Clothing > Jackets
9 Best Field Jackets for Men
Any time you spin the wheel, so to speak, and consider the men’s style staples to wear to power your day, you should land on a favorite essential. Think of pieces you know and love, pieces you wear all the time – like an Oxford shirt or a trusty pair of blue jeans, for instance.
Don’t stop there, though: Consider your outerwear rotation just as carefully, especially in brisk weather, and make ample room in your closet for a field jacket.
- Heritage made modern: The field jacket owes its useful design to World War II combat situations, where the jacket transitioned slowly into modern life as a counterculture style statement.
- Functional features: Field jackets are prized for their large front flap button or snap pockets, along with details like a zip hood or a stand-up collar.
- Material matters: Most field jackets are made from sturdy cotton, stretch cotton or even waxed cotton for weather-ready performance and protection.
- Serious style points: The field jacket is as cool as can be, made to be worn with chinos and an Oxford shirt or blue jeans and a heather grey henley.
Field jacket style, like the field-ready trench boot, the pilot’s watch or the workwear-ready five-pocket blue jean, was a reliable-as-can-be selection for soldiers long before it became a modern menswear must-have.
A staple of World War II combat uniforms – not unlike sturdy cotton chinos worn by soldiers decades before – the field jacket eventually became a civilian staple.
The best field jackets have come a long way since DeNiro donned one to intense effect in Taxi Driver, but the basics remain the same.
Flint and Tinder has a knack for making some of the most rugged jackets out there, and its Hudson Jacket certainly doesn’t disappoint. Modeled after classic hunting jackets and bolstered with a soft, warm flannel lining, the oversized pockets deliver crucial EDC space, and the jacket itself will develop a handsome patina the more you wear it.
Flint and Tinder Flannel-lined Waxed Hudson Jacket
Leave it to Huckberry and its famed in-house brand Flint and Tinder to push the boundaries of what a field jacket can bring to your wardrobe.
Modeled after old-school hunting jackets, this piece is all about heritage and modern performance.
Waxed British Millerain canvas gives the jacket some incredible sturdiness and weather-ready performance, yet it’ll still break in easily and mold to your body over time.
For good measure, the pockets offer plenty of space for EDC essentials, and the soft flannel lining is a super-warm gamechanger.
Orvis Heritage Field Coat
Don’t overlook storied outfitters that have been in the game for a minute when it comes time to shop for one of the best field jackets.
The Orvis Heritage Field Coat of today is every bit as well-designed now as then, cut from dependable waxed canvas and finished off with field-ready touches like gusseted shoulders for added mobility.
Note reinforced elbow patches and shooting patches at the shoulders, plus the warm and iconic corduroy collar and cuff detailing.
KUHL Kollusion Field Jacket
Don’t back down when you’re out in the field – KUHL gear never does, at least in my experience. Its waxed jackets are sturdy yet supple, reinforced with stitching at key stress points and packed with loads of handy features. It’s an outdoor-ready field jacket that’s a cut above.
Alpha Industries M-65 Field Jacket
Alpha Industries stands alone, even among other brands crafting the best field jackets for men.
After all, the U.S. brand made field jackets under military contract and to exacting specifications before producing them for the general public, and the style is still a coveted piece of history (now with a touch of modern style appeal).
The M-65 Field Jacket retains plenty of key features from decades ago, from the made-to-layer fit to the oversized front pockets, shoulder epaulettes and useful zip hood.
Buck Mason Heather Oat Blanket Flannel Field Jacket
Some situations call for a field jacket with a bit more heft to it. While cotton or cotton canvas is essential, sometimes, soft flannel is a welcome change of pace. Leave it to Buck Mason to deliver a layering-ready, warm cotton flannel twill shirt jacket designed for maximum utility.
Mission Workshop Eiger Waxed Canvas Field Jacket
Mission Workshop is, well, on a mission. Their goal? Craft modern performance menswear indebted to the past and yet squarely grounded in the needs of today’s stylish guy (like yourself).
That means using a blend of the old and the new – as seen in the highly technical, yet time-tested water-repellent Halley Stevensons waxed canvas exterior.
A total of eight pockets deliver maximum storage potential for your EDC from sunrise to sunset and beyond, while even the zippers are weatherproof. Best of all, the streamlined fit is sleek and flattering anywhere on the planet.
Relwen 2-in-1 Combat Jacket
Fancy a field jacket that expertly fuses the modern and the timeless? Relwen has what you seek, since the brand already draws on a hearty dose of military style for its revamped designs.
The Relwen Combat Jacket passes muster as one of the best field jackets for men thanks to its vintage-inspired design, its tough cotton-nylon blend shell and a quilted bomber inner lining for exceptional versatility.
Wear it as a travel jacket, an adventure jacket or a bit of both, because it can handle whatever you send its way (just like the throwback jackets of days gone by).
L.L. Bean Original Cotton Field Jacket
L.L. Bean knows how to take on tough conditions with the right gear (just look at its famous, fast-selling winter boots).
That approach also extends to the Northeast outfitter’s rotation of jackets, including a tough cotton-canvas work jacket that checks off all the right boxes.
A corduroy collar and cuffs drive home the throwback nature of the very best field jackets, while reinforced shoulders add a dash more durability to an already-tough coat.
The bi-swing shoulder design also makes this one of the best field jackets to wear for yard work and beyond, day to night.
Buck Mason Craftsman Canvas Field Jacket
You could very comfortably fill your wardrobe entirely with Buck Mason gear, right down to your wallet – the all-American brand, a favorite of ours at WERD, just does that many things so well.
Count crafting this aptly named field jacket among Buck Mason’s latest accomplishments, because it delivers all the old-school style and functionality you could hope to find.
The sueded cotton canvas is a durable, tight-knit fabric fashioned into an unlined field jacket that throws it back to 1940s hunting ensembles, complete with an effortlessly cool corduroy collar. Wear it over a Buck Mason henley all weekend long.
What is a modern Field Jacket?
Field jackets boast a design that usually covers the seat of your pants, with a stand-up collar often featuring a zip hood along the back neck. Large, sturdy front flap pockets provided space for everything a soldier might have needed (and they offer room for your EDC today). They are often made from hard-wearing waxed cotton, or else classic cotton with a hint of stretch.
As for colors, well, field jackets for men now go far beyond timeless military green (although you can’t go wrong there, either).
Whether you want a commute-friendly jacket, a tough hiking companion or a crisp, classic jacket for rugged, casual wear, the field jacket is a historical staple that’s more than fit for modern times.
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