What the hell is a waxed jacket? I had no clue myself until I wandered into Cowboys and Astronauts in Andersonville. https://cowboysandastronauts.com/ My wife and I were out for a walk and doing some window shopping when we decided to pop in and check it out. Their sale rack had a variety of jackets for all seasons and one immediately caught my eye. My wife had not so subtly mentioned that I could upgrade to a more ‘grown up’ look when it came to my winter jackets. I have an old ski jacket that I’ve worn for years. It’s warm, waterproof, and dependable. Why bother upgrading when what I’ve got works already? Well, she was right, it didn’t exactly look like a grown man’s jacket, more like a ski school instructor on winter break.

The gem I picked out that day was the Barbour ‘Director’s Jacket’. Barbour partnered with esteemed director Ridley Scott to create the perfect jacket to combat harsh weather conditions and remain functional. There are two jackets in one with a removable inner quilted jacket to keep your core warm on winter days or be worn independently on cool fall mornings. There are a ton of pockets! There is no shortage of space to carry almost anything you want. My cell phone usually gets lost in the large right side hip pocket. A really cool feature is the ‘Game Pouch’ which is one huge pocket that spans the entire lower back of the jacket. The thought being you could stash a rabbit or pheasant in the pocket if you were on the hunt and out in the field. I use it for storing my gloves and a scarf.

What I Like: I really like the look and style of the jacket. It looks sophisticated and feels capable. I love the length of the jacket. It stretches below my waist and covers my backside which really helps keep the wind and cold off my lower back. It’s comfortable and moves well with me while walking or riding in the car. I love having two jackets in one and the ability to wear the core jacket alone or adding the outer shell for more warmth. I also really enjoy the amount of pockets. I always have a bunch of stuff on me: keys, phone, wallet, hat, gloves, scarf, etc. This jacket can store all of those items and more without making you feel like a stuffed sausage.

What I Don’t Like: It’s not as warm as I would like. Even with the inner quilted jacket, I usually still wear a hoodie or warmer layer to make sure I’m comfortable on the coldest days. There’s a roll away hood that folds into the collar, but the hood is very light weight and virtually pointless if it’s snowing or raining heavily. The price: The jacket retails for about $800. I was fortunate to get it earlier this spring when all the winter jackets were on super sale and paid less than half of the retail price. The outer shell is made of waxed cotton. I had no clue what that meant in terms of durability or functionality.

Waxed Cotton: The Director’s Jacket is made of 6oz. waxed cotton. It is a cotton jacket made water-resistant by a paraffin-based waxed. The jacket is water resistant but not water proof, which is a slight drawback in my mind. You cannot wash the jacket either. However, if you do get a stain or mark on the jacket, you can wipe it clean with a wet cloth. The stain typically won’t set since the wax repels it. Barbour recommends re-waxing the jacket every 1-2 years to maintain the quality of the jacket and keep it weather resistant.

All Barbour Jackets and more information can be found here : https://www.barbour.com/us/