Filson Tin Cloth Cruiser

A rugged jacket for trail work, forest work, and all workwear-appropriate field work where durability and functionality are key.

It’s a rare thing, encountering the unimprovable. I had the opportunity about a year ago when I received my Tin Cloth Cruiser jacket from Filson. 

My week can go about any which way. On Monday I may be teaching courses at the local community college. I wear my Tin Cloth Cruiser comfortably during my hour commute through the White Mountains. On Tuesday I might have to drop a few standing dead trees around our hilltop acreage where the wind is always knocking something over. My Tin Cloth Cruiser provides me ample range of motion, abrasion resistance, and pocket space to accommodate my necessities. On Wednesdays I visit my folks and stand around a fire for a few hours while we catch up on things. No matter the weather, my Cruiser fits comfortably over a thin t-shirt on cool summer nights or over a thick wool sweater and vest on those wintertime minus 20 mornings.

Thursdays and Fridays are for wrapping up the chores around our land. I wear as little as possible when swinging my axes and maul (I’m a guy who tends to run hot). When carrying arm load after arm load of wood, I only do it beneath the protection of Tin Cloth. Be it a long dead, ten-foot pine log on my shoulder or a white birch stump under each arm, the Tin Cloth Cruiser keeps me from getting roughed up, stuck, and poked.

Should I find myself on a weekend away with the family, I always bring my Tin Cloth Cruiser. This past winter, as we had occasion to visit the Museum of Science in Boston, I wore my Cruiser as wind protection on those long blustery walks between historic site and cultural experience. It just so happens that well-worn Tin Cloth (never washed, but only wiped down with a damp rag) has so much character, and only gets better looking with wear, that every college student and young professional in the city stared or commented. The classic design, the rugged styling, the full-width rear map pocket, and the generous collar, popped for the coastal cold, all seemed to culminate in the very height of urban fashion.

After one hundred years of designing the original activewear, Filson has incorporated dozens of small accents and extras that not only make their products unique but add to the user’s enjoyment. To name a few, the inner collar, heavy duty hanging loop is crucial. All of us living hate it when our good coat slips off the hook and lands in the muck and crud on the floor.

The pen and pencil dividers keep all things writerly just exactly where they should be whenever I reach for them. The heavy-duty snaps on the front and all the pockets are a must for people who wear gloves most of the time. Zippers are a pain on their best days but trying to zip up the front of my coat while peering through a chainsaw helmet visor and feeling around with insulated leather work gloves is just Hell.

Finally, I am compelled to mention the smaller exterior pocket on the lower left of the Cruiser’s front. I’ve been told it was originally for a pocket watch, some say it was designed for unimpeded access to one’s compass, I keep a box of matches and my grandfather’s old Buck 301 folding knife in there and love the fact that they don’t come flying out when I reach for my bandana, gloves, cord, or whatever else I have with me.

The price is fair. The Filson Tin Cloth Cruiser is made in the USA. 14 oz. oil finish Tin Cloth is tougher than any synthetic or natural fiber workwear that I have ever seen before. It’s nice to wear the same coat to work, in the field, on errands, into town, out for a drink, and into the city on the weekends without ever once feeling that it’s inappropriate or out of style.

Unless it’s July, or I’m swimming, I’m probably wearing My Tin Cloth Cruiser.

Background

I have worn this jacket for almost a year and have put it through all kinds of rugged use with zero issues.