Hard-wearing non-membrane shell jackets

[racoon]

Hi fellows,

i like jackets with the qualities mentioned in the title. Waterproof membrane-jackets may be a nice thing for most people but it does not fit my personal preference. I am much happier with water repellant, non-insulated, very breathable and ultra durable materials suitable for most situations with a lightweight poncho in my pack in case of extended downpours. This kind of jacket was the standard for outdoor jackets quite some time but has been replaced by membrane-hardshells in the last two decades or so.

Sadly there is no term to describe this kind of jacket, which makes searching for it quite hard nowadays. I would use classic G1000 Fjällräven jackets or military polycotton fieldjackets as examples for what i try to describe.

But even more than with polycotton i like Cordura as a material for these kind pf clothing: it is ultra durable, highly water repellant, very fast drying, somewhat fire resistant, extreme abrasion resistant and has in relation to these qualities good breathability. But to find outdoor jackets made out of or at least reinforced with Cordura is no easy task..

After a long time i found my perfect jacket: the Mark V from Kitanica. It is made of 500D Cordura and a nylon inner lining with elbow and shoulder reinforcements in 1000D, has a load of well placed pockets and other features and a classic and good looking cut. I love it!

It is a quite heavy jacket though. Not really suitable for summer. I would like to find a similar one in a bit lighter material. 300D to 400D Cordura or a strong polycotton fabric would be ideal. I also love removable hoods, sleeve pockets and game pockets as well as reinforcements on elbows and shoulders, sadly relativley rare features on outdoor jackets. Another thing that bothers me are these naked front zips - why do outdoor companies no longer want to protect the most fragile and, if damaged, quite problematic part of their jackets with a simple zipper flap?

I already looked at:
-all Fjällräven stuff: while the material of the non-membrane ones seems nice, most cuts and designs are not my cup of tea. Also too few pockets.
-Kitanica Mark VI: perfect material and good pockets, but very different (and not very good IMO) cut than the Mark V
-Gamsbokk Bushcrafter Jacket: Overall nice Ventile Jacket, but that material seems to be quite a bit less durable and abrasion resistant than polycotton.
-Amundsen, Tilak, Klättermusen: They all have nice Ventile jackets with the same problem as above.
-Lundhags: again nice polycotton but the jackets lack pockets and reinforcements.
-Sasta: again nice polycotton but no reinforcements and not that many pockets.
-British military Smocks and lookalikes: material is perfect but with all these oversized and actually too large pockets as well as the very loose cuts the jackets are just unwieldy and awkward to wear outside of a war zone IMO.
-Motorcycle Jackets: while material and cuts of some of the ligther ones might make good outdoor jackets, they all have membranes.


Do you guys have any ideas where else to look?
Thank you very much!

 

[Snufkin]

Why not pm twodogs, a member on here. He may be able to make the jacket of your dreams.

 

[racoon]

Why not pm twodogs, a member on here. He may be able to make the jacket of your dreams.

Thank you for your suggestion. I was not aware of the existence of expert custom tailors for bushcraft clothing. I will look into that.

 

[Tonyuk]

You could buy an old desert dpm smock and a few packets of dye, it would be durable and quite cheap.

I bought a civvy smock in olive green off a company last year and it was very good and still looks new even after a hard winter, i'll have a look at the name on it later but it wasn't that expensive.

Tonyuk

 

[Robson Valley]

John Fenna of this parish could make a jacket for an Octopus. Same for twodogs. I've never made a list. Who else would be on it?

Another question: who do you see wearing the style/design of jacket that you want? Just walk right up, introduce yourself and ask.

 

[JamPan]

The style in that photo reminds me of a motorbike jacket.

This one isn't quite the same, but it's a damn sight cheaper than a Kitanica.

Paste this into Ebay search:
191606509832

 

[Robson Valley]

There's a place in the city which sells sports team and club jackets. They have all the embroidery machinery as well.
I bought a red nylon jacket with a bunch of pockets, from them in 1976. Spring skiing, autumn hunting, etc.
The zipper wore out in 2010. Is that the thing you want?

 

[Imagedude]

Arktis wind proof jacket
or
a dewaxed Barbour jacket
or
a Bergans jacket

 

[richy3333]

Love this thread, having a weakness for jackets to. Some of the comments you've made will give me hours of internet sea, many thanks.

I recently convinced myself that I 'needed' another jacket. Initially purchased a Teesar Generation 2 smock. It was ok, but not the quality I wanted. Certainly not weatherproof. So I then went to the other extreme cost wise and ordered a Fjallraven smock No1. I was really disappointed and fail to see why they are so expensive? Through trawling the internet I came across the UFpro smocks. They have molle on the lower half so you can attach pockets (or whatever you like). Or have no pockets if you have a rucksack with a hip belt. I went for the brown/grey one so it doesn't look so 'military'. It's not advertised as weatherproof but stood up well to 2 hours of rain (the lower sleeves wetted out). Plenty of pockets. Can add elbow pads. Has shoulder pads and a waist belt carrying system. I going to try proofing it with some Nikwax to see if it improves any.

 

[Philster]

What about the German Army jacket, the olive one. There was a thread on here a while ago about this jacket and it sounds perfect for you.

 

[racoon]

Thank you all for your suggestions. They all go in the right direction. With some of them i already have experience:

-Olive German Army Parka: It is a nice Retro-Jacket but does not stand up to modern standards for outdoor clothing. Too few pockets and other features, no velcro cuffs.

-Uf Pro Smock: quite good jacket, though i wish they had a civilian version with normal hand pockets instead of molle.

-Smocks from Arktis, Teesar and the military one in DPM etc: excellent choice for outdoor jackets, i own one myself. I wish the style was a bit more low profile though, with flat/inside pockets rather than these very large bellow pockets and tighter and a bit shorter cuts. I like to wear my outdoor jacket in everyday use too and thus it should be as functional as possible while not looking too much out of place in daily life. Thats just personal preference though.


I looked into barbour, but the features for outdoor use are lacking. IMO velcro cuffs, adjustable waist and/or hem and hoods are mandatory for outdoor jackets.
Bergans hade nice jackets in past collections but now only a single polycotton jacket is available for purchase and it lacks a hood.

The perfect all-season jacket would be hip-length with a comfortable but not too roomy cut in tightly woven recycled polycotton with 500D Cordura reinforcements on elbows, lower arms, shoulders and hem. Features: Slots for elbow pads, removable and fully adjustable hood, thin nylon lining at the arms for comfortable wear and net fabric lining at the main body for sweat absorption, two zipped bicep pockets, one large zipped rear pocket perfectly spaced to take the zipped off hood, two zipped handwarmer pockets, two low profile front velcro pockets, two zipped inner pockets, velcro cuffs, cord at waist and hem, articulated elbows, gussetted shoulders, flap on the two-way front zipper and d-rings in some of the pockets for securing important things. Weight between 1000 and 1400 grams and available in black, olive and sand colours. No membrane, fluorcarbon free DWR-treatment and washable with normal washing agent at 40 degree. All seams double-stitched with extra-strong nylon thread.

Maybe i really have to let this jacket be custom made.

 

[JamPan]

I'd go round a few tailors if I were you with your spec. Or check some tailoring forums. You'll find someone willing to make it, and it'll most likely be cheaper than the brands. You could even find a textile/tailoring college with a student willing to take it on as a project. They're very likely to do more adventurous stuff.
Also alterations shops are more skilled that lots of people realise, so you could ask in those too.

 

[richy3333]

I've been using the UFpro front pockets as 'normal pockets, for storage and for putting my hands in. What they call the grey brown colour. I wear it as an every day jacket and don't feel I look 'military'.

 

[DocG]

Anything from Hiltrek suit? I have admired them for a while but had to stick to less expensive kit for the time being.