Flint and Tinder Waxed Trucker Jacket Review: Worth $300?
This is the Flint and Tinder Flannel-Lined Waxed Trucker Jacket, probably one of the best known waxed jackets out there right now. It's made in the USA, it's rugged, and like most waxed cotton, it gets better with time.
I took it up to the Northwoods of Maine to really put it to work, and honestly I've been enjoying it a lot. But the real question is whether it's worth $300. Here's my honest take after about eight months of wearing it.
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Flint and Tinder Waxed Trucker Jacket: quick specs
Spec | Detail |
Price | Around $300 |
Made in | USA |
Shell | 7 oz Martexin sailcloth |
Lining | Polyester flannel (wool Abraham Moon version also offered) |
Colors | Field Tan, Havana, Forest, Coal |
Cut | Trucker, cropped at the waist, tailored |
Sizing | Runs true. Tall option available |
Best temp range | Roughly high 40s to 60s F |
Pockets | Two unlined hand pockets, one buttoned chest pocket, one thin interior pocket |
Fit and sizing: does the waxed trucker jacket run big?
It fits pretty tailored, which I like. I'm wearing a large. For reference I'm 5'6" and right now about 190 lbs, so not a small guy, and the large still fits well.
Worth comparing: in Filson territory I wear a medium and it fits more like an extra large. This one fits far more appropriately for the size on the label.
The sleeves are right for me, but if you're taller they might come up slightly short. I appreciate that they cut this one for an average-height person and then offer a separate tall option with a longer body and longer sleeves, instead of splitting the difference and fitting nobody.
Because it's a trucker cut it stops at the waist, which gives you a genuinely wide range of motion.
Is it a layering jacket?
Not really, and that's deliberate on my part. I split my jackets into layering jackets and non-layering jackets, and this is firmly in the second group because of the tailored cut. I wear it in the shoulder seasons over a light shirt. Mine usually goes over a Flint and Tinder 72-Hour Merino shirt.
Materials and construction
The shell is 7 oz Martexin sailcloth, and on the body it feels relatively thin. Not flimsy, just not a heavy canvas slab.
Mine is Field Tan, and the color is one of my favorite things about it. It's genuinely brown, where some of my other waxed jackets pull yellow once they're waxed up. It goes with everything. They also do Havana, Forest, and Coal. I probably would have gone Forest, except I already own the Hudson jacket in that color.
Construction is solid throughout, the seams across the whole body and the buttons included.
Polyester flannel vs the wool lining
Mine has the polyester flannel lining, which suits a shoulder season jacket. There's also a wool flannel version lined with Abraham Moon, which is what I have on my Hudson jacket, and I love that lining.
Honestly, I probably should have gotten the wool. I tend to prefer wool over polyester. But the polyester has one real practical advantage: if you're wearing long sleeves, your arms slide down the sleeve easily. A full wool lining down the sleeve can bunch your shirt up.
Pockets
Two unlined hand pockets, a buttoned chest pocket for anything valuable, and an interior pocket on the side. I've never used that interior one. It's really, really thin. If you wanted somewhere to stash your phone so you don't lose it, that's what it's for, but mine lives in my jeans pocket.
That's about it, and that's one of my favorite things about this jacket. It's simple and it gets the job done.
Weather resistance: how waxed is it, really?
Being waxed cotton, it handles the elements well, but let's be specific about what that means. Light rain, yes. Wind, absolutely, it cuts wind really well. Serious thunderstorms and downpours, no, I'm not taking this out in that.
Here's the honest caveat: I don't think it's that heavily waxed. It doesn't feel wet out of the box the way other waxed jackets do. That's pleasant to wear, but I think it sacrifices some weather performance, and you'll need to rewax it over time.
What temperature is it good for?
I'd call it a fall, spring, and cool summer evening jacket. Roughly high 40s to 60s. You could push it into winter, but unless you live somewhere like Texas I wouldn't. It's not an extreme cold weather jacket.
Does it smell? The wax question
It has a slight scent. I don't fully know how to describe it. It's a bit like walking into a vintage museum in the Great Smoky Mountains, which I realize is an absurdly niche reference, but it's a good smell and it isn't strong.
For comparison, my Filson tin cloth jacket really smells. I like that scent too, but this one is much milder if that's a concern for you.
It'll be slightly stiff when you first get it and it softens over time. Mine has loosened up a lot and moves much more freely now.
Pros
Made in the USA, and there aren't many waxed jackets that are these days
Priced reasonably given that. There are waxed jackets not made in the USA that cost considerably more
Rugged. It'll last. Eight months of real adventuring in and it's holding up
Comfortable enough that you actually wear it. It makes you want to take it out
It's meant to get beat up. This isn't a jacket you baby. It looks better with character on it
Lining options. Wool if you'll use it in the cold, polyester if you won't
Cons
Could have shipped with more wax. Less weather protection out of the box, and rewaxing is on you
The flannel pattern. It suits the jacket, but I prefer the pattern on the Hudson
Takes time to break in, though that's true of nearly every waxed jacket
Is the Flint and Tinder Waxed Trucker Jacket worth $300?
Yes, if you want a made-in-USA waxed jacket for shoulder season wear and you want something simple you can beat up. At $300 with that construction and that country of origin, I think it's a strong value proposition.
I'd skip it if you need serious foul weather protection out of the box, if you're tall and don't want to hunt down the tall version, or if you want something you can layer heavily under.
FAQ
Does the Flint and Tinder Waxed Trucker Jacket run true to size?
In my experience yes. I'm 5'6" and 190 lbs and a large fits well with a tailored cut. It runs noticeably truer than Filson, where I size down to a medium and it still wears like an XL.
Is it waterproof?
No. It's water resistant. Light rain is fine and it blocks wind well, but it's not a storm jacket, and mine came less heavily waxed than other waxed jackets I own.
How often do you need to rewax it?
There's no fixed schedule, it depends on use. Because this one ships fairly lightly waxed, you'll likely want to rewax sooner than with a heavier waxed jacket.
Wool lining or polyester flannel lining?
Wool if you'll wear it in genuinely cold weather or you just prefer wool. Polyester if you'll mostly wear it in shoulder seasons, and it's easier to slide long sleeves through.
Is it made in the USA?
Yes, which is a big part of why the price works out.
Final thoughts
Simple jacket, well made, honest price, made here. It's not the most weatherproof waxed jacket I own and it isn't trying to be. It's the one I reach for most in the shoulder seasons.
What do you think of the trucker jacket from Flint and Tinder? Or is there another waxed jacket you think I should check out? Let me know in the comments. I'll see you out there on the road.
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