# Filson Shelter Cloth



## DeepSouth (Oct 22, 2009)

Anyone have any experience with the Filson Shelter Cloth Outfitter Coat? I've reviewed other posts about Filson and understand that pretty much everyone who owns a Filson loves it. I don't currently own one, but am seriously considering making a purchase this fall.


----------



## Epaminondas (Oct 19, 2009)

I'll chime in and say I own two Filson Garments, a Tin Cloth Upland Field Coat (which they no longer make) and a Shelter Cloth Upland Hunting Vest.

The Vest is utilitarian, extremely well built and I like it. I'm NOT in love with the Upland Field Coat as it doesn't breathe AT ALL (neither does the vest, but it's only a vest so, my arms can cool) so, while I'll wear it out and for walks, I would NEVER actually wear it hunting or doing anything requiring significant exertion, the one time I took it for pheasant hunting, water was literally beading up on the inside of the jacket from perspiration - there are better solutions (technical garments) nowadays. That being said, what I do like about the Tin Cloth jacket is that, as the catalogue states, it wears and is extremely tough - much more durable cloth than a Barbour, for instance, and is impervious to briars, thorns, bark, and barbed wire in some cases.

The Shelter Cloth is lighter than the Tin Cloth and I've only had the shelter cloth in a hunting vest so, I'm not sure how it will act as a jacket. I will say, aesthetically, I'm not a fan of the green moleskin collar on the olive green jacket, nor of the way the handwarmer pockets overflap the bottom pocket - but, that's just me. David Morgan has some good photos of the jacket Also, be aware that any waxed or oil cloth garment will have a realtively short seasonal life in Birmingham, AL - I would assume from roughly midl/late-October to early-March. Wearing the garments in even mildly warm weather will cause the finish to turn oily.


----------



## sowilson (Jul 27, 2009)

I have a Shelter Cloth Packer Jacket, Shelter Cloth rain jacket and rain pants, and a dry finish tin cloth jacket. Beware of campfires. Since you can't wash the oil finished jackets they will retain smoke smells for a very long time. I had to breakdown and wash my Packet Jacket (recking the finish) and use a variety of smell reducing chemicals to get it fairly fresh. Even then I had to pack it in corn starch and a few other things for 6 months in order to get in useable. After that it took quite a while to get the finish back to where I like it. I eventually used a torpedo heater and some tarps to make an oven to bake the jacket in with with several cans of oil finish applied to the jacket. The oven did the trick to get the cloth warm enough to drink in all of the melted wax, then I used some burlap to soak up any excess as well as buff out the finish - way too much much work to save the coat. The dry finish tin cloth jacket is much more useable out in the woods. I do like the rain gear as it's nice and quiet compared to Gortex so it's quite useable for some of the fishing holes I frequent. Outside of that I much prefer more modern technical fabrics than oil finished cotton. They're lighter, perform better, breath better, and are much easier to clean. Oil finished cotton is a nice throw back material but it really doesn't perform near as well as its more modern syblings.


----------



## unmodern (Aug 10, 2009)

sowilson said:


> [...]I had to breakdown and wash my Packet Jacket (recking the finish) and use a variety of smell reducing chemicals to get it fairly fresh. Even then I had to pack it in corn starch and a few other things for 6 months in order to get in useable. After that it took quite a while to get the finish back to where I like it. I eventually used a torpedo heater and some tarps to make an oven to bake the jacket in with with several cans of oil finish applied to the jacket. The oven did the trick to get the cloth warm enough to drink in all of the melted wax, then I used some burlap to soak up any excess as well as buff out the finish - way too much much work to save the coat.[...]


I know nothing about this jacket but---wow. That is the most intense jacket preservation story ever.


----------



## norton (Dec 18, 2008)

I have a waxed tin cloth field jacket that is my main knock around winter jacket. I have a wool jacket inside for a liner and it's cold enough so that breathability is not an issue. If I'm by a campfire it will smell like smoke for a while, but that just part of the character, its not a dress jacket after all. My only complaint would be that its heavy, but other than that I love it.

The tin cloth is lighter weight and more closely woven so it is more water resistant. I would think that this would make it less breathable. If breathability is an issue it should be less of a problem after the wax wears off in a couple years.


----------



## Speas (Mar 11, 2004)

Shelter cloth is much better than tin cloth for casual wear. I agree with the above stated problems with waxed cotton in general and have moved away from them to the cordura based barbour jackets. I will say though that the tin cloth is like a shield of armour against thorns. For pushing through thorny brush, its about the only thing that works. It fine as long as the temp is near freezing, otherwise its too hot. On the other hand I got poison ivy on a pair of tin cloth chaps that I am afraid to wear because if I use them I get a mild rash. The no-wash thing is a pain. Also if you sit in the rain, the wax/oil will migrate south onto your other clothes.


----------



## DeepSouth (Oct 22, 2009)

*Thanks*

Thanks for all the input. Epa, that is pretty intense. I am looking for a knock around winter jacket. Obviously, here in Birmingham I would not need a tin cloth or shelter cloth coat for every day, but I do need/want a heavier coat than what I currently own and think I am going to end up with a Filson.


----------



## norton (Dec 18, 2008)

Find a retailer where you can check them for yourself. I was originally going to get the packer but after looking at them in person I got the field jacket. You'll also want to be sure of size and you can appreciate the fabric more if you can feel it.


----------



## Crane's (Sep 18, 2008)

I own more Filson than I care to list. LOL.

First off you can wash Filson oiled coats. You take them outside and spray them down with a hose and then let them air dry outside. 

As stated already, these coats are not for fair weather. They are made for cold wet nasty weather and are best suited for things like hunting, logging and construction work. You can wear them casually and with the right weight liner they work just fine as long as it's cold out. Read that as less than 32F.

What would work better for you OP is a nice Filson wool coat. You can wear it in a drizzle and stay dry and you won't have the breathing problem like you may experience with an unlined waxed coat. (That problem is due more to improper base/intermediate layer fabric selection by the way.)

Oh and one more thing, if you think the technical fabrics can do a better job in the field than oiled cotton and wool you are sadly mistaken. I have destroyed thousands of dollars of the stuff over the years while my Filson stuff just keeps right on going and going.


----------



## DeepSouth (Oct 22, 2009)

*Cover Cloth*

I actually had the chance to swing by the only local retailer and try on the Tin Cloth Field Jacket and the Cover Cloth Weekender Coat. I liked both a lot. The Tin Cloth was a good bit heavier though. I think it may be a little overkill for my purposes. I think I would sweat to death unless sitting still. On the other hand, the Cover Cloth was relatively lighter and would be perfect, esp. with a wool vest zipped in. Anyone have experience with the Cover Cloth?


----------



## Crane's (Sep 18, 2008)

Cover cloth is the lightest of Filson's oiled cotton. It would work just fine for casual jaunts around the neighborhood and field. You'll have to wax it more often too to keep the water resistance up which really isn't that big of a deal.


----------

