The Top 3 Best Waxed Jackets
Jul 26, 2023
Finding the best men’s waxed jacket.
The Iron Snail Clothing Company
Looking for a waxed jacket, but not sure where to start? We’ve got you. Today we are talking about three of the best waxed jackets out there, including Huckberry’s flannel lined waxed trucker jacket, worn by Pedro Pascal in The Last of Us.
Today we’re comparing three of the best waxed jackets out there:
- Huckberry x Flint+Tinder Flannel Lined Waxed Trucker Jacket ($295)
- Filson Tin Cloth Short Lined Cruiser Jacket ($350)
- Barbour Bedale Jacket ($395)
They all have different price points, design features, and overall benefits. But they are all waxed canvas jackets! Except…the Barbour has a few tricks up it’s sleeve. Which waxed jacket is best? What should you know before you buy one? Which waxed jacket is the best value?
Table of Contents
What is a waxed jacket, and what should you consider when buying one?
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a waxed jacket, or you just want to learn more, check out our Complete Guide to Waxed Jackets for more details.
In this post, we will be reviewing the essential components of a waxed jacket and discussing each of them in our review of the top 3 waxed jackets out there:
- Fabric: What type of cotton canvas? How is it waxed? How will it age? How heavy is it?
- Features: How is it constructed? What design features does it have?
- Lining: Lined or unlined? What type of lining? How warm is it?
- Fit: Should you size up or size down?
- Value: Is it worth the money?
Why CAN’T you wash a waxed jacket?
Don’t do it. Just don’t. We talk more about this in our Complete Guide to Waxed Jackets, but basically it will MESS YOUR JACKET UP.
Washing it will take off the wax in a way that will leave your jacket in bad shape (it will lose its water resistance) and unable to be restored properly, no matter how much you re-wax it yourself.
This is because the manufacturers are able to press wax throughout all the fibers of the jacket using specialized machinery. When you re-wax a jacket at home, you can only add to the surface of the fabric. This is all good and fun, but when you wash a jacket, you remove the wax throughout the jacket, and it can't be replaced.
Waxed plain weave canvas: the tightest weave cotton fabric
Huckberry x Flint + Tinder Waxed Trucker Jacket
Fabric
This jacket is made with an Oxford weave cotton, and is manufactured and waxed in the U.S. at Martexin Mills. If we were to guess, it appears to be a shorter-staple cotton that is also unsinged.
The cotton in 7oz and is treated with a blend that is higher in wax than oil – we know this because it starts to break in/age almost immediately as you start wearing it.
Lining
This particular Huckberry jacket IS lined with flannel. The flannel lining on this Huckberry jacket is 100% polyester, which can be a bit controversial, but polyester isn’t the worst thing! We LOVE an all-natural product, but polyester has two benefits:
- It is a best synthetic alternative to wool you can find, with a ton of heat retention properties
- It makes this jacket much less expensive than other waxed jackets, which we think is why Huckberry chose this material (and Huckberry usually doesn’t mess around with their choices). This makes this jacket one of the best value waxed jackets out there!
The polyester lining does mean the jacket isn’t very breathable, but waxed jackets aren’t very breathable anyways, so it doesn’t make much of a difference. This lining is lighter weight than the Filson Cruiser Jacket and has a smoother texture than the Barbour lining, which is super hefty. We’d say it is quite warm, though.
Huckberry does make a waxed jacket with a wool lining, but it comes in very limited quantities and can be harder to get.
Fit
The trucker jacket emulated the Levi’s Type 1 style, but is a bit longer in length. Though it’s sized so you can fit a light layer underneath, we don’t recommend sizing down – it fits pretty true to size. It fits more snugly than the Barbour Bedale and the Filson.
It’s cut a bit longer on the torso, so not the most cropped but it's a pretty perfect length in our opinion. They also make a “tall” version!
Features
So Huckberry has a few nice features on this jacket (fewer than the other two we’re reviewing, but we’ll talk more about that..)
This jacket has bar tacks in all the right places to reinforce the construction, and flat felt seams all over. It also has great stitching edge tolerance, and a cute lil chest pocket :)
Overall, very well made!
Why is this jacket so popular?
The price of this jacket ($298) is fantastic for a high-end lined waxed jacket, making it a really great jacket for an AMAZING VALUE. Given that this jacket is manufactured in the U.S., and all the materials are U.S.-sourced, the price is even more impressive.
It’s definitely not built like a $400 Barbour Bedale, with tons of very carefully executed features, but it is certainly going to last a very long time.
Buy the Huckberry Flannel Lined Waxed Trucker Jacket here.
Filson Tin Cloth Short Lined Cruiser Jacket
Into a heftier jacket that still has a modern rugged chic vibe? Look no further.
Fabric
Filson uses a 14oz fabric for this jacket – thats DOUBLE the weight of the Huckberry jacket, and still heavier than the Barbour. This is manufactured in Bangladesh and Filson definitely uses a proprietary cloth on this jacket.
Because of its weight, you sort of always feel this jacket when it’s on, as opposed to the Huckberry jacket which sort of conforms to your body as the wax warms up and it gets broken in. This jacket make you feel like you’re wearing a bit of armor, and the structure is also very pronounced.
Interestingly, this is obviously a waxed jacket – it’s marketed as such and everything, but it doesn’t feel like it’s waxed… it uses the lightest weight waxed canvas cover cloth that Filson makes, so it feels like a regular fabric.
Lining
Filson uses a 100% cotton lining for their cruiser jacket, which is heavier than the Huckberry polyester and a bit more breathable (not that any of these waxed jackets are really breathable), but lighter than the thick lining Barbour uses.
Fit
This baby fits realllll nice! Michael usually wears a size small, but he gets an XS in this jacket, so you may want to consider sizing down too…
Features
Okay so Filson adds are a lot more details than the Huckberry jacket, but still fewer than the Barbour.
- A lot more stitching and pocket details than huckberry jacket
- Left booby pocket with a cover over it
- Another pocket on the right
- Handwarmer pockets stitched in such a way that things can’t easily fall out of them
Value
At $350, this jacket is $50 more expensive than the Huckberry jacket, but you really do get what you pay for here – it has a different waxed canvas, different pocket construction (more pockets), and different, more intricate stitching. Filson also offers a lifetime guarantee to fix any issues that arise, similar to Barbour!
Buy the Filson Cruiser Jacket here.
Barbour Bedale Jacket
Ah Barbour, the iconic, old school waxed jacket. If you like to keep it classic, let’s talk about the Barbour Bedale Jacket.
Fabric
This jacket is manufactured in England and made of 6oz cotton fabric! That’s an ounce lighter than Huckberry, and less than half of the weight of the Filson.
An interesting thing about the barbour Bedale jacket is that it comes in two different fabric finishes: Silk Oil and Thornproof. Let’s break these down a bit (though we break them down a lot in our Complete Barbour Bedale Jacket Guide)
Silk Oil Fabric Finish
This is Barbour's original jacket finish, and gives a glossier finish that looks slick, or a bit oily. The finish might rub off a bit as you wear it in, but it gives a cool ‘wet’ look to the jacket. This finish uses uncombed cotton, which is why they created another finish…
Thornproof Waxed Fabric Finish
Barbour’s Thornproof finish looks a bit waxier and less “glossy” than their Silk Oil finish. With the Thornproof finish uses cotton that is processed differently: it is wove more tightly and compressed (we describe this process more here). This makes it quite literally “thornproof”, meaning if you’re walking through the woods, thorns won’t catch on the cotton threads in this jacket.
The finish won’t rub off as much with this finish, and it’s a bit more wind and water resistant than the Silk Oil finish because of the tighter cotton weave.
Lining
Barbour half-lined the Bedale jacket with a Tartan lining in the Bedale jacket, which is heavy, woven, and a bit coarse to the touch. It’s quite durable and warm, but you can purchase a quilted lining to zip into the Bedale as well.
This lining makes the Barbour Bedale much more heavyweight than the Huckberry Waxed Trucker Jacket and the Filson Cruiser Jacket– though it might be a bit warmer than both of these.
Fit
Barbour offers a lot of different style jackets, but the Bedale is a regular cut jacket with a timeless style. It is a longer jacket in terms of length, so if you like a more cropped look, the Huckberry Waxed Trucker Jacket or the Filson Cruiser Jacket will be the better choice for you. Though, Barbour’s Ashby Jacket is a bit slimmer and more modern version of the Bedale.
The Bedale definitely oversized so that you can layer quite easily, but we’d still recommend sizing down by one size if you’re unsure – you should still be able to layer well underneath it.
Features
This jacket has many more carefully designed features than the Huckberry Waxed Trucker Jacket or the Filson Cruiser Jacket. Some of the features that Barbour has perfected are:
- The zipper is a bottle opener
- Corduroy collar that can pop all the way up
- You can attach a hood (purchased separately) to the collar via metal snaps
- Knit storm cuffs to help prevent water going running down the sleeves when it’s raining
- Storm flap over the zipper to prevent water getting in
- Durable, large, gold zipper
- Snap-shut throat latch to keep the elements OUT!
- Moleskin lined hand warmer pockets
- Bucket pockets with drainage holes at the bottom
- Vented back
Why is this jacket so iconic?
Not only does this classic, old-school style make this jacket iconic, but its careful design and thoughtful features make it stand out.
It costs $395, which is $50 more than the Filson Cruiser and $100 more than the Huckberry (whew!). Having said that, you clearly see what you’re paying for between the features and very durable materials that will last a lifetime. When treated properly, this jacket will remain functional and water resistant for many, many years.
Buy the Barbour Bedale Jacket here.
The best men’s waxed jacket
We vote for the Huckberry Flannel Lined Waxed Trucker Jacket! And no, it’s not just because Joel from The Last of Us wore it (we swear). It doesn’t have as many features as the Barbour Bedale, or even the Filson Lined Cruiser, but it is a very solidly NICE JACKET whose lack of additional features doesn’t take much away from the wearing experience AND it is commensurate with the “lower” price, making it a great value (it’s still a $300 jacket tho…).
This jacket really is the best of both worlds: a great, water resistant waxed jacket for a much more accessible price than so many others. We like how it ages and conforms to your body, and honestly it is very durable. Good work Huckberry!
Buy the Huckberry Waxed Trucker Jacket Here!
The Takeaway:
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Waxed jackets are durable, waterproof, and a great investment.
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DON'T wash your waxed jacket.
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There are many great waxed jackets out there, varying in weight, fabric, features, and style – but Huckberry's Waxed Trucker Jacket is the best value deal in our opinion!
The Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail no bigger than a quarter. The two are set on taking over the world of fashion by creating a clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the best clothing out there, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jacket to the sturdiest boots…the Iron Snail has got you covered.
Taylor Hale is your friendly neighborhood tea enthusiast, amateur knitter, skincare nerd, clothing thrifter, regular flosser, accidental teapot collector, vintage IKEA lamp hunter, overzealous plant owner, beeswax candle-lover, gal pal, and obviously, very serious academic. She writes for the Iron Snail, as you can see.
