This jacket arrived on a 90°F day which was ripping with humidity on an early Houston summer day. I knew I needed it for my move to Boulder, CO — but putting it on in the air conditioned space I was in, caused me to start feeling sweaty. This jacket would sit in the back of my closet for a few more months until a proper chill enveloped Boulder during the evening hours of Halloween where my unacclimated body would cower under it in 20°F temps.
And nearly every week since then, I’ve worn this jacket for something, and it might be the quirkiest jacket in Filson’s lineup — while at the same time there’s not a lot of jackets like this out there. I love this jacket, even if it is too warm to wear some of the winter days here in Colorado.
Materials & Specs
This is the ‘Cruiser’ pocket layout from Filson, on a waist length jacket with no hood. It’s down filled and covered in wax canvas. Specifically it is 8-oz. 100% cotton oil finish Cover Cloth in most places, and 11-oz. 100% cotton oil finish Shelter Cloth in high-wear areas. It has 650-fill-power goose down with a nylon lining behind all that. The collar is trimmed with 100% merino wool, and even the elasticated cuffs are a wool blend (the hand warmer pockets are also lined with wool).
650-fill power won’t sound like a lot, but the majority of down jackets don’t have water proofing or wind proofing on them — something this jacket has in spades, so this will wear much warmer in nasty conditions. You are wearing an outer layer which is heavily waxed (wind and water resistant) which then has goose down filling — the sheer weight of this jacket will tell you how warm and durable it is.
A few other notes on the specs:
- Interior-security pocket
- Two snap-flap front-chest pockets
- Two snap-flap gusseted cargo pockets (one hand close mechanism)
- Slotted-utility pocket
- Two-way front zipper with snap-secure storm flap
Filson is constantly tweaking the sizing and fit on these, so I won’t provide guidance there (it’s generally cut large to layer under it). These jacket weighs a lot, and feels like a beast to carry or wear. It’s very well made, and there’s not a spot on it that I would see as a weak area.
Wear, Use & Style
Here’s Filson’s tag line for this jacket: “Weather be damned – this jacket will protect you.” This reads as very true to me.
I’ve worn this jacket on bone chillingly cold nights, extreme cold and winding days, during snow storms, while snow shoveling, raking leaves, and everything in between. The only things which can be considered downsides:
- It wears very warm.
- The waist length means that it feels less warm than a longer jacket would.
- It takes a lot to break the jacket in to a point it feels like it moves with you well (a month plus).
All of those are things I love about this jacket. I have longer jackets when I need it, but this jacket lets me easily get at my pants pockets. It felt awkward to wear at first, but a few months later it feels like my jacket and the arms move with me well.
While the fill power is lower than other extreme weather jackets, the wind proofing effectively makes this jacket wear warm. It was only on a 20°F night where the single layer of a flannel shirt under this jacket wasn’t enough to let me feel toasty, instead keeping me feeling slightly cool to cold after three hours in the weather.
The cut on this jacket allows for ample layering, and the more you add, the faster you heat up. On a 9°F day with a flannel and wool sweater under the jacket, I found myself shoveling snow with the jacket fully unzipped to stay cool enough.
The jacket feels like a beast when you wear it — like you dare Mother Nature to do her best. It sheds snow and light water with ease. It blocks all the wind I’ve encountered. The wool collars and lining in the pockets is a nice touch for helping to keep a warmer feel against your skin even if you have melting snow in those spots.
The pockets are also excellent. The single hand close snaps are one of those small touches which you quickly fall in love with and Filson really nails these. There’s plenty of space to stash gear, which still leaves a spot to warm up your hands. It’s easy to stash bulky work gloves out of the way, or a wad of clean tissues. This is good stuff.
From a style perspective, this is heavily lumberjack/workwear — it won’t blend in among the standard down jackets, so it’s best worn in that vein.
Overall
I’m a huge fan of this jacket, and strongly recommend it for those who live in cold places. The first half dozen wears will feel awkward, and slightly stiff, but once you hit the break in curve, you’ll be constantly grabbing this as you head out the door.
Well done, Filson. I’m a huge fan.