Waxed Barbour jackets

Lord Flashheart · Mar 22, 2013

Hello all. I've bought myself a Barbour International jacket in black. Whilst I am delighted with the cut and quality of the jacket I do spend a lot of time brushing all manner of lint off it. Am I destined to live my life as a bit of a fur ball or will it balance out in the long run? Also, does anyone have any tips about combating this irritating issue?

Many thanks

Flashy

Rathdown · Mar 22, 2013

Where I come from Barbours are green (although some ladies wear blue or brown) and one is judged by the age of their Barbour and the length of the drive leading up to their house. That said, I don't recall lint being a problem. Dog, cat, and horse hair tended to stick to the jacket, but only for the first year or two. I'd say you either live with it, or buy another kind of non-waxed jacket (goretex, for example) if the lint is really that big of an issue.

Seb Lucas · Mar 22, 2013

They do that until they are broken in. Depending on how often you wear them could take between two months to two years. All clothing has its foibles.

Fanch · Mar 22, 2013

Any black fabric shows lint, dust, dog hair, etc.

Mark Ricketts · Mar 22, 2013

Simply abuse the hell out of your coat. Wear it in the foulest weather you come across and it does not take long for the newness to wear off. Barbours look and feel best when they are just about to wear out.

KyleK · Mar 22, 2013

As the wax starts wearing off it'll attract less. After a rewax it'll start all over again. I have a year old Barbour that's currently getting a complimentary wax from the store where I bought it. They offer the service twice a year!

If you choose not to rewax or go for longer times inbetween applications the coat will break in and break down faster. I have a six year old Filson Weekender that has never been rewaxed and definitely shows it. Lot's of "character" - some fraying at the cuffs, hem, and pocket flaps - but it'll soon be wearing through at the elbows and other high impact areas if I don't start taking care of it.

Rathdown · Mar 22, 2013

In the twenty two years I lived in Ireland before moving to the USA, I can only remember having a Barbour re-waxed once. And I wore mine almost every day (rains a lot over there). What do you guys do, over here, that would require waxing a Barbour even once a year?

Doctor Damage · Mar 22, 2013

KyleK said:
As the wax starts wearing off it'll attract less. After a rewax it'll start all over again.

That has been my experience also. When the wax dries out it stops collecting everything.

Rathdown said:
In the twenty two years I lived in Ireland before moving to the USA, I can only remember having a Barbour re-waxed once. And I wore mine almost every day (rains a lot over there). What do you guys do, over here, that would require waxing a Barbour even once a year?

We get a lot less rainy and wet weather here in North America (in most areas, anyway) and I suspect that has something to do with waxed jackets drying out. But that's just a wild theory. I find they aren't much use here: too cold in winter and too warm in summer.

Interbak · Mar 22, 2013

I agree with Rathdown, Bought my Belstaff Trialmaster about '92, wore it as my main riding jacket for years in all kind of foul weather and still use it today if it's wet and crappy out. It looks great, never been re-waxed, can't imagine it ever will be. When it was brand new it felt gummy and bled a lot in the summer, but that wore off quickly, so did the tendency to attract all manner of foreign material. Picked up a nice Outback oil skin at a post Christmas sale, far less oily than the old Belstaff was when new, but still picks up the dog hair. It's the nature of the beast.

Brian

yttclothing · Mar 22, 2013

I've had my three barbours for years never had them rewaxed and they are all fine never have lint issues, however these are old style barbours not the international range which is more of a fashion range then practicality!

Edward · Mar 22, 2013

yttclothing said:
I've had my three barbours for years never had them rewaxed and they are all fine never have lint issues, however these are old style barbours not the international range which is more of a fashion range then practicality!

A number of the International models have been added to the range with fashion in mind, but the basic waxed international jacket dates back to 1951 and has been in production for a little over half the company's lifespan. I believe this makes it one of their longest running models. http://www.barbour.com/all-about-wax

KyleK · Mar 22, 2013

I can't believe that people have waxed jackets older than five years that DON'T need to be rewaxed. Unless you wear them only when standing up, never carrying anything, and don't really care about repelling water that coat wants an application. I look at it kinda like shining and proofing your shoes/boots - you may not absolutely need to do it, but they'll look and perform better in the long run.

pipvh · Mar 23, 2013

I just re-waxed my International a couple of days ago after five years of wearing it in all weathers (when we say 'all weathers' in the Southwest of England, we mean 'all the many varieties of rain') and I suppose it needed it - hard to tell, really. It's revived the rather tatty look of the thing and water repellancy (tested immediately, of course) has marginally improved. Glad I did it but I'm not sure I actually needed to. Not difficult, though, despite a fair number of horror stories.

As for the lint, that only lasts while the new factory wax coating is fresh and sticky. Wear it in a downpour a few times and you'll have solved the problem.

Rathdown · Mar 23, 2013

I think it boils down to the fact that there are two kinds of Barbour owners, and Barbour makes jackets for both; those who view the Barbour as a strictly utilitarian object (like the Land Rover Defender, or a Labrador retriever) and those who see them as a fashion/status statement (like the Range Rover, or a Pug).

Those of us who regard them in utilitarian terms would only think to re-wax our Barbours if we actually got wet when we wore them; others, it would seem, may be more concerned in maintaining the look, rather than the absolute utility of the jacket. I think the analogy of comparing Barbours to boots and shoes bears this out. The boots and shoes that one might use in a strictly utilitarian sense (farming, shooting, etc.) are totally different in construction and intended use than the shoes one might wear in town, or going out to dinner. Town shoes require more constant care, just as cars only driven in the city require more maintenance than those used on country roads. And so it would seem, do wax jackets that are worn in the city.

tonypaj · Mar 23, 2013

I've only got a Golden Retriever... Recently I've come to the conclusion that I've probably had my share of leather jackets. So now is the time for waxed cotton ones. Especially for my wife, I have 3 of them, Drizabone and other Aussies, she's only got one.

I like mine well worn, prefer brown. I cannot be bothered with rewaxing, I wear the long ones with a leather jacket underneath if cold, short ones when I mess about with the yard or take the dog into the woods.

J.W. · Mar 23, 2013

tonypaj said:
Especially for my wife, I have 3 of them,

Now, isn't that illegal in France...? *SCNR*

I've got a Barbour Beaufort, rewaxed it once in the 5 years or so I've been wearing it. I tore a hole in it just beneath the right handwarmer pocket and I need to get that fixed, unless I want the hole to get any bigger. But I just refuse to send it to Germany's Barbour affiliate, because they would charge me like half of the jacket's price for fixing it. Well, maybe not half, but a quarter. And I still didn't get around to a local tailor shop.

oneterrifichog · Mar 23, 2013

Hmmmm I have a Ford truck no Defender. I guess no defense. But I do have a Beaufort with no wax plans anytime soon; the more I wear it the more it reminds me of my Army Field Jacket (1968 - 71). We had 3/4 tons then that were a little like the Defender... maybe that is a qualifier for something. Even the liner is sort of like the liner in my Field jacket.

Fanch · Mar 23, 2013

oneterrifichog said:
Hmmmm I have a Ford truck no Defender. I guess no defense. But I do have a Beaufort with no wax plans anytime soon; the more I wear it the more it reminds me of my Army Field Jacket (1968 - 71). We had 3/4 tons then that were a little like the Defender... maybe that is a qualifier for something. Even the liner is sort of like the liner in my Field jacket.

Hi Wilbur, I really like the Beaufort but had to go with Filson since the sleeves on the Beaufort are about 1 1/2 inches too short for me.

About the only thing that I re-wax are my Filson hats, and even that is a chore. Hope things are going well with you on the top of the mountain.

Lord Flashheart · Mar 24, 2013

Thanks for the input fellas. The lint/cat fur is not a real issue, it's just mildly irritating. Winter is fast approaching Victoria so I'm sure the jacket will be run in soon enough.

I have to say tho that i think there is very few jackets which attract more opinions than the Barbour International. Back in the motherland (Edinburgh, Scotland) if you wear an International you are deemed either to be a chav or a "Hooray Henry" wannabe by various sections of society. Me, I dont own a Defender or a Range Rover and i have a cat. I just like the jacket and there is a familiarity to them as both my grandad and Gt Uncle were keen salmon fishermen on the Spey and Tay rivers and often wore Barbour. Thankfully in country Victoria there is no such opinions and I can wear my jacket with only the occasional question about where my Norton or BSA is parked.

Many thanks

Flashy

oneterrifichog · Mar 24, 2013

Fanch said:
Hi Wilbur, I really like the Beaufort but had to go with Filson since the sleeves on the Beaufort are about 1 1/2 inches too short for me. About the only thing that I re-wax are my Filson hats, and even that is a chore. Hope things are going well with you on the top of the mountain.

Hi Richard, Yep we are all doing well after a year of living dangerously. Thanks for asking.

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