They can and are used for everything from horse grooming to attending the races which is why I think of Barbour's Beaufort as the perfect barn coat. Rain or shine, the Beaufort is at home out back with its pockets full of shotgun shells and equally appropriate for a long day of browsing too many antique shops. And they're more democratic than you might think - they sold me one and I don't own a single Land Rover.
The Beaufort features a waxed cotton shell, a turn-up corduroy collar and cotton lining with a snap-closed throat and storm cuffs for protection against the elements. The snap-front conceals a wallet pocket and a full-width rear game pocket with side zips, and two front bellows pockets and two moleskin-lined hand-warmer-pockets provide plenty of stowage.
Like too few good things, the Beaufort is even relatively affordable. I've seen them for less than $275, a bargain in this age of depreciated greenbacks. Mine needs re-waxing, and now that Spring is showing itself in California I will send it out so it's ready for next year.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Perfect Barn Coat
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
14 comments:
They are great, and can be dressed up a bit in a pinch. I prefer mine by Bean because the external pockets don't have flaps, so if you're working outdoors you can get to their contents with your gloves on...
Will, I'm going to pile on here.
I love my beaufort and wear it a lot. I'm very pleased glad I added the insulated inner vest and the hood too. These accessories widen teh range for Beaufort use and its comfort in more situations.
The Barbour Beaufort is also the perfect "Dad Coat" for the father with small children.
* The bellows pockets in the front are perfect for holding a thremos or sippee cup of juice and water upright so they don't leak and can be rapidly deployed.
They're a good place to keep snacks handy at a quick grab too. I prefer rice crispy treats myself.
They also are a good place for a toy car or train. This makes for a much more pleasant restaurant dining experience for me, and all the other patrons, if my son has a toy car or train to play with while we wait to be seated and wait for our repast to arrive.
* The back game pocket easily holds a couple of what I call "Diaper Service Packs". The outer part of a Diaper Service Pack consists of a one quart zip lock bag. In this outer bag are (1) one diaper or pull-up and (2) a smaller zip lock bag containing four wipes. With this you can just grab your child and a Diaper Service Pack and head to the bathroom, or the shade of a tree for a change. No lugging that 50 lb. diaper bag your wife takes with her everywhere.
With all that in your Beaufort, and a bandana in one of your pockets, to use as a changing mat or wipe snot and boogers, the well attired Dad is good to go. And without the infamous "Man Bag".
The wax part bothers me. I have an Australian-made waxed vest and if I lay it on anything, like a bed or the car seat, it leaves behind wax residue. Wax was useful in its time, but I don't think it's especially useful anymore with all the other waterproofing options.
And that model in the photo. The jaw says male but the hair and the eyes say female and the hands say who knows. I wish vendors would be more clear on these things.
Great post, Will. The Barbour jacket is a classic! The Barbour jacket was part of our uniform in England in the 1980s and early '90s. So many memories. I used to wear the Beaufort and Bedale, in olive, rustic, navy. I loved the smell of these jackets over time and my chums and I would sometimes use the dressing as improvised hair cream. Occasionally, I am ashamed to say, the Barbour would be worn over a suit. The small, hidden zipper pocket in front was perfect for hiding objects such as condoms or flasks. The only Barbour I have today is an olive Liddesdale, though I am sure my Barbours are in storage somewhere. On recent visits to England I have seen a lot of American tourists wearing Barbours.
Timely and informative post. I just received delivery of my new John Partridge Zetland coat today, and, to my eye, they appear to give good value. Partridge coats are the "Made-in-England" competitor to Barbour. Waxed cotton exterior, fixed cotton moleskin liner, brass zippers, free hood and free can of wax all for the (on-sale) price of a little over half of your posted Barbour price. I encourage anyone contemplating the purchase of this type of coat to check out the Partridge offerings.
Hi Will,
I brought mine over 10 years ago in Australia. I now live in Japan and is is still going strong. Quite worn in now and needs some love and care. I will send it to England this year and I am sure it will come back in great 'used' condition.
I also have a sage quilted gilet which is great in spring and autumn.
Even my wife is in on it! Who said Japanese women only like Louis Vuitton and Gucci!!
Possibly the single best purchase I have ever made was a Tommy Hilfiger copy of the Barbour Beaufort jacket. It came with a snap-in down liner, added a couple of zip-close breast pockets, leather piping on the cuffs and some kind of waterproofing that resembled waxing without the issues of waxing. I bought the coat at Marshalls several years back, for $49.95. It has withstood the rigors of several Russian winters; with the liner in place it has been sufficiently warm for me to have to leave it unzipped much of the time, otherwise any amount of exercise, like walking a few blocks, results in a lot of sweat. All-in-all, a superb coat that would have been cheap at twice the price.
I've got the Bedale and have hunted in it -- it turned thorns aside (my trousers did not) and kept me warm and dry in the swamp. A great piece of kit. And the zipper is magnificent! I do wish that I had gone for the longer Beaufort as it might fit over my tweed jacket at the weekend.
I agree with most here as I own a Moorland jacket made by Barbour as well as a House of Hardy's waxed cotton fly fishing jacket.
My only objection to the Barbour is the fit through the shoulders. When wearing the Barbour jacket the shoulders have no form at all and make it 'appear' that the wearer's shoulders are still developing. It also gives the appearance of very poor posture even if close attention is payed to this.
IMHOP it is not very flattering to have this 'lazy' look.
Functionally the jacket is spot on!
I hate the phrase "Barn Coat." Reminds me of what Bean did to its debased Hunting Coat, which became a "barn coat" and then was widely adopted in various knock-offs and is now the domain of soccer moms everywhere. No accident that the picture of the Barbour also shows a woman in it. I'm not sure real farmers even use barns anymore - the ones I see in Iowa, Nebraska, and S. Dakota, when hunting, are all decrepit and in disrepair. So, other than urban dwellers, I'm not sure who wears barn coats. I also doubt, in the US. you'll find many shotgun shells in a Barbour as the damn things don't breathe and retain moisture when actually out walking the fields and hunting (not a problem, I suppose, if you're going to some driven shoot). I've never seen a hunter in the US wearing one in the field - has anyone else? I don't even see them on people who go trap/skeet shooting.
I have four Barbours (Gamefair, Beaufort, and two Moorlands) and I wore one today - but I don't consider it outdoorsy or rugged(I rely on my Filson for that impression - which is also a terrible field jacket for actual hunting). If I see many more Barbour wearers walking around (saw some yahoo who wouldn’t know a SxS from an O/U wearing one over his suit in Midtown Atlanta yesterday), I may avoid wearing mine all together because they're getting a bit cliched (even in the US) and are starting to carry some "baggage" and associations which I'd prefer to avoid. A Barbour is soon approaching standard issue soccer mom gear. Think more minivan than Land Rover; more shitzu than Labrador. I'm not encouraged in my prolonged use of my Barbours when their functionality is qualified by the number of toy trains that the pockets carry or how adaptable the game pocket is for diapers – again, see L.L. Bean Field Jacket for the death blow dealt it by suburbanization/mommy-fication of the garment.
It's a shame, I do like mine for casual winter wear and they are functional for rainy/foggy weather and are immune to muddy dogs, etc.. But, I avoid things if they become a trend....The report of seeing a lot of US tourists wearing them doesn’t help matters either…..
erock, I had Bismuth stuffed into my pockets hunting waterfowl with my '38 LC Smith SxS. It came through the swamp beautifully. And the lab's mud rubbed right off the next day. But my gear isn't standard hunting stuff (Danner Duty Boots and wooley-pulley) as I don't go out much.
Will, STP has the Barber Beaufort in sized "S" for $170 right now - with a possible further discounts via codes etc, which are occasionally available.
Can you ues this coat as a "city" coat. I do he business casual thing and am looking for a fall/ spring coat. Temp are not too cold so the liner would be worn mainly Jan / Feb. Like the coat in blue.
Will if not this coat what would you suggest?
Thanks
I dragged my Classic Beaufort through Italy during my honeymoon. It could be folder into the tiniest train compartments, nothing stained it, and it kept my dry and warm thorough two fall weeks in the Italian countryside in October. It will always be a staple of my wardrobe.
As for Erock's comments about it not being "outdoorsy or rugged," I'm at a loss. It's both.
Post a Comment