Travel in style (Sucess on the horizon...?)

[Flitcraft]

Everything I've bought from them has been true to size.
Just picked up their linen correspondent's jacket and it fits great.
Hope you get the jacket you're looking for.

 

[Ken]

My only worry is because size 36 for my chest is at the top end of that bracket and there is no way I could wear a size 34, but I do take a size 38 in most modern clothes, though that snot a tailored fit.

So I am at a bit of a sticking point. I was angling towards a 38 because a jacket like this should be a loser fit I thought for practicalities, but then the waist size linked with a 34-36 size is 28-30 inches which is exactly my waist size. And the 38-40 size is a 32-34 waist which is way too big.

Gah!

Ken

 

[Ken]

SCUPPERED YET AGAIN!!!! GRRRRR!!

I am sorry but I fail to understand some advetising practises.

Apparantly despite clearly stating on its website below the picture of the jacket that it comes in a size small, chest 34 - 36, it does not. Apparantly the smallest size they offer this jacket in has a 46 inch chest. Useless to me. They said the sizing on the site refers to ALL their garments. I personally find this completely misleading and exceedingly frustrating since now I am back to square one.

They did tell me that the name of the supplier of their jackets is a company called BasicOptio but that they have no contact info for that company. A quick google search turned up nothing.

So yet again it seems the universe is determined not to let me get this style of jacket.

Ken

 

[Nick Charles]

Hey Ken how bout this

http://www.blair.com/webapp/wcs/sto...0001&productId=30483&langId=-1&clearance=true

Only $84 and they have 38 regular instock and 37 reg and short

 

[Ken]

Nick

Thanks for the link but its not the same. Its too formal - like a proper suit jacket. The other too had the more casual style pockets that just had that magic for me.

I dont know what to do - I was totally in love with that Travel Smith jacket.

Ken

 

[Flitcraft]

Ken, another territory to explore...

Try this website- never ordered from them, but some of their jackets look promising:
www.territoryahead.com.

 

[Ken]

Wow! This looks much more promising and lo and behold after contacting them they DEFINITLY stock my size.

http://www.territoryahead.com/jump.jsp?itemType=PRODUCT&itemID=18

But just before I go ahead and purchase I wonder how many othe rof these kind of sites there are out there (I always like to look for the best deal). What do you type into a google search engine to find these kind of sites?

Ken

 

[Ken]

With much thought I am thinking that I might not go for leather. This recently caught my eye - just trying to decide between stone a khaki. Hopefully the fact it says they have it in a size 38 actually means they have it in a size 38 - I am very distrustful of these websites now.

http://www.orvis.com/store/product_...d=885&group_id=916&cat_id=7822&subcat_id=7823

Ken

 

[Ken]

By the way please excuse my ignorance here but can someone tell me what that is behind the lapel (buttonhole) in this shot?

Ken

 

["Doc" Devereux]

My guess would be a tab for closing the collar at the neck.

 

[Mojave Jack]

Yes, it is a tab for closing the collar.

A word of warning, though, Ken. I have one of these, and I'm not real crazy about it. For starters, it bags terribly around the waist. I am going to have to have it tailored to get a decent fit. It must be pressed to look even remotely like the pics on the web site, and the fit is the usual generic sizing, designed to fit anyone in your height range from 150 to 350 lbs.

Secondly, the collar will never lay that flat again! If I had the data cable for my digital I'd post some pics, but I can't right now. It rolls up something awful, and looks even bulkier than it is.

Third, there is no structure to the jacket whatsoever. The shoulders are completely unpadded, so it doesn't really fit like a sport coat. It fits like a lightweight jacket.

If I read your intentions correctly, you want a coat that will travel well and look sharp right out of your luggage, or at least not look like you slept in it. This jacket will not do that!

Oh, and the hidden passport pocket? You can actually see it in the picture! Look at the right hand lower pocket (the left hand pocket if you were wearing it). There is a zippered pocket on the inside of the patch pocket. You can see the extra bulk of the seams at the top, and if you look clodely you can see the zipper pull! Really well hidden.

 

[Ken]

Aghaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!

Mojave

Thanks for your warnings, but dammit why is it everytime I settle on something its a no go. Aghaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

If you could at some point take some photos of yours to ilustrate things that woould be very useful. I wouldn't mind too much getting it tailored to be a better fit at the waist but the collar issue doesnt sound too good.

Ken

 

[Ken]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Orvis-Canvas-Ja...4QQihZ002QQcategoryZ63860QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Hey is this the same jacket? It says its a woman's one but it looks identical from all I can tell.

I am very tempted to bid cos it seems it would be my size if its the right jacket and if its no good I wouldnt be losing as much as buying it new.

Ken

 

[Mojave Jack]

I feel your pain, Ken!

The perfect jacket is illusive, and my search has been aggravating my wife for some time!

I took some pics of that jacket, but I won't be able to upload them until Monday when I get to work. In the meantime, here are a few I took with my webcam, admittedly poor detail, but they will give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

There are actually two jackets at Orvis, the Zambezi Twill and the Rhinohide. I think mine is the Zambezi Twill, because it has the leather tab at the collar, which apparently the Rhinohide does not. Their claim to wrinkle resistance is, IMHO, bunk!

The fit could definately be improved with a little tailoring and it might make a decent casual jacket. It will never be a good sport coat subsitute, though.

The other thing I've found that I don't really like is that they've anchored the upper inner pockets to the "breathable mesh" half lining. Well, that mesh stretches like crazy. If you put anything heavy, like keys, a cell phone, or a PDA in any of those pockets it pulls the mesh down, and it swings as you move! There's also a D-ring anchored to that mesh. I can't imagine what that is for.

I would say that if you can grab that auction for $20 it might be worth it. You could always repost it and put a reserve on it. That auction does say no international shipping, though. Are you here in the States now?

 

[Ken]

Thanks for the pictures Mojave

No I am still in Bonnie Scotland for the time being. I dont see the difference between Rhino Hide and the Twill on the Orvis website although notice the leather tab is on some of their pictures and not on others. Strange.

My plan for the auction is just get it sent to one of my SoCal pals and have them ship it on to me.

Looking at your pictures I do see what you mean but at the price I'll give the thing a chance as I dont see any better offerings out there. Can you think of any?

Ken

 

[Tomasso]

A Primer For Buying A Jacket On Ebay

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/Tutorials/AndrewHarrisEBayMeasurement.htm

 

[Mojave Jack]

Thanks for the pictures Mojave

No I am still in Bonnie Scotland for the time being. I dont see the difference between Rhino Hide and the Twill on the Orvis website although notice the leather tab is on some of their pictures and not on others. Strange.

My plan for the auction is just get it sent to one of my SoCal pals and have them ship it on to me.

Looking at your pictures I do see what you mean but at the price I'll give the thing a chance as I dont see any better offerings out there. Can you think of any?

Ken

I ma probably being overly negative about this jacket, but I am pretty picky sometimes. I love every other thing I have from Orvis, including my other jacket, shirts, and pants. With a little tailoring I think this jacket will be fine, too, so I think I am probably being a bit unfair.

That jacket in that auction has a few different details from either the Rhinohide or the Zambezi Twill, like the leather trim along the button holes and along the cuff. it may be that it is an earlier incarnation or something different altogether. I don't ever remember seeing anything like that in the ladies section, either, so it seems like they just chose the wrong option in the drop-down menu or something. The measurements seem good, though, yes?

Tomasso, that is a great link! Thanks for that! That is good info.

As for other options, I'm afraid I'm tapped out. That's why I went with this jacket, too! lol Good luck, Ken!

 

[Baggers]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Orvis-Canvas-Ja...4QQihZ002QQcategoryZ63860QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Hey is this the same jacket? It says its a woman's one but it looks identical from all I can tell.

I am very tempted to bid cos it seems it would be my size if its the right jacket and if its no good I wouldnt be losing as much as buying it new.

Ken

DON'T BID! It's a woman's jacket. The front buttons in the opposite direction from a man's jacket.

Cheers!

 

[Mojave Jack]

DON'T BID! It's a woman's jacket. The front buttons in the opposite direction from a man's jacket.

Cheers!

Good eye, Baggers!

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Unless it is from the UK. Jackets from the UK zip on the opposite side, perhaps they button that way as well. I don't know.

Or, perhaps this image is reversed.

But, hey, if it looks good on, we won't laugh at you...
Sure, sure we won't.