There’s no Filson product more iconic to their brand than their Mackinaw Wool Cruiser an item Filson patented in 1914. One of the bigger regrets I have was a trip to Filson back in 2013 or so. I went to the old Filson flagship in Seattle (4th Ave) to get a Filson wool jacket with my first large bonus. I walked out with a lovely charcoal ‘Wool Weekender’ made in Mackinaw wool, which I wore for years (until I lost weight and it was too large), but I always had this thought that I should have bought the Mackinaw Wool Cruiser instead.
Thankfully, this was rectified recently, and now that I can once again wear heavy wool jackets we need to talk about this icon. Because there’s a damned good reason Filson has been making this for so long: it’s beyond good.
I knew what the material would be like, but I had no idea it would be this good to wear throughout the winter and even in snow.
Materials
This jacket is made from 100% virgin wool, which Filson currently lists as “24-oz./LY 100% Mackinaw Wool”. I say currently, because over the years Filson has changed wool suppliers a few times, with the most notable change coming recently when Pendleton stopped supplying Filson (this was Pendleton’s decision according to what I’ve found) with their wool.
A lot of hand wringing has been done on Reddit and other forums about this, but as someone who’s handled a lot of the Filson wools, I will echo a few points that more astute commentators have said:
- All of these wools feel slightly different in hand.
- The colors are very similar, but vary slightly.
- Outside of those two differences, they all perform exactly the same.
Which is my way of saying: “Mackinaw” is Filson’s branding of this quality/type/performance wool. More specifically:
Our Mackinaw Wool Cruiser performs in the widest range of conditions. Patented in 1914, it remains a bestseller today.
This is not one of those items Filson is messing about with, so don’t worry about the wool source, because Filson worried about it for you. The people most concerned about the wool source on these, seem to be the same people who wouldn’t dare let theirs leave the safety of their closet.
Wearing
Let’s start with the fit, which is the most common Reddit-post type on r/Filson, where people seem to not know how clothes should fit. This is a classic fit item from Filson, which means it’s cut roomy so you can layer the hell out of it underneath and also so you can move in the jacket to swing axes and saw shit. My general advice is that for a leaner look, you can go one size down. This advice will work for most people.
For me, I wear a size Large in most brands, and a size Medium Long in this jacket. The reason is that I have broad shoulders and long arms, so even though I have a trimmer chest, the arms are too short if I go down one size. Which means I can wear a large, or a medium long. Even with me sizing down, I have plenty of room to wear a flannel and heavy sweater under this jacket.
It’s best to try these on in person, but if you can’t I would take your normal size and go down one, as a general rule of thumb, but be prepared to exchange (so avoid final sale). If you are on the longer/taller side of the scale where your sleeve length is over 35” then you should for sure look to the long variants.
With that out of the way, what’s this jacket made for?
The Cruiser was engineered for foresters working in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest.
And why ‘Mackinaw’ wool?
Mackinaw Wool is tightly woven with yarns spun from the longest and strongest fleece fibers. It’s density helps it block the wind while remaining highly breathable. It also provides the durability to last a lifetime. Mackinaw Wool goods are often handed to the next generation.
The US Forest Service started issuing these in the 1940s as well — so when it comes to a jacket originally made as a do it all outdoors jacket, and something still made that way, this is that jacket. There’s a lot of heritage stuff out there, but something which is essentially the same, there are few of those — this is one.
I wanted this because I love the look, but what I didn’t expect is how impressive it would be during the cold winter months. I didn’t expect that it works so damned well for everything.
When you put this on, it both feels thick, but somehow not nearly as thick as you expected. It’s warm, but it doesn’t really feel hot. If you put on a huge puffy jacket in a warm house, you immediately start to get too warm, but if you put this on in a warm house you are just a little warmer.
This is in large part because this jacket breathes really well (as wool does), and thus helps to keep thermal regulation under check. I can wear this without overheating while shopping in a warm store, button it up and walk out into 30°F weather with 30mph winds pushing things down even more — and still be a comfortable temperture.
Because the wind resistance of this jacket will take you by surprise. It does not seem like it should be this wind resistant, and yet it is. It’s not going to beat out waxed cotton, or synthetic materials, but for a jacket that looks sharp enough for a winter date night, and rugged enough to clear cut a forest in — well I am impressed.
I’ve worn this in light snow, and a few very light rain showers, and through both the jacket has shrugged off the elements with ease. I wouldn’t want to wear this as my only layer in wet snow, or sustained rain, but it’ll keep you protected when the unexpected hits. I was not able (quirk of where I live) to get this jacket soaked while wearing it outdoors, though I suspect like most wool you’ll stay uncomfortably alive if you find yourself in that predicament.
I found this current variant of wool to be softer out of the box than the last I had, which meant that it was very comfortable on the first day of wear. Since then, this jacket has only become even more comfortable as it breaks in and becomes mine. The full length cut of this jacket really helps keep you feeling a lot warmer in your core than a waist length jacket does as well. It also helps for a better visual lines as well, though I doubt that was part of the design ethos for this jacket.
I’ve layered plenty under this jacket for days when the mercury doesn’t climb above freezing, and I’ve worn it with only a button down underneath — it works well for both. And this is easily my most complimented jacket when I wear it — something which I agree with: it’s the best looking winter jacket I own.
This brings us to the fantastic pocket setup on this. The front of the jacket has four visible pockets, there’s an inside pocket, and a full width pocket at the back. I’m not someone who uses the back pockets, so the only benefit for me of that pocket is the added material for warmth. On the front, those four pockets are actually seven pockets.
There’s two chest pockets, with one of the chest pockets having a second slot for things like a flashlight or pen. The two lower pockets have the visible flap pockets, but they also hide hand warmer pockets you can slip your hands into from the sides of them. I am a really big fan of this pocket setup, and routinely miss it on other jackets that don’t have similar layouts. They all secure with a single press snap, and lay very flat when closed.
This is not a jacket I would personally select to go out into the woods while wearing. However, if it were the only jacket I had, I would not hesitate to take it out in the woods with me. I’ve shoveled mountains of snow with this on, cleaned up the garage, and gone out to a nice dinner with my wife — it simple works perfectly for all of that.
Overall
When I got this jacket, I expected that I would get good use out of it, but what I didn’t expect was that I would get more use out of this than any of my other jackets — and I have quite a few great winter jackets in the closet. This Mackinaw Wool Cruiser simply is easier than anything else I own to toss on and not think about. It goes well with any style I am wearing that day, can handle essentially any weather I am likely to face, and will do so looking good while keeping me warm.
I would summarize this jackets as: looks sharp, wears warm, works rugged.
It has deceptive warmth for how low bulk it is, while at the same time it breathes exceptionally well. It is, without a doubt, my favorite winter jacket.