Schott or Stirlingwear of Boston Pea Coat?

[South]

I'm looking at getting a Pea coat and was looking at the Schott and the Stirlingwear of Boston Mariner. Is either one better made?

The Stirlingwear Mariner (from http://www.sterlingwear.com/cart/index.php?p=product&id=4&parent=1 )

The Schott (from http://www.schottnyc.com/products/lifestyle/military/classic-32-oz-melton-wool.htm )

Both are described as having a quilted lining, but the Schott is a 32 oz. wool, while the Stirlingwear is a 24 oz.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[OneEyeMan]

Neither!
Do what I did and buy an original issue pea coat from eBay or elsewhere.
There's litterally tons of them around for sale.
I consulted Peacoat's sticky and Peacoat himself for lots of great info.
In the end, I bought an original coat from 1966 for $50.
It appeared unworn with only a few "moth nibbles in the shoulder area; but nothing that went through the wool.
Once you see one of the originals, you'll know what I'm talking about.
The wool is much superior to the modern coats, and so is the finish.
Just make sure to buy your actual suit size.
Also, realize that the original issue coats are cut slim.
So, if you're on the "portly" side, perhaps a modern pea coat would fit you better.
PM Peacoat for much more info.
Lenny

 

[South]

Thanks for the recommendation, but I'm looking to buy a new one.

Thanks again.

 

[Doctor Strange]

We just had a thread about this:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=45407

Basically, the ones following the current spec are 24oz, and generally have satin linings and a center vent in the back. More traditional style coats have the quilted linings and the 32oz wool, often with a one-piece back and no vent.

All three American-made coats - Sterlingwear, Fidelity, and Schott - are good in their various models, much nicer than the imported ones from Rotcho (i.e., UltraForce) or Alpha.

PS - I totally understand where you're coming from: I have no interest in the older coats, even if they are demonstrably much better than today's. Sometimes you just want to buy new.

 

[South]

Thanks for the info. That's a great price on those Fidelity coats you mentioned.

I was planning to get a vented back, but is there any benefit to getting a one-piece back?

Thanks.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I don't know that there's much real difference in a seamed back/vented vs. solid back/unvented. Maybe some of the folks who've handled a lot of different pea coats can illuminate us.

According to Peacoat, Navy-issued coats were always vented... so while my 10-button unvented Sterlingwear may look more like an authentic old-time Navy coat than the modern 8-button model, it's really not. (Never mind that the modern wool fabric isn't accurate!)

I'm tempted to say that a vented coat might be cut a bit more closely towards the bottom while still having ease of movement due to the vent. My unvented coat is actually looser than I need in the hips, surely to provide ease of movement. But I notice that neither Sterlingwear nor Fidelity's sizing charts note any difference on the hips or bottom sweep measurements for vented vs. unvented, so that theory seems unlikely...

Anyway, you should decide what you kind of pea coat you want in terms of the weight of wool, the type of lining, and the number of buttons. Whether you get one that's vented or not will be determined by those other, more important differences.

 

[OneEyeMan]

For me, the single vent makes it much easier sitting in the car.
Lenny

 

[Corto]

I swear by my Schott. A solid coat for winter. It's protected me from icy blasts coming out of NYC alleyways to subzero temperatures and lake effect snow. If you're going to buy a new one, Schott is heavy duty and well made.

 

[celtic]

I can vouch for the Schott as well.

I have the Schott 740 and it's the hands-down the best out of 3-4 (non vintage) peacoats I've owned.

It's quite heavy and warm, unlike the mall-store 'fashion' peacoats.

 

[South]

For you folks with a Schott 740 pea coat, does it have an internal pocket?

What about the Stirling coats?

Thanks.

 

[skippymchaggis]

I've got one of the Schott's, and so does my wife. it's a great coat that does well in both casual and mostly formal situations. (if it's really formal, you really should wear a top coat of some sort.) Mine has internal chest pockets on both sides, can't remember what the women's version has.

and they're not kidding about the 32 oz. wool. it's heavy duty. the wool felt is not quite as soft as the wool my other wool overcoats, but that's why it's so much more durable.

 

[Doctor Strange]

My Sterlingwear has a smallish wallet pocket on the RIGHT side.

 

[celtic]

My 740 has an internal breast pocket on each side.

 

[South]

Thanks for all the good advice. I walked into a Burlington Coat store in my area and was surprised to see they had the Schott 740N jackets there. They had one in my size and I walked out with it for $139.99.

Thanks again!

 

[Doctor Strange]

Just as a point of information, I visited a Burlington Coat Factory (in Yonkers, NY) the other day and saw that they had pea coats by Schott.

However, these were NOT the classic 740 model, nor the Canadian-made Schott DuroJac models that were around for a while. They had very nonmilitary black labels, and were marked Made In Canada. They were the newer 8-button (vs. 10-button) style in a thin, scratchy, light wool/synth blend that was no thicker than 22oz, if that much. Plain nylon lining, vented back, one inside pocket. And they were sized S/M/L/etc. rather than 38/40/42/etc. - never a good sign.

Frankly, both the material and build quality (e.g., finishing on the seams) were vastly inferior to the contemporary Sterlingwear and Fidelity coats I've handled, and I'm guessing, Schott's own traditional 32oz 740 too. The on-sale price was low - under $100 - but I'm frankly surprised that Schott would put their name on such a lame pea coat.

Anyway, I thought I'd mention this for prospective pea coat buyers out there. Apparently, just seeing the Schott name isn't always a guarantee that you're getting a first-class contemporary pea coat...