Bush Jackets

Oldsarge · Jun 29, 2013

de Stokesay said:
There used to be a wonderful bespoke tailor who was about 8 blocks from my house. I had several suits made by him with fabric I had acquired in Europe but he died a couple of three years ago. He wasn't that old, only mid 60s or so but I guess he had a sudden stroke and that was then end. I really miss him as the next closest option for me is about 6 hours away in a different province.

Do you have a picture of the MyTailor.com bush jacket per chance Oldsarge? I know there will be options with these made to measure tailors but they usually adapt the details on a standard pattern and was curious what their base model before styling tweaks was like.

It really helps to get things like shirts custom made if you are hard to fit, and not really much more than off the rack, even before alternations.

de Stokesay

Will Boelke was the one who first approached MyTailor (Joe Hemrajani) with the idea of making a bush jacket. Will called them shirt jacs or safariana and he has had at least three made. You can run scroll down and see pictures of them here. MyTailor.com does schedule fitting/ordering sessions in Vancouver, so if you like these, you can go to their website and send them an email to find out when their next visit might be. Good luck.

de Stokesay · Jun 30, 2013

That top one is not at all bad Oldsarge but I prefer a more traditional lower pocket than the reverse-gussetted one illustrated. I think the shown lower pocket adds a bit too much bulk to the hip which is probably why you don't usually see this type of pocket on a military tunic.

For something, such as the bush jacket, that follows a somewhat rigid formula there sure is a lot of variation and available options. The interesting thing is that as long as it has 4 pockets and is khaki cotton, very, very few people will be able to tell the difference between one and another and as much as we'd like to spend on details no-one is going to notice anyway. Of course, as these are practical jackets and the predecessor to the modern military field jacket (not really that modern anymore I guess now) they are really designed for a specific purpose and as long as a bush jacket fits any one of several would probably be adequate. Details are important to me though.

I had a bush jacket that I wore almost every day for years in the late eighties and early nineties until I outgrew it. Thinking back on it, I now realise that it was a bit of a disaster but I sure liked it at the time.

Unfortunately Vancouver, B.C. is a thousand miles away from where I live and I only get there occasionally but this is good to know for the future.

de Stokesay

Doctor Damage · Aug 5, 2013

Mojave Jack said:
My W&G bush jacket, large tall, new (with tags) arrived today. This thing is absolutely perfect. Every detail is there: bush poplin, perfect weight, shoulder pad. It does have those annoying sleeve tabs, but I guess I could overlook that.

And it doesn't fit.

So...if any of you gents are in the market, I got a pretty good deal on it, and I'm only looking to get out of it what I have into it. I'm a 42L, 6', 180 lbs, and this thing fits exactly like a 44L. I figured I'd give the readers of this thread first shot, since you obviously appreciate a good bush jacket! I'll put it up in the Classifieds after a while if I don't get any bites.

Well, back to the drawing board!

You guys give up too easily. The solution is to return the jacket and buy another one size smaller (in your case probably 40L). Unless of course you didn't buy it retail.

darthinvictus · Aug 6, 2013

Been looking for one of these for a while.... Quatermain meets Rathbone maybe.... any that look good with a tie?

Oldsarge · Aug 6, 2013

Tie? No, no. Not a tie, a neckerchief. You wear a tie under a tweed shooting coat, not a bush jacket.

Mojave Jack · Aug 12, 2013

Doctor Damage said:
You guys give up too easily. The solution is to return the jacket and buy another one size smaller (in your case probably 40L). Unless of course you didn't buy it retail.

Doc Damage, W&G has been out of business for about 15 years. The line was killed by the morons at Land's End, which has also suffered from inept leadership. It is still the holy grail of bush wear, and no one has thus far stepped up to assume the mantle.

Sarge, your mailbox is full! Been trying to shoot you a reply, but it keeps getting rejected! Drop me an e-mail and I'll send some pics.

Bern1 · Aug 12, 2013

Hi all,
Great forum and I appreciate it! Not sure I've posted before and I admit I didn't read all the pages, but I own a Lost Worlds Australian and I love it. I wear a 42R suit jacket or sport coat but bought the LW in 44 so I could wear a sweater under it. I had to have Stuart shorten the sleeves but I use it all the time, no safaris yet though....

Doctor Strange · Sep 11, 2013

We finally got some cool weather here, so I got to wear my new What Price Glory bush jacket while hiking the Appalachian Trail in CT last week. It was just perfect - and the color matches my "Sand" Akubra Cattleman pretty well...

Thanks to everyone who recommended this jacket to me earlier in the thread, it's turned out to be excellent!

Oldsarge · Sep 11, 2013

The temperature dropped slightly here but it's still too warm to try out the W&G Jack sold me. It fits and I'm looking forward to it but I fear it will be October at the earliest before I get a chance to wear it for more than a few minutes. Maybe when I go to Portland . . .

de Stokesay · Sep 12, 2013

I wore my WPG bush jacket the weekend before last as it was cold and rainy when we were camping but it's been too warm since for a jacket. It won't be long now though as the days are getting shorter and it's cooling off quite a bit at night lately.

de Stokesay

Two Types · Jan 28, 2014

Here are some vintage safari outfits from the 1951 film Where No Vultures Fly. It seems to be a mixture of military and civilian clothing:

This jacket has no lapels, but does have a belt-back:

Two Types · Jan 28, 2014

a few more:

Baggers · Jan 29, 2014

Excellent find. Found at IMDB under the title Ivory Hunter. Probably no hope of finding it on this side of the Atlantic, but I'll give it a try later today.
I need to stop waffling and remove the sleeves from one of my WPG bush jackets. Always thought that would be a great option for Summer use here in Texas.

Oldsarge · Feb 25, 2014

At this year's Safari Club International convention in Las Vegas, I met Gary Nesse and spoke to him about his hunting clothing. I was immensely impressed. Gary has put a lot of thought into his Ultimate Jacket and it looks like he's put the same amount of thought into his bush jacket. For those of you who find such things important, Gary's gear is all made in Montana. It ain't cheap but what good stuff is? Give it a look. To my mind it's the best one currently available, at least for real safaris. For looking the part to someone who doesn't know there are lots.

imoldfashioned · Feb 28, 2014

I have an RL Jacket in khaki that I had tailored to my female form and it goes well with a 30s khaki pith helmet that was produced in India during the British Raj.

Canadian · Mar 14, 2014

I have three safari jackets. One light khaki, two OD. One is getting near the rubbish bin. I bought it in high school and wore the heck out of it.

The light khaki is kind of stained. I was moving equipment from a building to another building and got a lovely line of red ink on the back. Doesn't matter, because it's not exactly workwear for the office. I use it when I go hiking, and seeing me with khaki and black webbing on is a real sight.

My favorite safari coat is one I passed up. I had the chance to buy a leather version for about 290CDN. I bought an OD canvas model (my first) and I might see a leather version someday.

Doctor Damage · Jul 28, 2014

Mojave Jack said:
Doc Damage, W&G has been out of business for about 15 years. The line was killed by the morons at Land's End, which has also suffered from inept leadership. It is still the holy grail of bush wear, and no one has thus far stepped up to assume the mantle.

Ooops, I was for whatever reason thinking they were referring to WPG not W&G. D'oh!

Doctor Damage · Jul 28, 2014

imoldfashioned said:
I have an RL Jacket in khaki that I had tailored to my female form and it goes well with a 30s khaki pith helmet that was produced in India during the British Raj.

Back in the late 1990s, when Ralphie had a small but fabulous boutique in Toronto, I almost bought one of their safari jackets. It was a beautiful garment and had all the right details, but nothing overdone. Due to buyer's constipation I couldn't make up my mind, didn't buy it, and have regretted it ever since.

hebert · Aug 29, 2014

hi
please, Who makes this particular safari jacket?

Thanks in advance.

Oldsarge · Aug 29, 2014

Hebert, we need either a picture or a link.

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