I Tried Filson’s Flagship Wool Coat. Is It Really Worth $500?

In my opinion, menswear’s Mount Rushmore has a few shoe-ins: the Levi’s 501, the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star and, drum roll please, Filson’s Mackinaw Wool Cruiser. Sure, there are a number of others — Brooks Brothers’ Oxford Cloth Button-Down, to name one — but these are first ballot Hall-of-Famers. And while the others have changed considerably since their debut, the Wool Cruiser has not.

There are a million variants of the 501 (the 501 ’54, for example), and the same is true for the Chuck Taylor (the beefier Chuck 70). The Wool Cruiser, however, has remained true to its roots and only deviated in pattern and color, not shape or material — meaning there are options beyond basic Buffalo Check nowadays.

But is the Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser still worth it, considering you can buy fully waterproof rain jackets for less than half the price? We tested it to find out.

Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser Jacket

Filson

Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser Jacket

• $495.00 at Filson

• Material: 100% virgin Pendleton wool
• Sizes: XS – XXL Long
• Colors: 4
• Made in: USA
• Care: Dry clean only
• Pockets: 9

To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.

What’s Good About the Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser

Evan Malachosky

It’s the original.

First released in 1914, the Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser was designed for foresters and timber workers that surveyed the soaking wet Pacific Northwest forests. There, the natural wool coats, which were cut from blankets (one of Filson’s original products), protected against the elements and kept the wearer warm, all without looming worries about whether a stray branch might snag the jacket’s woolen weave.

A few years later, it became the official outerwear of choice for the U.S. Forest Service and other outdoors organizations. In other words, it was initially tested by some of the hardest-working individuals in America — proving it would work for just about everyone else.

It’s warm, thanks to its weight and tight weave, but breathable.

Courtesy

The Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser is made from boiled Pendleton wool, which means the final product has an abnormally tight weave. Wool shrinks when it’s boiled, meaning these jackets are made from even more wool than mentioned. The shrinkage isn’t bad, though; the tightened fibers help create a heat seal helping you stay warm, and a water-repellent shell, helping you stay dry.

The tight weave also protects the jacket from snags and other injuries, if you will. It’s less likely to get punctured, pierced or even simply sliced by a loose branch or stray blade, but it isn’t completely abrasion resistant. Treat it like Gore-Tex, not Kevlar.

That being said, it doesn’t suffocate like a jacket made from synthetic materials would. Wool is a natural fiber, meaning it insulates, but it also breathes. So, as the day breaks and the temperature rises, you won’t sweat through. Then, as the temperature dips as the day ends, you’ll feel warm once more.

There are nine total pockets.

Initially, every pocket on this popular Filson jacket had a purpose. That’s not to say they don’t now — trust me, I could use all of them if I wanted — but they’re less dedicated, if you will. Nine pockets on any jacket seems like a lot…especially when one pocket runs the width of your back.

Three are hidden within another one, though, as slotted places to store pencils, pens or other tiny tools. The four bigger ones across the front over sizable spaces to store phones, wallets, keys and more — like gloves or a hat.

But the back pocket, where folks originally carried a folded map, works for winter accessories as well, if you’re willing to live with the bulk a beanie adds.

Evan Malachosky

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It can get dirty or wet, without feeling dirty or wet.

What if I told you Filson’s Mackinaw Wool Cruiser is a wearable non-stick pan? I’m getting confused looks, I can tell. But wool is actually a system of overlapping fibers coated with lanolin — a natural, waxy film that helps the material repel water, even if it doesn’t work like an Arc’teryx shell. The jacket can nearly 30 percent of its own weight in water without feeling damp or noticeably bogged down.

That being said, it doesn’t help just keep water out; it also helps keep other stuff from sticking to it, too — dirt, paint, you name it. If you get dirt on the exterior, for example, let it dry completely and scrub it off with a stiff nylon brush; it won’t hurt the wool, but it will completely detach the caked-on substance.

What’s Not Ideal About the Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser

Oversized is an understatement.

To be fair, the Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser is big. Sure, the original ones were long enough to protect your thighs, too, meaning they were essentially top coats, but the modern iteration is meant to hit higher. Mine does, for sure — it lands right past my pant pockets — but it’s not the length that worries me. And I actually wouldn’t even say “worries.” This is just a fit most men probably don’t seek out nowadays, even though the Mackinaw Wool Cruiser is the embodiment of endurance.

It’s wide and exaggerated, almost like the jacket John Dutton wears in Yellowstone. There’s plenty of room for mid-weight layers, which is great if you’re really trying to stay warm, but not so great if you just plan to wear a long-sleeve tee underneath, which you still should — it’s slightly itchy. The width is most evident when unbuttoned, but it just looks boxy, less shape-less, when fully done up.

As for the sleeves, they hit past my knuckles when I’m just wearing a thermal tee underneath, but halfway down the back of my new hand when I have a sweater underneath. I gravitate toward bigger silhouettes anyway — remember J.Crew’s Giant-Fit chinos? — but the sleeves sort of got in the way when I went I about my daily duties. They didn’t rise too high, though, when I raised my arms…which is the point, I think. This is a heritage design with a lengthy past life, and it was designed to a enable a particular type of federal employee.

The quirks (and the perks) stem from its history, which makes it hard to ridicule. That being said, you’d be smart to try yours on in person before buying it. A large, for me — I’m a true large — was a little big for the ways I want to wear it. If you’re also a true large, the large size might be ideal. It depends on the wearer — and where they’re wearing it.

Evan Malachosky

Evan Malachosky

Buttons (and snaps) be damned.

The only “bad” reviews about this thing mention the fit (like I did above) and the buttons. While aesthetically pleasing, they aren’t all that practical when you’re wearing or gloves or thawing frozen hands. The same can be said of the snaps, which are relatively small and hard to close without full dexterity.

They’re getting pricier, unless you buy yours used.

In 2021, Filson raised the price of this popular jacket from $395 to $495. That’s quite the jump, especially considering the myriad options available for less, but this Filson jacket is the original. The $100 jump can probably be chalked up to a rising cost of materials and labor, but I’d argue you’re paying a pretty penny for this particular design’s history, too.

That history spans over 100 years — a difficult feat to top — and surely shows no signs of shuttering anytime soon. But the new sticker price is surely forcing shoppers to consider options at a lower going rate, even if the Filson is, in my opinion, worth the price.

If you want this particular coat but for less, try buying a used one. They’re designed to last and they actually do, as evidenced by the sheer abundance of options available on eBay, Grailed and so on and so forth. You’ll find them for anywhere from $80 to $300, depending on the condition, and that’s much more manageable than the $515 it’d cost to buy a new Cruiser at Filson’s New York City flagship.

The Filson Mackinaw Cruiser Jacket: The Verdict

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — and the Mackinaw Wool Cruiser isn’t broken, nor is it prone to breaking. It’s an enduring icon built on a legacy of true work, and in not-so-savory weather, to boot. 100 years of weather- and wear-testing informs the final product.

If you want a jacket made like they used to do it — here in the U.S. from North American-sourced Pendleton wool — Filson’s Mackinaw Cruiser fits the bill, but the bill is, ahem, high. For $495, you’re getting a long-lasting, well-made jacket that’ll be with you for life, if you care for it. But that up-front price is quite a lot, and it likely limits those that could really use it from splurging half a week’s pay for it.

This a piece for the menswear purists — the ones that appreciate the origin stories of some of menswear’s most popular garments. You can go deep on the Mackinaw Cruiser, and there will likely be more lore to uncover still. It’s that storied. As such, it’s well worth it, even if you don’t venture out into a wet forest for work.

Filson

Filson Mackinaw Wool Cruiser Jacket

• $495.00 at Filson

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