Barbour jacket advice?

[Spunyarn]

Okay so I haven't posted for ages (years maybe?), but I figured you guys would give me the best advice to my question.

Basically, I'm after a Barbour jacket but not sure which one.

My needs are; I will soon be an agriculture or gamekeeping student so a jacket like this will be handy for knocking around the forest or farmyard, but will be used mainly for bushcraft style stuff, and going for walks with the girlfriend. I've got good outdoor and climbing outerwear which is great for days on the mountains etc, and nice and bright. But sometimes you just need a good classic, hardwearing jacket, for a days stroll, or for when in the woods, and wanting to be a bit less obvious.

I'm military and whenever on exercise etc I will live in my windproof smock. Very comfy, good deep hip pockets, a handy hood, and just generally a great utilitarian jacket. It would make an ideal jacket for what I want, but its prone to ripping, it's not waterproof and it's camouflage.
What I want in a barbour jacket is as close to my windproof as I can get aswel as doing the stuff a army windproof can't.

The three that stand out are:
Barbour Dunelm - Ideal , but looks as if it's discontinued and impossible to find
Barbour Mount Shirt - It's a fashion jacket, and looks far too short, so not really v good
Barbour Durham - A bit too long I think, and don't like the shoulder flaps

I guess I'd be open to other makes that offer what I'm after, but I want to be waxed not goretex etc. as I want the toughness.

I'm not loaded, and these kind of jackets aren't far off 200 quid when new, so I'd wait a bit and buy new, or would be looking to buy second hand for a reasonable price.
Cheers in advance guys.

 

[ph5172]

Why a Barbour specifically?

i only ask as after parting with £200 odd i went out the first day, climbed through a multi layer barbed wire fence and ... you guessed it... twang!!!
Snagged the back of the shoulder, stitch repaired and wax covered but im convinced it leaks now!! and i could have cried!

I have a £25 Rydale one (i think) that came with a hood (a Barbour £30 extra!!) and it so closely resembles my Barbour (minus the metal zip) i sometimes pick up the wrong one up.

So in summary i would go for a cheapy for a number of reasons.
1. You wont cry if it gets snagged.
2. When it stinks to high heaven you can bin it
3. When it needs reproofing (an expensive Barbour job, or messy home job) you can just buy a new one
4. If you really want a Barbour you can save that for public faced events so you dont have a manky one making you look like a dingle!!

 

[M'Bogo]

Don't buy a new barbour. They are shocking, not a patch on the pre-china made ones. I don't know a single keeper, stalker, forester or farmer who wears one for hard work!

If you want something to work hard in the go for a Musto woodlands, a jack of all trades, more waterproof and harder wearing than any waxed rubbish!


S

 

[woof]

Have a look at driza bone. They do a lightweight version as a walking jacket called the bushman. I got one for my wife, & a heavyweight version for myself(wish i'd got the L/W one)from a company called hartings in New Zealand, they were the cheapest i could find, the delivery was quick & the p+p very fare.

Rob

 

[Laurentius]

I had a Barbour once, I reckon they are overated and no better than any other waxed cotton coat. For the price of an annual rewaxing you can buy a new jacket. The cuffs wore out, holes in the pockets, and the zip, best not mention that. At the moment I have a cheap no name drovers coat I got from the Royal Show a few years back, the best part about it being it has no zip to go on you, just press studs. As waterproof as any Barbour, and if I remember rightly I didn't pay more than £30 for it.

 

[Hugo]

I still have my Blacks Keeper jacket that I brought 23 years ago, it has started to show quite a lot of wear signs but has served me well, perhaps I should give it it's first wash as a sign of respect for long service.

 

[Spunyarn]

Cheers for your replys fellas. Especially ph5172, I definitely don't want to look like a dingle that's a very good point lol.

Anyways, I started the thread, thinking I would give it some thought for a few days, and see what you guys say, but whilst doing a bit of ebaying earlier I can across, a durham on there, and made the guy an offer of not much more than 35 quid which he accepted so that's done now lol.
I'm glad I didn't pay any more than that after the reviews you guys have given about them being over rated. The one I've bought does have noticable wear and tear, but I've a tin (probably decades old), of barbour thornproof dressing in the shed cos my grandad used to wear wax jackets, so will put that to good use when mine arrives.

I forgot to mention that my old man has two wax jackets (some little known made, like country-clothing-co, or something), which he kept when his father died, and despite being old and very smelly, I use them now and again for walks. They're in the style of the beaufort jacket, which was the barbour I originally wanted, but the cordoroy collar, is a bit too farmer-like for me, and it's a bit smart looking to wear with some walking trousers, and some old walking boots.
Anyway, the cheaper make ones I sometimes wear, are very good, and have been used as a coat, a picnic rug, and a dog blanket, and I'm sure would rival the expensive makes for longevity, they're just the wrong style for me.

I'm fairly confident I've got the right jacket but sizing is always hit and miss with barbour, so will wait and see.

I have also found this on the barbour website:
http://www.barbour.com/all-about-wax#
(If you click on the 1982 gamefair jacket, and 1982 durham jacket, and read the little bit about them)
Apparently they were both bespoke for a Parachute regiment Captain who wanted them altered to use over there. It seems plausible, in that one is of the style of the UK Para smock, and the other in the style of the UK Windproof smock, but to be honest, I think it looks dodgy, and is maybe a marketing ploy by barbour. The fact that there is so many pockets, which are so perfectly disordered around the jackets make them look like they were designed by a fashion designer rather than a soldier, and there are no further details on them like exactly who they belonged to, or stories surrounding their use in the Falklands etc. If it is true, it's quite cool anyway.

Para smock

Windproof smock

Interesting???

 

[Bongo]

I have to say i do like those jackets!

would be nice if there was some provenance to them. They look pretty functional, but not sure about the durability of those pockets.

If it is a genuine custom job i'd be interested to know how much the chap paid back in 82! would certainly turn a few heads at the three counties game fair!!

Dan

 

[Spunyarn]

They're quite cool aren't they.

I watched a video on youtube this morning where some fashion guy was talking about the barbour commando jacket, and told a similar story about a commando asking for his jacket to be tailored so he could use it in the falklands conflict. Apparently the guy's name is kept secret, so they can't say who it was. I find this hard to believe, and makes me think, the whole thing is a made up marketing ploy by barbour. Especially since they havn't mentioned it until now.

 

[udamiano]

I must say I do like that last jacket, very practical. thanks for sharing

 

[Itzal]

Any pics of alternative jackets???

 

[scoops_uk]

I used a cheapie Rydale one for all the years I was in countryside management. I still have it. Absolutely bomb proof.

If you're buying Barbour give ebay a chance, a lot of people buy them and then don't like the smell or the oily texture and sell them. Often still with the tags on. Got my £200 rrp jacket for £89 with the tags on and still in the Barbour bag.

Based on my experience I'd go for a jacket that reaches to mid-thigh with big pockets for all the fencing staples, baler twine and cartridges. Sew a thinck sock into the lining, it makes a great flask pocket ;-)

Scoops

 

[baggins]

try going round some 2nd hand clothing shops etc. There's one near me in Leamington that always has 7 or 8 old ones in stock. 2nd hand, they are still a good buy as the older ones tend to be made to a more practical design and a higher standard, before fashion took over.

 

[Chiseller]

If your a medium I can do you a choice of two wax jkts at 8 quid plus postage or see my Britton wax jkt in classifieds, which is equal to a Barbour and designed like the solway zipper / belstaff jkt :thumbup:

Love the look of them special ones.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

 

[Laurentius]

Cheers for your replys fellas. Especially ph5172, I definitely don't want to look like a dingle that's a very good point lol.

Anyways, I started the thread, thinking I would give it some thought for a few days, and see what you guys say, but whilst doing a bit of ebaying earlier I can across, a durham on there, and made the guy an offer of not much more than 35 quid which he accepted so that's done now lol.
I'm glad I didn't pay any more than that after the reviews you guys have given about them being over rated. The one I've bought does have noticable wear and tear, but I've a tin (probably decades old), of barbour thornproof dressing in the shed cos my grandad used to wear wax jackets, so will put that to good use when mine arrives.

I forgot to mention that my old man has two wax jackets (some little known made, like country-clothing-co, or something), which he kept when his father died, and despite being old and very smelly, I use them now and again for walks. They're in the style of the beaufort jacket, which was the barbour I originally wanted, but the cordoroy collar, is a bit too farmer-like for me, and it's a bit smart looking to wear with some walking trousers, and some old walking boots.
Anyway, the cheaper make ones I sometimes wear, are very good, and have been used as a coat, a picnic rug, and a dog blanket, and I'm sure would rival the expensive makes for longevity, they're just the wrong style for me.

I'm fairly confident I've got the right jacket but sizing is always hit and miss with barbour, so will wait and see.

I have also found this on the barbour website:
http://www.barbour.com/all-about-wax#
(If you click on the 1982 gamefair jacket, and 1982 durham jacket, and read the little bit about them)
Apparently they were both bespoke for a Parachute regiment Captain who wanted them altered to use over there. It seems plausible, in that one is of the style of the UK Para smock, and the other in the style of the UK Windproof smock, but to be honest, I think it looks dodgy, and is maybe a marketing ploy by barbour. The fact that there is so many pockets, which are so perfectly disordered around the jackets make them look like they were designed by a fashion designer rather than a soldier, and there are no further details on them like exactly who they belonged to, or stories surrounding their use in the Falklands etc. If it is true, it's quite cool anyway.

Para smock

Windproof smock

Interesting???

Not arf as bespoke as the combat smock my brother waxed with the rinds of old cheeses dissolved in paraffin as I have mentioned before on this forum.

 

[sandbender]

Thanks for those images of the 'custom' jackets.

I have had a few down the years, the lightweight unlined 'Durham' (no longer made) is the one I use the most, usually with woolly jumpers or similar underneath, they are very tough, and they do shrug off sparks. I've had that one since the mid to late eighties.


The Barbour brand has gone through some changes since I last shopped for one. Here are some pages from an early nineties catalogue...

...a bloke carrying a sheep on his back! Not something you are likely see on their current catalogue.


More from the old catalogue here.

 

[Spunyarn]

Haha awesome. Cheers buddy, some great pictures in that link.

I must admit, Barbour changing it's marketing to become more fashionable, makes me less drawn to them, because I can imagine their jackets longevity will have suffered, but also incase people think I'm wearing a jacket because I want to be in vogue, as opposed to, dry and protected from thorn ******. The evils of a credit crunch though I suppose. Pushed a long standing company with a name associated with excellence, and three royal warrants, to sell out. Shame I thinks. I can imagine in 5 years time, second hand jackets made when barbour made properly hardwearing stuff will demand the same price as the new tat.

 

[santaman2000]

Haha awesome. Cheers buddy, some great pictures in that link.

I must admit, Barbour changing it's marketing to become more fashionable, makes me less drawn to them, because I can imagine their jackets longevity will have suffered, but also incase people think I'm wearing a jacket because I want to be in vogue, as opposed to, dry and protected from thorn ******. The evils of a credit crunch though I suppose. Pushed a long standing company with a name associated with excellence, and three royal warrants, to sell out. Shame I thinks. I can imagine in 5 years time, second hand jackets made when barbour made properly hardwearing stuff will demand the same price as the new tat.

Or with luck if the economy turns around they may go back to their old ways by customer demand. It's happened to other companies before.

 

[Rabbitsmacker]

Going back to those combat waxed jackets, they produced the 'cowens commando jacket' which is what the top jacket in those pictures is, but with some more pockets added. Apparently some took them to the Falklands, and I have seen pictures of marines in waxed jackets from that war. The jackets were done in green, brown and tan I think. No longer made, go for a lot of money on eBay. They now do one called the Wessex which is very similar to the ww2 windproof smock. 300 quids a bit steep, and I have been officially banned from buying it by the mrs.

 

[santaman2000]

Going back to those combat waxed jackets, they produced the 'cowens commando jacket' which is what the top jacket in those pictures is, but with some more pockets added. Apparently some took them to the Falklands, and I have seen pictures of marines in waxed jackets from that war. The jackets were done in green, brown and tan I think. No longer made, go for a lot of money on eBay....

Google Barbour's North American website and you might (or might not) find a different selection available; from newer styles to older classics.