Buying Filson’s Tin Cloth Cruiser Is Like Striking Waxed-Cotton Gold

When most of us think of heritage American style, we often (and rightfully) think of cowboys, denim, and Stetsons. Or we think about Ivy League prep with an OCB, khaki chinos, and a tennis sweater. I’d like to humbly submit another contender for America’s national style: the American gold rush and the rugged clothing purpose-built for prospectors, lumberjacks, and frontiersmen battling the elements in search of fortune and glory.

Sure, the California rush isn’t that far off the cowboy look, but we’re talking about the Klondike rush, that rush north that inspired Jack London’s The Call of the Wild. Filson, founded in Seattle in 1897, cut its teeth in the Pacific Northwest, outfitting those Alaska-bound prospectors with boiled wool and waxed cotton, the period’s version of highly technical waterproof fabrics. Unlike its East Coast outfitter counterpart L.L. Bean, Filson still feels underappreciated. Minus a few years of the #menswear era where its briefcase was a must-have workbag, Filson hasn’t gotten a ton of attention outside its loyal fanbase. (A large fanbase, to be fair.) It lacks the preppy lean of Leon Leonwood’s Maine brand and hasn’t benefited from the tote-bag resurgence. Filson’s magic isn’t in trends or Ivy League fashion riffs but rather a timeless devotion to quality fabrics and heritage-driven styles with contemporary cuts.

After years of waffling, I finally picked up a Tin Cloth jacket this winter, determined to see if it lived up to the Reddit hype and Filson’s sepia-tone YouTube ads which, as a brief aside, are cinematic. I once asked a friend at the brand if he could get me a print of this old catalog featuring a scuba diver using a chain saw to hang in my office, to no avail.

So does the classic Tin Cloth Cruiser earn its reputation? After giving it a season of hard use, I can confidently say yes. I’ve been on a big waxed-jacket kick, testing half a dozen or more for everyday and outdoor use. Of them all, Filson’s Tin Cloth Cruiser—or any variation of Tin Cloth, like the lined version or fashion-forward trucker—is a clear winner.

Let’s start with the duck canvas. Filson infused the tightly woven canvas with paraffin under high pressure and heat, forcing the wax into the core of the cotton fibers and keeping water out long-term. Cleverly, the brand also double-layers the coat’s back and shoulders, increasing waterproofness and allowing space for several large pass-through pockets. And this jacket brings the pockets—eight in front, including a dedicated compass pocket, which I’ve never used but which makes me want to take up orienteering. I have used the other pockets for my only personal frontier: dad life. It’s perfect for stashing spare diapers, snacks, and Frog and Toad books with room to spare. You can buy the jacket in the lined or unlined version. Either way, I’d recommend sizing down; the brand’s sizing is very roomy. I’m usually a solid large to extra large but went with a medium here. I was afraid it would be too tight to layer, but there’s still plenty of room for a weather-defying fisherman sweater or thin puffy jacket underneath the Tin Cloth.

The Tin Cloth is pricey; there’s no denying that. But it’s supposed to be expensive. Popular legend has it that, back in the day, a miner or prospector would spend a month’s wages on a pair of Levi’s and consider it a bargain. That’s likely exaggerated, but it’s true that clothing used to cost much more, proportionally, than it does today. With modern factories and the relative luxury of contemporary life, we’re used to quick and cheap. These days, you can pick up a pair of Levi’s for under $50. And that’s fine. Not everything you own should cost an arm and a leg. But it’s worth pursuing the old way for a few key pieces in your closet, Tin Cloth jacket among them.

For jacket lovers angling for a more contemporary fit, Filson recently launched a Short Lined Cruiser version of the coat. Same great specs, just a cropped fit more reminiscent of a type 2 or type 3 denim jacket than an oversize field coat. The design team at Filson has adapted the Tin Cloth fabric into a veritable cornucopia of heritage styles: field coats, work jackets, shirt jackets and duffel bags among them. Hell, you can even buy a pair of Tin Cloth chaps if that’s your thing.

But for my money, you can’t beat the classics. You could go with a sophisticated British Barbour or a low-country Tom Beckbe, but there’s something special about this Filson. The Tin Cloth Cruiser has earned its place in the pantheon of American menswear, and the modern version is the rare legacy design that carries the spirit and quality of the original. With it, Filson struck gold.