[flynick]

I want to hear everyone's opinion about wax cotton...i see filson has come out with one, doesnt seem to be technical at all....however, have seen this new compay Hatchfly that make very technical wax cotton jackets, with a very thin microfleece liner, neoprene cuffs, the whole 9 yards...they also claim for the jacket to be completely water and wind proof...i want to hear thoughts...

[Joe D]

Of the several wax cotton jackets I have, Lewis Creek, Barbour and Filson, I never had one of them keep me dry in a real rain. They are fairly wind proof and I find them somewhat comfortable to wear, but waterproof they are not. Unless you're just worried about the odd shower of misty rain, stick to the Goretex and related stuff for waterproof.

[flynick]

I think i remember these guys talking about how they coated the jacket with polyurethane as well as wax to achieve waterproofness.

question- is the jacket not waterproof because of water sitting on the coat, or because the wax just does not cut it?

[BigCliff]

For waxed cotton to be kept waterproof or close to it, there will be maintenance involved, unless it is in fact PU coated as well.

But if so, it is in fact the PU coating that makes it waterproof, and the wax seems to be only cosmetic.

One of the benefits of waxed cotton is that is was the first breathable water resistant fabrics developed. A PU coating would eliminate the breathability.

There's also the fact that cotton is inherently good at absorbing water, and loses its insulating value when wet.

A waxed cotton jacket will likely also be considerably heavier than a synthetic rain jacket.

Wow, I sound like a salesman who's grandfather was bullied by CF Filson or something. Only half true. I actually really like the look of Filson's gear and the INCREDIBLE durability they build into their products, they're just technically deficient. That and their XXL garments are built to fit a 300lb man with the shoulders of a 12 yr old.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi to all,

Have never owned a waxer and probably never will. There always seemed to be something better out there when I was looking. Not only are they not very water proof, all of the ones that I have been around had an odor to them. They seem heavy and not very flexible. Just not my cup of tea.

Frank

[Joe D]

BigCliff summed it up nicely. But i do think the wax adds to its being water repellent, and in my experience that just what they are, water repellent not water proof.

At one time they were probably the best there was and they still account for their share of sales. Traditionalists I'm sure swear by them. All that being said, I wore a Barbour all day today... but it wasn't raining out.

[wfosborn]

Hi Flynick,

I have an old (maybe Backhouse?) I've had for probly 15 years now, super durable and with good upkeep it's totally waterproof, windproof, and nice and warm. It's been through some of the worst conditions imaginable, including being used as a makeshift sleigh and being set on fire and still works for me. However, takes a lot of work to keep it waterproof, have to redo it every couple of months if seeing a lot of use and takes about two days to properly refinish. Then the coating rubs off a little on anything that touches it, not sure what that would do to fly gear.

Frank was pretty right on on his assesment, mine is so heavy if I fell in the water there would be pretty much no way to climb out with it on and I can't even imagine trying to cast with it on the arms are so stiff on it. The odor does bother a lot of people as well, and (at least on mine) I think the coating is linseed and probably some petroleum product going by the smell. Not sure if that can be real healthy for a small streams ecosystem . . .

All that being said, it's still my go-to jacket when the weather up here in Alaska gets really nasty . . .

--W

[fyshstykr]

I like the look of "Oilskin", but my concern is that it may not breath very well, I had a couple oilskin baseball style caps that we're very hot and moisture from my head accumulated on the inside.

[BigCliff]

Anybody know if there's such a thing as oiled wool? That would at least get around the loss of insulation when wet. Might smell even worse than the cotton version though.

[flynick]

they dont have waxed wool, but there is treated wool and cotton, its not really a wax though...

also, went bacxk and looked at the little handout these guys gave me...the jacket is coate with pu and light wax for style...the jacket however was lighter than any other wax cotton jacket i have seen ever, it was the same weight as any gor tex jacket i own...i tip my hat to these guys, they have done it..they took a lot of the downfalls of wax cotton out of their product but left the style..