Vintage Barbour jackets

JPD said:

Just spent two hours this weekend re-proofing my Vintage Beaufort (1992)

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Carefull, 1992? Someone on here will says thats not old enough to be 'Vintage'
I have one exactly the same model. A great coat for field sports(Well, a shoot at least)

Doctor Damage said:

Barbour makes great products, but I get the sense they're one of those companies that is happy to revise its history to suit current marketing objectives.

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I think that's quite probably true! I've always been intrigued, since discovering how new many of their designs are, by Barbour's success in creating an impression that somehow they are much older than that. Clever marketing of the "heritage brand" type thing, I supposed. I've long admired their stuff, especially the International range. Sadly, much like Belstaff, they've gotten caught up in being a fashion brand in recent years, and as a result not all of their stuff is as good or as keenly priced as once it was. That said, I think they're still better value than Belstaff nowadays.

Lots of good competition out there, though - especially if it's the belted MC-style you're after.

Hal said:

Just as likely to be caused by run-off from the Barbour! Jacket-length waterproofs are not much good without overtrousers, and Barbours are no exception. And the more efficiently waterproof the jacket is, the worse this problem is also.

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Very true. I always found the shorter waxed jackets perfect for that sort of mizzly day where it never quite rains, but you get wet standsing around outside. Once it starts to proper downpour, that's exactly the problem you find, unless you also use an umbrella. It is, of course, why the belted motorcycle jackets always had matching waxed over-trousers, though I don't often see them with the country jackets. I suppose the country jackets were designed for country sports, where you don't tend to go out on a shoot in the worst of weather.... and the fashion tribes, well.... when was fashion ever about logic?

Edward said:

Very true. I always found the shorter waxed jackets perfect for that sort of mizzly day where it never quite rains, but you get wet standsing around outside. Once it starts to proper downpour, that's exactly the problem you find, unless you also use an umbrella.

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Even then, the umbrella looks after the upper part of the body which the jacket is already protecting, and so gives relatively little defence against wet trousers and consequently cold legs.

Hal said:

Even then, the umbrella looks after the upper part of the body which the jacket is already protecting, and so gives relatively little defence against wet trousers and consequently cold legs.

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Yes, it stops the rolloff from the jacket to the trousers, but it doesn't do anything much more. A longer coat or overtrousers definitely helps.

Hi Barbour connoisseurs!
Does anyone know in what year did Barbour start to embroider Barbour logo on the low pocket flap of waxed Beauforts and Borders?

Not sure but if I had to guess I would say in the last five or so years. None of the 'vintage' wax Barbours I've come across seem to have that and its only quite recently, as they've moved into the fashion brand sector, that they've gone so heavy on visible branding.

Some of the quilted jackets have always had it though I think.

Thank you.
And how to determine the year of vintage wax jacket - Beaufort or Border? Label with third Royal Warrant , fasteners for warm liner - buttons (not zipper like now), without Barbour embroidered logo yet? 1988 - ????

l0fielectronic said:

Not sure but if I had to guess I would say in the last five or so years. None of the 'vintage' wax Barbours I've come across seem to have that and its only quite recently, as they've moved into the fashion brand sector, that they've gone so heavy on visible branding.

Some of the quilted jackets have always had it though I think.

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I have a quilt from the late 90s with the embroidered Barbour on the pocket. I think the badge appeared on the waxed jackets in the late 2000s.

I've got a couple of Barbours - a two crest Solway zipper, bought from eBay in mint condition - found hanging in a garage never worn and a black International also from eBay. The Solway was a bargain - the auction finished at a silly time and the International was a bargain B.I.N. Pick up only - local from a search I'd set up on the app. I had a NATO International but sold it as it was too tight a fit. Sadly I sold it cheap before the fashion boom inflated the prices on this model! Like many of us I've got so many jackets I hardly ever wear them but they are great jackets.

I've got two Internationals going up for sale shortly, if anyone might be interested?

Both are "SMU", special make up jackets - which means they differ in some specifics from the standard retail jackets.

One is a black 36 (easily fits a 38" chest), with a one way zip and blacked out press studs.




The other is very unusual; an olive 38, with metal buckles on the belt and collar (unlike the standard plastic ones) and antique brass press studs, complete with the removable liner.




I was going to put them up on eBay at the weekend and hadn't thought about the classifieds here. Apologies if it's bad form to mention them here in a thread, but hopefully that's ok as it's relevant?

I've got more pictures if anyone's interested, and will put together some proper information in the classifieds at some point.

Oops. Double post.

Barbour is another one of my favorites (aside from vintage leather jackets). I’m glad to see this thread is still going after starting up in 2012.

I got my first Barbour secondhand during my sabbatical in France. It had a bit of a “garage” smell, but was otherwise a great jacket. It is a roomy blue Border jacket. It protected me well from Edinburgh winter storms during my visit in November when paired with a wool sweater and tweed blazer. I discovered rain falls sideways in Edinburgh in the winter. Umbrellas are completely useless in the wind! I got it rewaxed at Barbour in the US. They did a good job, and the cost was not much more than buying a can of wax online. Also, a lot of the “garage” smell went away after the rewax.

I also picked up an Ashby jacket last spring. It is a trimmer cut, and I really like it. It is black with a tan tartan liner.

I concluded from my research that I will never wash or dry clean a Barbour. Doing so removes all the wax from the cotton. Trying to rewax without any existing wax already in the outer layer of cotton will soak new wax through into the liner. I think this is one of the potential pitfalls of buying a vintage Barbour. However, vintage Barbours do give the instant country squire patina to the jacket to avoid looking like a city slicker parvenue in a brand new one.

Now is an interesting time to buy new Barbour. They seemed to hit a peak in U.S. popularity around the holidays last year. Now, you can find some in outlet stores for high end department stores. They have moved a lot of their production out of the UK. If the “Made in England” matters to you, be sure to look for it on the main label. I have noticed many new Ashby jackets made elsewhere, which is indicated on a tiny label on the collar. I find their products of high quality, regardless of where they are made, but I do seek out the Made in England myself.

Ironically, I still have not gotten a classic green jacket with a brown collar. When I think of a Barbour, it is the jacket I think of. I guess I am still looking for the right vintage one. Maybe I will stumble on one during my summer travels.

You're right, never machine wash or dry clean a Barbour, you'll ruin it and your washing machine also. Besides it's easy to do the wax job yourself. You're also right on your other point. They're supposed to look as though they're being used.

I re-waxed my Drizabone Jacana (a field jacket pattern no longer produced) it was tough going but easier than I thought. Melt the wax. Use a rag to rub it in. Use a hair drier to even it out. The jacket took about 2 hours to do and looks pretty good. But they say this should be done every year or two. I'm low maintenance, minimalist type of guy. Not sure I can be arsed doing this again. I sense the approach of Gore Tex....

Don't do it! I spend a lot of my working time outdoors, and it rains a lot. Over the years I've spent a fortune chasing modern fabrics. I've done the isoflex the goretex the this tex and the other tex. They all fail. They get dirty and lose there effectiveness. So you decide to wash and reproof it. Never works properly. The Barbour however is old technology, cold and stiff in the Winter, greasy in the Summer. However, they never ever let the rain in, never.

As much as I love the look of a Barbour (especially the International) and owned several I gave up and sold them all due to the bad smell they eventually take up. If you buy them new it’s ok for a couple of years but then they start to progressively take that musty smell that I detest. I bought a new old stock from the 80s on eBay that was looking brand new a ne clearly never worn but you could smell it from the other side of the house.

Clearly they are made to be used outdoor where the smell is less of a concern but for walking around the city I think they are impractical. Similarly as for leather, they are also not warm and make you sweat like a pig if the sun hits you. I don’t know but for me the downsides are too many.


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Around 2001 I bought two barbour bushman jackets,,the best jacket buys I have ever made.just dug out the 2nd jacket as The 1st was well past it’s best.So much better than the stuff they call Barbour nowadays,,only issue I found was the zip on the internal pocket really marked up some nice jumpers,,solution was to cut the zip out,,will be taking care of this jacket & hopefully it will see me off

A Barbour jacket is an iconic piece of British country clothing - when broken in they develop that wonderful shiny patina.....the older they are, the better they look. And I think they are guaranteed for life.......so any problems, send it back for a repair. The Italians are nuts for the British country look for some reason.

Agreed in Italy Barbour was enormously successful in the early/mid 90’s and everybody who was “trendy” had one. Then the trend cooled off and I’m not sure if now is coming back. For some reason the Bedale was the only model available back then (of course in the 90s there weren’t 200 different models like today) . Pity as the international for me is far better looking than the more country models.


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peak Barbour in the UK was around 5-10 years ago........it seemed like everyone, from Hackney farmers to the lads and ladies on every UK high-street - Barbour was, for a brief time, the hottest label around! Its cooled off now though.