Filson's Tin Cloth Owners, I have a Question

[nick123]

A couple of things come to mind. If you insist on a dry finish jacket, consider the DRY FINISH TIN CLOTH RANCHfits small though. I generally wear a 42-44 long and ordered a XL, and this jacket

Excellent looking jacket Fanch.
I had my eye on the "ranch" jacket because they made tall sizes in that, but, guessing that the Levi's jacket only comes in regular sizes, the jacket looks good on you in proportion to your height (I'm 6'2").
I think that Levi's jackets run exceptionally small. I wear a size 40 and an xl works fine...
So the question is, should I opt for the "unlined" ranch jacket or the Levi's tan trucker? Thanks.

 

[Fanch]

A couple of things come to mind. If you insist on a dry finish jacket, consider the DRY FINISH TIN CLOTH RANCHfits small though. I generally wear a 42-44 long and ordered a XL, and this jacket

Excellent looking jacket Fanch.
I had my eye on the "ranch" jacket because they made tall sizes in that, but, guessing that the Levi's jacket only comes in regular sizes, the jacket looks good on you in proportion to your height (I'm 6'2").
I think that Levi's jackets run exceptionally small. I wear a size 40 and an xl works fine...
So the question is, should I opt for the "unlined" ranch jacket or the Levi's tan trucker? Thanks.

I'm also 6'2" and imagine that the XL Filson Levis Trucker Jacket would work for you too. When I was in the Filson store in Seattle in August, I found that the Dry Finish Tin Cloth Ranch Jacket fit great in Large Extra Long. In the best of worlds, you try on both jackets in a Filson store and decide which one has the look/fit/style that you want. Filson has some quirky fitting for me between models. Their Tin Jacket in Large, Extra Long was binding in the shoulders, and the Extra Large Regular fit best for the Tin Jacket. However, as I said earlier, the Dry Finish Tin Cloth Ranch Jacket Large, Extra Long was a great fit. I probably like the Filson Levis Trucker Jacket best of all, which is a great jacket for cool but not cold weather, and will also be effective in the rain. Didn't really answer your question as to which model to buy. Maybe buy both and send one back. Or keep both. Or return both. Hope this helps.

 

[dr.velociraptor]

I just got done drying the jacket at low heat (delicates) for about 45 minutes. After the first attempt to just wash it in the machine the jacket appeared to be ruined, this 2nd attempt turned out much better. The jacket has an even texture and color, almost no oil on the coat, and because of the initial generous fit it fits like a glove now.

So if you want to de-oil one of these jackets the way to do it is hot water in a sink, stiff bristle brush, and plenty of Dawn dish soap.

As for shrinkage it was considerable, it was tagged as a 44 (Large) but was really a generous 46 or 48, it was tent like on me and I'm 5'11 210 lbs and lift heavy 3 X's a week. The oiled gear is not pre-shrunk and a lot bigger than the non oiled stuff (all pre-shrunk cotton). This jacket went down to a standard 44, probably shrank a full inch on the sleeve, this was the most noticeable area of shrinkage.

I wouldn't recommend trying to buy these jackets and wash and shrink them and guess at where it will end up because of the price and all the unkowns, the only reason I did was:

1. I liked the jacket
2. I hated the moist, greasy feel of the coat, working in it created a condensation inside that exacerbated the moist feeling
3. It was much bigger than I wanted or expected
4. It was already here and money was already down range
5. Got it on sale for only $160 and was fairly confident I could make this work

I'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow, I don't have any before pics unfortunately.

 

[Fanch]

I'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow, I don't have any before pics unfortunately.

Will look forward to seeing pictures of how all of this worked out. The grand poohbahs at Filson said that the oils dry out with heat and low humidity, which leads one to think that most Filson gear tends to work better in damp, cool Seattle than dry, hot Dallas, Texas.

 

[nick123]

Thanks for the insight fanch.

 

[Doublegun]

As for shrinkage it was considerablely.

Saw this coming from your first post. The underlying material is unwashed cotton tin-cloth and it was going to shrink at least 2-3 sizes. Hell, I had a pair of double-tin pants shrink 1" in the waist and 3" in the length after 2-days of grouse hunting in rain and letting them dry near a fireplace overnight.

For anyone considering a coat from Barbour, the same warning applies: let the oil wear off and it will shrink if it gets wet and dries near any heat.

 

[Todd V]

My Tin Cruiser is a size 36 from eBay that someone had run through the washing machine and the dryer. The "resulting" measurements sounded good so I bought it for a reasonable sum. New England Reproofers did the re-waxing for me, for which they charged a a little extra since the coat had been washed. I've been wearing it for two or three seasons and just did a reproofing myself. It is hanging in the basement while the wax dries off somewhat. There are pics somewhere in the Filson thread though I think I owe some updated photos.

A typical 36 tin cruiser probably measures 28" in length. My shrunken one measures about 25.5" but still has the voluminous arm holes and generous body. It looks more like a full-fitting trucker jacket than a cruiser at this point. But, I love it. If I ever wear it out, I'm confident that I could spec the measurements for a custom Tin Cruiser and it would be worth the cost.

 

[dr.velociraptor]

So I completely stripped the oil like I stated prior and shrunk the cotton, jacket fits like a glove now, the original size Large was enormous. I also picked up two tins of Filson's oil from a sporting goods store and re-treated it. I melted the wax in a double boiler and painted it on, then used a hair dryer to even the wax out. The end result was a lightly oiled coat with more of a waxy finish, not nearly as oily as it was when I received it new. I wore the coat today to take the dogs on a walk through my woods (after hunting season I always like to confiscate the poachers tree stands on my property), and the jacket was just fine, I was dry as a bone, scored two tree stands too and already sold them.

 

[IXL]

I always get a few tree stands each season. A couple of years ago I got the largest free-standing tripod I've ever seen. It had an enclosed double chair swiveling top,storage compartments, gun ports on all sides. I'll bet someone really hated to lose that thing.
I never wear my tin cloth stuff during hunting season, even on my own land, without wearing an orange vest, as I'd hate to get shot by some orthodontist from Tulsa, who has buck fever.
I trust you finally got the jacket to be something you will enjoy!