So after reading all the Filson posts here, I decided that I would try some of their products. I bought an unlined, Tin Packer Coat from the factory about a month ago. My wife hated the smell of the Tin Cloth so much that I had to keep the thing in the garage. I have two other garments from Filson, a Double Mac and a Tin Waterfowl/Upland Coat. The Double Mac is a really nice and warm coat. I wear the Waterfowl/Upland coat all the time as I like the way the pockets are laid out. There is something about the armor feel of the Tin Cloth that I like. All three coats are heavy.
Today, I went on a walk with my new Filson Tin Packer coat. I had worn it about 4 times before, always with an umbrella and the coat performed as expected. Today the wind was blowing about 12 to 15 miles per hour with a steady rain, temps in the low to mid-50's. I was wearing jeans and a long-sleeve cotton shirt. On my head was my black OR sombrero rain hat.
I went out on a moderate hike for about 2 hours. I knew I would be perspiring, so I didn't want to add any more layers. The coat was unlined. The first hour was mostly uphill. I stated to sweat so I vented the top of the coat. On the return trip, the wind picked up so I button up. I started to feel clammy and I thought that my perspiration was the cause. I remained warm but was concerned that I was continuing to build up heat and moisture inside the coat. I discovered that Tin Cloth doesn't breath in the traditional sense. However, if I put my hands in the pockets, I could lift the coat off my shoulder and cause some air movement which helped to control my temperature and moisture.
By the time I got home, I took off the Packer and noticed that my shirt in the shoulders and entire back was wet. I know I sweat, but not that much. Upon closer inspection, it appears that the coat gets wet on the inside. Water doesn't leak in but remains consistently damp throughout the inside of the coat. The part of my shirt that had the most direct contact with the coat, soaked up the water. Had the temperature dropped or had the hike been longer, I suspect that I might have gotten cold or chilled.
I hindsight, I guess I should have worn some polypro shirt that would wick the moisture away from me and/or worn some wool as another layer. I knew that I was going to get hot during the hike, so I didn't want to wear any more layers. I like the Tin Cloth for its durability, but I am not sold on it's water repelling qualities. I didn't think that it was supposed to get wet on the inside. Something about that bothers me. I'm not sure that I trust it yet. I need to figure out how to manage the moisture on the inside. Maybe I need to always wear wool? I'm not sure. I bought the Packer solely for use as heavy duty rain coat. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the weather doesn't get that cold but it does rain a fair amount. I need to be able to wear the coat without having to think about additional layers to deal with the moisture on inside the coat. Right now I'm not sure if it's going to do the job.YMMV.
S.