First half: Just in case anyone is in the market, I just bought a great jacket and since they are on sale I wanted to pass the info along for general consumption. The company is Duluth Trading Company. I am not a rep or in any way affiliated, just a very happy customer. The jacket is their Waxed Cotton 3-in-1 Parka. It's on sale through March 15 for $118.99. I just received mine today and it is pretty darn nifty (if you like waxed cotton products). Plenty of pockets. Two chest level hand warmer pockets (wool lined); snap closure patch pockets in their usual place; shoulder pocket (for pens, pencils and such); and plenty more elsewhere. It is made of very heavy cotton canvas (14 oz according to the product description) and has a wool zip-out liner (nylon lined). I haven't had a chance to take this thing out in cold weather yet, but Duluth claims comfort to -5 Farenheit with the liner (please take a grain of salt now). Anyway, since it is the season and this was what I thought a great buy for the money, I wanted to make folks aware. Oh, the site is, as you might expect, www.duluthtrading.com

The second half: Synthetics versus natural fibers. Anyone have any particular feelings on this topic, particularly for outer wear? I favor natural fibers (wool, silk, properly prepared cotton), but am not going to look askance at Gore-Tex or polypro.

Thank you for any input.
Philip Works

Heh, Ya beat me too it. My lovely Wife saw a catalog on her boss' desk. She sent in a card from it to get me a catalog... I've been browsing it here at work, lots of neat clothes and other things...

Do waxed cotton jackets breathe or do you get wet?

Simon

'If people aren't meant to be eaten - why are they made of meat?'

No, they don't. Then again, neither does Gore-Tex - and it's not at all hard to demonstrate.

I admit to being a fan of natural fibers, after many years of buying and discarding synthetics. In my experience, synthetic products very rarely perform up to their advertising copy.

Nothing has yet been able to duplicate the wide temperature range of wool; silk long johns are warm and don't smell like polypro does after a couple of days; and waxed cotton shrugs off abrasion that quickly shreds Gore-Tex.

The performance of natural fibers doesn't degrade as much when dirty as synthetics do, and they are generally flame resistant - an important consideration around a campfire. They're a better use of one's money as well - It's not unusual to find a Filson wool coat that is 40 or 50 years old, and as serviceable as the day it was made. I've not had a synthetic garment yet that held up in both performance and appearance more than a season or two.

Admittedly, I'm rough on clothing as I tend to do things that take me well off the beaten path. It's not like I'm Grizzly Adams, but when I do get out it's not on nicely manicured trails.

I'm not slavish about this, understand - here in the continuous wet climate of Oregon, down sleeping bags seem to feel constantly clammy even if they don't actually get wet. I much prefer a quality synthetic for this reason. If I lived in Alaska or Colorado (or even the east side of my own state), my opinion would probably be different.

The Conovers, in their book "The Winter Wilderness Companion", put their feelings succinctly: "[Synthetic clothing] begins as junk, and stays junk all the way to the landfill." I'm no "greenie", but the truth of that statement hits home with me.

-=[ Grant ]=-

Both sides have their advantages and their drawbacks. Wool is pretty good and rugged, so is waxed/oiled canvas, but they are also heavy. They are durable, but can reduce dexterity. Up until recently, no synthetics really compared too well. With the advent of these new synthetic laminated fleece items, I think we are seeing some really suitable alternatives to natural fibers. Rivers West is a product line of these type fleeces. They used to be the only ones making this stuff, but I see others have joined the wagon. These fabrics are quite durable, very warm, waterproof, windproof, and relatively lighter and less restricting. I grew up with canvas and wool, and they are my first love for outdoor clothing and I still use them when I can. The new fleece apparel is going to give them a fair run for their money. My primary hunting outfit is a suit made from this material, and it has proven itself quite well. Hunting coyotes above Estes Park Colorado in January I felt just fine sitting in the snow calling for hours. When my face got cold, I pulled up the balaclava and was as warm as I've ever been out in the field. The new fleece does seem to breath a little, but if you exert yourself without venting it properly, you are still going to end up sweating.

As for loft or fill, I think most of us here know that down is still considered a premium fill material, except when it gets wet. Some of the hollow fiber fills do come pretty close to duck feathers, and when they get wet they seem to fare considerably better in most cases. I've always been a fan of Qualofil, and if adding another half pound of fill keeps me just as warm, then I don't mind too much. The only time I got seriously cold in a sleeping bag was sleeping under a tent fly on a granite perch near the top of one of the fjords in central British Columbia coast during a heavy rain storm. Sometime in the middle of the night a stream formed cutting through my side of the fly, and so it was either sleep in the stream or out in the rain. That was a premium synthetic fill, and I am certain that a down bag would've been totally worthless then. I coulda used a good bivy bag that night.

Synthetics do have a problem with burning materials. I can sweep embers off my arm in a wool coat and not really notice anything unusual. Can't say the same for the fleece, though it doesn't automatically incinerate like some of the earlier synthetic materials used to either. In any case, if something does happen to my fleece gear, it has a lifetime warranty against such events.

I'm not a big fan of nylon/synthetic shells for clothing. They feel like I am wearing a plastic bag and make too much noise. Oilskins weren't much better. I suppose if you are going to wear a tent, then the nylon stuff is probably more convenient, but less durable.

I do miss my old Navy Pee Coat. That was a real comfort clothing item.

I have always been a fan of Pendleton wool blankets, even though they are way overpriced. I got me a blanket made from that new fleece stuff, and it is now my favorite tag along stowable. Another bonus is it don't itch me near as bad when I wrap up in it after a winter evening in the hot tub.

I just ordered one of these in 3x -- I hope they are not tight fitting 3x's, hope they are a little oversized

Would one of you mind posting a picture? I'm only finding those cartoony images on Duluth's Site. I've been looking for a new jacket and have been looking at the following jackets:

the Mackinaw jacket from Stormy Kromer, a Mackinaw Cruiser from Filson or a Beaufort jacket from Barbour (current favorite).

Thanks!