma. I am hoping that some of my fellow loungers can help with some ideas. Here is my quandary. I am an Archaeologist and I do field work. I have had a love of hats and fedoras long before becoming an Archaeologist. As you can guess I get a lot of grief for even wearing a fedora (or any fedora type hat for that matter) around my colleagues. The thing of it is, is I need a new winter jacket. I live in the Mountains so I need something that can deal with snow, rain and wind and still be functional but not look like Indiana Jones! I think that you all can understand why I can’t wear a leather jacket of any sort. So what I am asking for is suggestions on a rugged, classic design jacket that is not Indiana Jones looking. Any ideas?

 

[L HATLEY]

JACKET

If i were going to buy a jacket, like you are asking about i would buy an Oilskin Jacket with a Polar Flece lining.

 

[MD_SPencer]

You mean something like a Filson?

 

[CSG]

Carhartt makes a number of jackets that would be great just for what you're doing.

 

[L HATLEY]

You mean something like a Filson?

yes either Filson or any of the Australian oilskin.

 

[Hawk_Eye]

I'm not sure how well it could do with rain, but the B-10 is a pretty stylish non-leather jacket. It's basically a cloth A-2 with a mouton collar, it looks pretty sharp in my eyes and I doubt you'd get Indiana Jones comments wearing it.

 

[johnnycanuck]

Care to be more specific?

What kind of temperature range are you talking about? Outside a lot? or more of a building to vehicle kind of jacket? Do you have a jacket length in mind (waist, 3/4 length)?
Johnny

 

[Creeping Past]

Do you need to move a lot while wearing this coat? Or is this mostly for standing around? Do you protection mainly from wet or cold?

 

[MD_SPencer]

I have a fairly long walk form where I park to class and in winter here it is wet and cold and windy. I will need this new jacket as an all around type garment. For fieldwork I wear canvas work cloths mostly. They are durable and fairly cheap. I prefer a waist length jacket but a 3/4 length is not out of the question. I tried an oil cloth Filson and Barbour and HATED the smell. So I guess I am looking for a vintage looking waist or hip length jacket that looks nothing like a raiders jacket or A2 etc.

 

[greyhound68]

Actually I found the B-6 sheepskin jacket to be perfect for cold weather. Not as bulky as the B-3 and so you are able to move around doing outdoor work. Another choice could be the nylon MA-1 jacket. I have traveled back east (from Calif) during the winter and found it to be ideal. Keeps one warm and again not too bulky. The final jacket I would recommend is the CWU-45. It is the current cold weather jacket used by the USAF and others. Again keeps one warm and not bulky. Both the MA-1 and CWU-45 are good in rainy weather.

 

[Rufus]

I'd definitely recommend a filson, or even a vintage Edie Bauer jacket off Ebay.

Flight jackets are made for... well flying..

Doing physical work in sheepskin would be folly! ;-)

The B10 is a nice light jacket, but not at all practical for what you want.

Many Filson jackets are multilayer systems (The key to warmth, and dryness!), which will aid in also adjusting to the climate, as the weather changes. Also Check out their Hunting jackets, great pockets, warm, tough and functional.


Then if your workmates still make any wisecracks you can liberally pepper them with shot! ;-)

Ruf

 

[Sertsa]

I may be way off base, but how about a peacoat?

 

[1911 Man]

I would certainly recommend www.cabelas.com

They have so many coats designed for rugged outdoor use, some more modern, but some more classic in style. They certainly specialize in practical.

 

[Dieter]

IMHO, it's perfectly fine to wear an exact replica of Harrison Ford's IJ outfit, from the hat all the way down to the shoes (although a whip and pistol would admittedly be going too far); the way I look at it, your collegues don't care about your opinion of the way they dress, so why should it matter to you what they say about the way YOU dress? Do you tell them how to dress? How to comb their hair? What to eat for breakfast? Life is too short (even if you live to be 100), so feel free to indulge yourself and have fun!

 

[MD_SPencer]

I guess that I was too vague or general in what I am looking for. I have the fieldwork wardrobe well under control. In fact I spend most of my time either walking to class going to the grocery store to my sons school activities etc. Winter is the season that all of the professional conferences are held so I attend those too. What I am looking for is a stylish 3/4 length coat of jacket that I can ware daily and still have a vintage feel to it. Thanks for all the great ideas so far I looked at the B-10 and it is a candidate.

 

[John in Covina]

I'd would say take a look at L.L. Bean as they have made their start with rugged outdoorsman clothing. (I was going to also say Cabella's but I was too slow.)

 

[Nighthawk]

IMHO, it's perfectly fine to wear an exact replica of Harrison Ford's IJ outfit, from the hat all the way down to the shoes (although a whip and pistol would admittedly be going too far); the way I look at it, your collegues don't care about your opinion of the way they dress, so why should it matter to you what they say about the way YOU dress? Do you tell them how to dress? How to comb their hair? What to eat for breakfast? Life is too short (even if you live to be 100), so feel free to indulge yourself and have fun!

As a current college student who has taken both introductory/advanced archaeology classes, I can say that the 'archaeology' portrayed in the Indiana Jones films is hardly arccurate. Because MD_SPencer is a professional archaeologist, it would likely raise a few eyebrows if one wore the whole Indiana Jones regalia. If, for example, on the first day of an archaeology class I walked into the classroom and my professor looked like IJ. In my mind, he would lose all credibility as a teacher. That's not to say that the IJ films aren't great, they are some of my favorite movies. But one needs to distinguish entertainment from reality.

NH

 

[1911 Man]

Because MD_SPencer is a professional archaeologist, it would likely raise a few eyebrows if one wore the whole Indiana Jones regalia. If, for example, on the first day of an archaeology class I walked into the classroom and my professor looked like IJ. In my mind, he would lose all credibility as a teacher. That's not to say that the IJ films aren't great, they are some of my favorite movies. But one needs to distinguish entertainment from reality.

NH

Oh, I don't know. Even if we are very grounded in reality, I think we can still dress a little differently than how the rest of the world says we should. I've worn my Indy Hat and Jacket on hunting trips in Northern Utah, where my mode of transportation for several days was an ATV and my feet, because anything larger than that couldn't go on the trails (or up the cliffs sometimes) that I traveled. The hat and jacket were fine for what I was doing, in fact they were quite comfortable and enjoyable to wear. If I were teaching a class, I would dress like a teacher should, shirt, tie, sportcoat, etc. But I've spent enough time in the outdoors to know that occasionally Indy gear is just fine for outdoor activities. I often wear my Alden Indy boots on dayhikes with my kids in the canyons where I live, although I wouldn't choose them for an extended backpacking trip in the High Uintah mountains. So, if MD Spencer is a professional archeologist and wants to dress a little like Indy, and the working conditions allow it, go ahead. I think it's a great, classic look. I'm a Police Officer, our uniforms go back several years in style, but we keep them. When I do plain-clothes detective work, sometimes I throw on the fedora with my suit. I'm not the only one on the department, either.

 

[Mike K.]

Where is Mojave Jack?!

 

[johnnycanuck]

Pea Coat. Or talk to Magnoli, he has some nice jackets and overcoats.

http://www.uswings.com/peacoat.asp

http://www.magnoliclothiers.com/

I have the U-Boat Jacket and love it. Throw in a nice scarf on thoes cold days and away you go.

My two cents worth.

Johnny.