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.

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[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 pricks. 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 pricks. 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.

[Spunyarn]

My durham arrived today. Had a quick look at it, but been working since 4am this morning, so I'm gonna get my head down now and have a better look tommorow. First impressions are that it seems more lightweight than I thought. I was very surprised to find it came in a small floppy parcel probably just about small enough to fit through the average letterbox. It's definitely in a different league to the heavier weight Beaufort etc.
I like the fact it's lightweight but is waterproof, which will mean it's ideal for the hotter seasons, but will be able to wear warm clothing underneath it in winter which is more practical than sweating my tits off underneath a heavyweight waxed jacket all year round. I'm gonna reproof it with barbour thornproof dressing on the weekend so that should add to it's longevity. The hood makes it look much less like a barbour, and much more dressed down, but I don't really care too much about that. Infact it's quite handy because a Beaufort looks a bit wrong if worn with anything less than a shirt or maybe a polo t-shirt, wheras I reckon the durham could be worn with anything from shirt and tie to t-shirt. Atleast I won't be 'looking like a dingle' lol. All in all, it ticks the boxes and looks to be in surprisingly good nick for less than a 1/4 of the price they are brand new. Only problem is that It's maybe a size too small in the chest. Which means the sleeves will look noticably short when worn over a thick layer, and there's not exactly loads of spare room around the torso and shoulders. Considering it's a lighty and will be a 3 season jacket for me, I will normally be wearing only a thin layer underneath it anyway.

[sandbender]

"...First impressions are that it seems more lightweight than I thought..."

The Durham is one from their lightweight or 'flyweight' range, does yours have a tartan liner? They also sold it without a liner making it possible to roll it up and put it in a belt pouch or similar.



Mine came with a liner, but I unstitched/cut it out.

[Chiseller]

My favorite throw on coat for work or fast paced wet walks :thumbup: forget thorn busting though

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[Spunyarn]

Mine came without the liner. It is definitely a tad on the small side. It's a 38 chest which I didn't realise until yesterday as the advert said medium to large, and I'm a about a 42. Luckily barbours are cut larger than normal to accommodate for heavy clothing, so it fits me okay. I do have a quilted jacket (chelsea I think), which will be suitable for wearing underneath it I hope but won't get anything much more than that under it before I start to look like jethro bodine. It'll get a rewax tommorow, and then if the rain holds out, I'll test it over the weekend. I will still be on the lookout for a bargain Beaufort, as I will be starting an agricuture course in the next few months, which will be handy for knocking around the yard in. I'll get that generously cut, and cheap so it doesn't matter after it's been covered in cow ****, and lambs have nibbled the edges lol.
I reckon as Chiseller say's the durham will be my go-to jacket for when out and active in the wet from now on.

[Spunyarn]

So a little update although I'm pretty sure nobody will care... maybe somebody will come across this thread when trying to make the same decision as I was, and find what I have to say useful.

After I had the durham for a couple of days, I used about 3/4 of a tin of old thornproof dressing on it, and gave it a complete rewax. It looked almost new on the outside and I was very pleased. I was concious that it was a tad on the small side being 2 sizes too small on the chest, and after my girlfriend saying it looked way too small, I decided to sell it. Put it back on ebay, and with no bids until a few mins from the end of the auction, somebody bought it and I made about £5 profit on it, which made the whole process worthwhile. I was glad to see the back of it to be honest, as although it's a very flattering jacket on some people, I think it looked weird on me. My girlfriend thought it was a womens jacket because of the double shoulders.

Meanwhile I bought myself a second hand beaufort 42 chest on ebay, and today it arrived. I have NEVER seen (or smelt), a jacket in such a fousty, and unwashed condition. The outside of it was typically a bit dirty, but the inside lining was just disgusting. It made it hard to breathe, and smelt as though it had been a dogs bead for the last 5 years. I had to wash my hands after toughing the lining, before touching anything else. I quickly tried it on for size and was pleasantly surprised by the fit. I was much happier with the fit of the beaufort than I had remembered the brand new beauforts I have tried on. It seemed shorter than the new 42s I've tried, on the sleeves and in the body, but a good fit around the shoulders, and an ample fit around the chest. The new ones seem longer in the body, shorter in the sleeves, and have a floppier collar I think. I suppose Barbour have lived up to their reputation for hit and miss sizing, but on this occasion I have been lucky. Following this I turned it inside out, hung it in the shower, and sprayed cold water over it for the best part of half hour, while scrubbing the inside with a nail brush lol. I know you're not supposed to use any cleaning agents on barbours at all as it destroys the seal between outer and inner fabric (apparently), but I gave up after a while trying to remove stains, with just water, so found some leather cleaner, and used that on the liner. Then spent about an hour soaking, and wringing, the jacket out which caused a greenish liquid to drain out of it with each squeeze. I finally let it soak for 20 mins in a cold bath, after which time the water was a lovely shade of murky green with black bits floating in it. I wrung it out, and it's been hung out to dry for about 5 hours. I'll go retrieve it in a bit, and hair dry it, and give it the last of the tin of wax (will probably do about one pocket). I was surprised at the coat when wet as despite the fact that it looks on the outside to be dry and cracked, it actually repelled water nicely almost all over.

Over all, the beaufort (although grubby to the point of making your skin crawl when wearing it), is the better jacket I think. It's heavier, and seems MUCH more hardwearing. It's got pockets for everything, and I'm very pleased with it. I think after about 2 waxes, and 5 more washes, it will be a great jacket.

[scoops_uk]

I just stuck mine on the washing line inside out for a week. I think it liked it :-)

A lesson I struggle to learn is that a bargain is only a bargain if it fits.

Scoops

[sandbender]

"... It's heavier, and seems MUCH more hardwearing. It's got pockets for everything..."

The Beaufort is still a 'lightweight' jacket.



You could always cut and rip the lining out, might save you a bit of work.

[Spunyarn]

Not thought of that actually. Maybe see if I could have it re-lined with something snazzy. Although it may detract from it's originality, as one of the most notable things about barbours is their check linings.

I think leaving it on the washing line is also a good idea. It will need a considerable time to air out.

I'm surprised at the Beaufort being lightweight, I imagine their heavyweight stuff is pretty clammy to say the least.

I do feel oddly violated at the price that these coats demand on ebay. I'm pretty sure, there are a team of people who scour charity shops, rural homes, and car boot sales for barbour jackets, and then sell them on ebay for ALOT more. I imagine some old boy would sell his filthy old barbour for a fiver at a car boot, and these 'businesses', then stick it in the garage, add a zero and put it on ebay until it sells. There is a skinny jean, and 1950s style haircut wearing, section of society, that have taken a fancy to the name barbour, and they are now in vogue which means that people have to pay extortionate prices for what is essentially a grubby old coat. lol

[Spunyarn]

Update for all, and a word of advice for anybody as stupid as me!...

So after washing the beaufort, and leaving it to dry for a day, it still had a bit of a smell in it, and felt pretty dirty, but I thought hey ho, it's alot cleaner than it was.

The tin of wax I had was only about a quarter full, but I cracked on waxing the beaufort and did about one front panel until I could see that there wasn't enough wax left to do another complete panel. I was in a rush to get it waxed as I wanted to use it for a walk the following morning, and it was already about 2.30am. I SHOULD have left it with one panel waxed, used it, and then finished it off when I had got myself a new tin of barbour dressing.

Being the idiot that I am, I decided that... "wax is wax"... and began mooching around a draw of candles, picking a couple of tall white candles, and few vanilla scented tea-lighters, thinking they would be the perfect 'poor mans' alternative to thornproof dressing, and that I was a god damn genius.

When heated, the candles had the same colour and consistency of thornproof dressing. Believing that I had just had the most brilliant idea ever, and that the vanilla scent would make the jacket smell great I waxed the jacket all over, using my faintly vanilla smelling concoction of thornproof dressing, candle wax, and vanilla tea-lighters.

By the time I had waxed the last panel, the first panel was dry. When I felt it and realised it had the same properties as cardboard, I knew how stupid I had been.
Why I forgot that the wax would go back to original form when it cooled down, I do not know.

In an effort to try to save the jacket (that will literally stand up by itself), I heated it up with a hairdryer and rubbed it, scrubbed it, tumble dried it, but the jacket has hardly shed any of the candle wax.

It's sat in the back of my land rover for almost three weeks unused, and I have now decided that the last thing I can try to fix it, is to wash it in the washing machine, and hope that it removes all the wax. Then reproof it inside and out, fabsil, or something similar. It's got to be worth a go. If it doesn't work, well oh well, if it does, then great.

I plan to wash it at 65 degrees, (twice if necessary), and see what happens.

If anyone has any better ideas I'd be glad to hear them, or if you just wish to display how much of a moron you think I am, then please, fill your boots.

[Chiseller]

I'm in tears of laughter at your pain but.....but....I will offer no further pi$$ taking than you need.
1st....the candle wax will kill your washing machine....
I'd go for laying greaseproof paper over the wax, and a cool....note word cool.....iron over the paper to draw the bulk of the wax. Then its down to the car wash....use the jet washer.....at a distance and jet wash it through. Then home for a wash with pure soap flakes in the washer on a 40degree cycle.
Next is eBay for a large tin of thornproof dressing and apply with sponge and hair dryer. Jobs a fish.....an not a vanilla dish

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