Note: this jacket was provided for review.

The Long Haul Jacket is a classic, most commonly called a ‘jean jacket’, but for this incarnation Taylor Stitch used a Wool Beach Cloth to put a very unique spin on the jacket. I’ve been wearing and testing it and I’ve found it to be far more versatile than initially expected.

Material

If you are not familiar with ‘Beach Cloth’ you can line up with me. Here’s the description of it from Taylor Stitch:

Famously impenetrable, the original Beach Cloth was a closet staple in the early 20th century, especially among laborers whose work subjected them to chilly, damp conditions—seafarers, loggers, etc. For this run, we’ve updated the age-old formula but maintained the instantly recognizable texture and impressive heft. Trust us, this so-called Beach Cloth’s applications extend well beyond the seaside.

That’s interesting and in a lot of ways reminds me of some of the reasons for the heavy wool jackets Filson sells. And I assume the updates Taylor Stitch is referring to is the nylon content as the make up is a 14-oz, 50% wool, 40% cotton, 10% nylon garment. I would not have guessed there was nylon in it, and I assume that was done for some added durability. The outside of the material has a heavy weave and has a bit of that ‘rough wool’ feeling.

Inside is brushed and fuzzy, with the sleeves having an acetate lining in them so you can easily slide long sleeves in. This is a heavy jacket, but not a super warm jacket. Plenty warm for Houston, but not nearly warm enough for winters in Seattle — not without more layering.

The last note on this material is that it is noted as ‘dry clean only’ which is a shame, as you’ll likely find yourself mostly spot cleaning then.

Fit & Style

This is meant to fit tailored, and stop at the pant line. And it does just that, it’s a classic looking jacket, but with a very unique pattern. In these fit pictures I am wearing a light gray shirt and flat black pants — I chose the black pants to show off the fact that this jacket isn’t quite black, but not quite blue.

Overall the pattern and coloring is a bit of a chameleon. And depending on what you pair it with, it will either look, well not good, or it will look pretty neat. But the generally style of this pattern is heavy handed and something you can’t just toss on with everything in my testing. So while I do like it, it is not a versatile as the more plain patterns.

For the fit, there’s only two things I’ll note. The first is that, as with most Taylor Stitch garments I find the cuffs slightly too small, as they have trouble falling nicely over a watch (if at all). Second, I do wish the inside of the cuffs was also lined, as the material can be scratchy against your wrists.

Performance

The performance here is really all about how well the nylon and wool out weigh the cotton content in the jacket. And I think it tamps down the cotton really well. It’s not going to be my pick for any scenario where I need to rely on staying warm when wet. But for those times when you want a good jacket that can perform well, this could fit the bill.

The weight of it is a mid-weight, and that works well here in Houston for the winter, and most other cooler areas for the spring/fall seasons. If you size up, you could easily layer under it, or stay true to size and you could wear an overcoat.

The one aspect of this jacket I can’t escape is that I think it will be substantially better once more broken in. Because it does wear stiff, like a true work jacket does when new, and generally this means the fabric will break in and relax with more wear. As it does that, I can see this only getting more comfortable to wear.

There’s enough wool in that you don’t need to worry about poor performance. Enough nylon that you don’t need to fully baby it. But there does remain enough cotton to keep this from being a true performance jacket.

Overall

I look at this more as a really heavy over shirt, or shirt jacket. I don’t think it works as well with a button down as it does with a t-shirt. What that does mean is that you can easily wear this on cool summer evenings too.

I look forward to this breaking in more.

NOTE: where possible all product links on this site may earn the site money when you buy using those links.

Prometheus Design Werx makes outdoor clothing, tools, soft goods, etc. and often makes their clothing in small runs with various fabrics.

Ben pointed the DRB Woodsman Shirt in Merino Red-Black-Gray Plaid out to me when it was on sale this Fall, because it would be way too warm for Texas. I picked it up, and this is a very warm shirt — the warmest I have.

Let’s dive right in.

Material

The shirt is made from 18% 14 oz. Australian Merino Wool Melton/15% nylon. The cuffs and back of the collar are lined with 100% “Fine Brushed Poly Twill”.

In researching what Melton Wool actually is, I found that is often used in naval garments like CPO shirts and peacoat. It is also referred to as the equivalent of selvedge to denim or shell cordovan to leather. This is because it is a very dense woven and robust wool fabric, imparting both wind and water resistant properties.

In practice, this fabric is surprisingly wind resistant and does a nice job beading up a light snow or rain.

PDW mentions that their Melton is softer than typical Melton. While I’m not sure I’ve handled a Melton peacoat, this fabric is still stiff, but is somewhat softer than what I’d expect from a peacoat.

This fabric does put it firmly into the shirt jacket category. I’m not one to think wool feels rough against my skin, but wearing the shirt with just a t-shirt, it is uncomfortable against my arms.

As far as the weight, this is heavy. I thought my Patagonia wool shirt was heavy at 6.9 oz., the 14 oz. weight here is downright burley.

Fit & Style

PDW describes this shirt perfectly:

This is like your grandfather’s favorite outdoor shirt he wore to the cabin, or what your father threw on after an early morning session at his favorite break, but better. A modern regular fit for comfort and freedom of movement.

I don’t think I can do better than that. It’s fit like a shirt jacket (so plenty of room throughout the body, sleeves, and cuffs for layering shirts, sweaters, or hoodies), yet its designed well enough that it doesn’t look ridiculous over a long-sleeve tee or thermal.

The large chest pockets look a little out of place in the product photos, but I don’t think they look bad in person (they are sized to fit smartphones — my iPhone XS fits, but I’m not sure a bigger phone would). The slotted buttons also add to the rugged look (and the durability of the shirt — no more popped buttons).

Performance

This shirt is very interesting. When I first received it in early Fall, I tried it on inside and it made me hot very quickly. Now that it has cooled down, I can wear it unbuttoned inside if I’m feeling chilly, but it’s too warm for all-around inside wear for me. I wore it for socially distanced Halloween night and it kept me warm just sitting around in the high 40s °F with just a long sleeve tee under. In the 30s °F, this shirt still works well as an outer layer, with some warmer base/mid-layers underneath.

The only negative for colder weather performance is the length. Since it is a shirt length, there isn’t too much protection from cold air blowing up from the bottom.

The shirt also features full-length side arm panels (a strip of fabric that runs up the side of the shirt and down the arm) to help improve motion. It seems that this helps a little with the typical lifting of a heavy shirt when you raise your arms.

The double reinforced elbows are also a nice touch. As this is a shirt that is meant to take some abuse, the elbows are often the first place a shirt wears through.

Even though the shirt is listed as dry clean only, I don’t think that’s going to be an issue since its wool and is an outer layer.

Overall

The DRB Woodsman shirt is a great example of a classic shirt jacket in a very heavy fabric. While it is currently out of stock, PDW tends to release small batches of their clothing each year, so you might be able to find this shirt or something similar in the future.

If you’re looking for a classic warm wool shirt jacket when this is in stock, its definitely worth consideration, although if you find wool scratchy, it’s not for you.

NOTE: where possible all product links on this site may earn the site money when you buy using those links.

Note: Taylor Stitch sent this item for review.

A good hoodie, which is also performant, is hard to find. Yes you can find wool hoodies, but they all lack something. Synthetic hoodies are all over, but they look synthetic. There’s two types of hoodies out there: those that you want to put on to feel cozy and have a quick nap or three. And those you want to wear out and about, to be seen in, as a layer while remaining comfortable and casual.

And it is that latter category that I find the Apres Hoodie in Coal. It’s quietly performant, while looking very sharp.

Material

First this is mostly cotton, as the composition is a 12-oz. garment consisting of: 98% cotton, 2% Spandex. I would have wagered there was far more than 2% spandex as the entire thing is pretty stretchy. It’s a solid 4-way stretch and there’s little chance of restricting movement.

More than the materials composition is the hand feel. This is a dense and heavy feeling hoodie. Neither the interior or the face, is soft and fuzzy. Well, the interior is soft and not scratchy, but there is no pile to the material — instead Taylor Stitch opted for a soft woven texture across it. The outside feels closer to your standard hoodie with perhaps a heavier weave.

The clear advantage here is that it slides over other materials much better, and doesn’t leave behind a lint trail.

Fit and Style

As I mentioned at the outset of this review, this hoodie is full of style. It’s cut trim and modern, and my standard Large fits just fine. If you want a little more of a relaxed look you should size up a full size — I could wear an XL easily and still look fine. But the Large looks more tailored, more put together.

The entire hoodie works well from a style perspective. You could easily toss this on with a pair of swim trunks and hang out near a bonfire on the beach — you’d fit right in. Or you could toss it on with a pair of chinos over a button down and have a great layer for a night out.

And that’s not just the cut, but the detailing on it plays to these strengths. With pockets that a slanted and sit flat, and tiny little leather triangles at either end. It’s a nice touch for the whole thing. The leather grab on the zipper is classic as is the brass contrast of the zipper. And the white speckling throughout the hoodie adds enough of a casual element to keep this feeling like a hoodie.

I love the way this looks and fits.

Performance

Ok, so this is a cotton hoodie. All of the performance here comes from stretch. And there is a lot of stretch in this. What this means practically is that the hoodie can fit trim to your body, while not restricting your movement at all. And not only being unrestricted, you can also lounge in it and still be comfortable the entire time. The stretch really is fantastic and rarely do I see this much in a cotton garment.

The rest of the performance simply comes from the application of cotton. As I mentioned above there is no brushed interior. It’s smooth and soft with a dense exterior. This is cotton done well, but still cotton.

Overall

I only have a handful of hoodies because I find them problematic. It’s hard to find a good performance one which also still looks sharp. And that’s because hoodies are one of those items which is best done with cotton. The stretch here is excellent.

No it won’t dry fast, repel water, or resist odors. But it will look good no matter what you are doing, perhaps better than most. And if you happen to be working at home, well this should be at the top of your list.

It’s not a performance hoodie, but it is the hoodie I want to wear.

Note: This hoodie is currently out of stock in the color I reviewed. It is available in other colors, but note that each color has a slightly different fabric makeup, with many infusing hemp into the mix which should be a nice addition.

NOTE: where possible all product links on this site may earn the site money when you buy using those links.

Since I started on this journey of finding better performing everyday clothing, one of the top fabrics which always catches my eye is anything with merino wool. It’s a magical fabric which is soft, performant, and yet wears well in many conditions. The problem is always price, it is often a very expensive fabric to own. Which is where Uniqlo comes in, with their Long Sleeve Knit Merino Polo.

I have been testing it as my work from home shirt for some weeks now, and I am blown away. So, at a full price of $39.90, and a sale price of $29.90 — is this too good to be true? No, it’s actually a really awesome shirt.

Material

As you might guess the shirt is 100% merino wool, which Uniqlo says is ‘19.5-micron superfine Merino wool’. That’s not really that superfine, but a borderline soft merino in my book. What’s weird is that you could tell me this is 16.5 micron and I would believe you. It is luxuriously soft and really just cozy feeling.

There’s not much more to say, it is a super soft merino wool shirt. Well one more thing, Uniqlo specifies: “treated with special press-processing to prevent pilling”. I have no clue what that is, it does get fuzzy, but no pilling so far.

Fit and Style

A long sleeve knit polo is a classic — made out of a soft slightly fuzzy sweater material, also a classic. The style is all around great, something you could wear to most offices, or out to drinks and blend in just fine. It also might be the ideal work from home style.

The fit is slim, but I think it is cut well and fits my body well. I could use a touch more length in the sleeves, but that is almost always the case for me. I am also a very big fan of the collar, as it sits nicely and keeps a clean appearance to the shirt.

Performance

It’s 100% merino, so there’s not a lot to say about it which we have not already said. It performs at the same level as all other 100% merino, which is 4-5 wears before washing is needed. It does fuzz up a bit, and the cuffs are good. Not too tight, not loose at all.

Perhaps the best performance feature is the no-fuss nature. Wash it like normal, hang dry, toss it back on for another 4-5 wears, repeat. It dries quickly. It’s not too light, not too heavy. This would work well to layer for a cool night, or on it’s own well into the 70s. Top marks.

Overall

The real selling point is the overall product, not any one feature. Any other brand could sell this for $80-100 and I would tell you that it is worth the price. That it is under $40 is unfathomable to me. This is a steal. Buy this for sure. Even if you only wear it a few times, it’s worth it.

It quickly became my work from home go to. And I really love it.

NOTE: where possible all product links on this site may earn the site money when you buy using those links.

I’ve seen moleskin blazers often in the past, I never really dug into the fabric. It was originally produced as a sturdy and comfortable fabric for farmers and hunters, and transitioned to military and factory use. I won’t go into the details, you can read more here if you’re curious, but it’s a dense cotton fabric that is shorn and brushed on one side for softness — and it’s the same as corduroy without the wales (the ridges).

When I saw that Outerknown had released a more modern cut shirt in moleskin, the Lost Coast Moleskin Shirt, I had to give it a try.

Material

This moleskin is 100% organic cotton described as “woven tough and brushed for softness. It gets even better as it breaks in over time”.

While I’ve only been wearing it for a bit over a month, I already feel it getting softer without feeling like it’s wearing out or getting thin. The “Curry” color I have is also garment dyed (I assume they all are, but it’s not specified). This will also add to the improvement with age, as the color will likely fade a little at wear points. While they warn about color transfer, I haven’t seen any issues, but something to watch out for in the darker colors (think dark indigo denim).

Fit & Style

Outerknown lists this as their “Relaxed” cut. I stuck with my normal XL (the size I have in their “Classic” cut BBQ Shirt) and it fits well. It has room for layering with a long or short sleeve t-shirt, but if you intend to wear it as an over shirt, you will want to size up.

Even though the cut is “Relaxed”, it is good-looking and modern. It gives you room to move (since there is no stretch to the fabric) while not looking baggy. It is long enough to tuck in, but I wear it untucked with either jeans or other workwear style pants. The natural corozo nut buttons add a little sustainable flair.

It fits and looks great for an all-around weekend shirt — tough enough for the shop but with the good looks for (socially distant and outdoor) drinks with friends. The Curry color is great, with more of a brown tone than yellow.

Performance

Outerknown makes a big performance claim with this shirt “Tougher than a flannel…one of the best fabrics you can wear in cold weather.”

While I can’t yet judge if it is tougher than a flannel in practice, it certainly seems so. The density of moleskin fabric does make it a great cold weather shirt, as claimed. I found that it does a great job cutting the wind. For me, it’s comfortable on its own even into the low 50s °F, while also breathing well and still being comfortable inside.

Ben brought up the question of if the areas of wear get shiny like corduroy, it doesn’t seem like they do — I’m guessing because the whole outer face is brushed. This is a tough shirt that will get better over time.

Overall

Outerknown did a great job with this modern take on a moleskin shirt. I’ve been wearing it every weekend since it’s been cool enough, and foresee it being a go-to piece throughout the rest of the fall and winter.

Great value at the full price of $98, and a steal on sale. Highly recommended.

NOTE: where possible all product links on this site may earn the site money when you buy using those links.