Heaviest military wool coat recommendation

[NamoAmituofo]

So for a change I’m not asking questions on leather jackets!

I’m a sick of the cold rainy weather in London - for work, I wear a Paul Smith mohair overcoat everyday - with a big backpack on it (yes I know it’s not good for the coat.). I’ve been doing this for over a decade and this nice coat is beginning to show light sign of wear on the back. Mohair wear very hard though.

My primary complains about this coat is - 1) it’s single ******ed so I always need to wear a scarf; 2) it’s a ‘city coat’ thickness and despite it’s a posh 80% mohair and 20% alpaca, I wish it’s thicker and heavier.

So I want to look for a really heavy wool coat, long coat style to knee length, double ******ed military trench style, that can wrap my chest and neck up with the lapels when needed.

Don’t mind if it’s new or used. Preferably with a belt to cinch up when windy.

Recommendations and pictures would be most appreciated.

 

[MrProper]

Loden coats immediately spring to mind.

I don't have one, but I know that in Bavaria and Austria they are also worn while hunting, where you sit for hours in the cold. And they come in all kinds of shapes. I think loden is a pretty cool material.
Examples.
https://www.manufactum.at/herren-lodenmantel-doppelreiher-a202896/

https://www.grube.at/p/rascher-loden-ansitzmantel-kuno-prestige/P88-474/

 

[ton312]

I like the Kersey wool US Naval issue peacoat.
They are exceptionally well tailored, incredibly heavy and have never been duplicated.

I personally prefer the WWII 10 button for fit and soaring collar. I tried what I believe is a Swedish issue wool on at a thrift store not long ago. It was grey and had two pockets at the back. Insanely thick and very rigid wool. I passed on it based on size but had it fit I would have snatched it up gladly. Also very well tailored and probably thicker even than the Kersey used on the good peas.

 

[Canuck Panda]

I have a Buzz Rickson peacoat I may end up moving after I get my long deck coat. The 30+ oz wool is pretty thick and relatively water resistant but it is not lined.

There are long and hooded versions of the USN deck coats. Repros from both China and Japan.

And then there’s the “avalanche” coat, shearling lined, and longest ones are 48”!

Aero has similar Barnstormers like this but they make them out of leather where these has fabric outside shell and longer lengths.

 

[Bennarion]

I like the Kersey wool US Naval issue peacoat.
They are exceptionally well tailored, incredibly heavy and have never been duplicated.
View attachment 663087
I personally prefer the WWII 10 button for fit and soaring collar. I tried what I believe is a Swedish issue wool on at a thrift store not long ago. It was grey and had two pockets at the back. Insanely thick and very rigid wool. I passed on it based on size but had it fit I would have snatched it up gladly. Also very well tailored and probably thicker even than the Kersey used on the good peas.

This is the best thing that can be for the weather in London. Style for all times

 

[Aloysius]

You want a British Warm or Greatcoat.

Graham Browne, bespoke tailor in the City, is currently running their winter promotion where you can get a suit for about the price of an Aero jacket. A suit and overcoat are usually the same price, so maybe you should consider getting a bespoke coat.

They make a lot of military coats too so they can do that style and cut for yours.

 

[NamoAmituofo]

Thank you very much guys - much appreciated all your inputs.

Re great coat, I also remember this Crombie version https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/27673775...dECUgLpTcK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I actually saw this coat in my size for sale a few years ago - it was like £1200 and before Covid. It’s a real shame Crombie ceased trading shsortly after and these coats are now only available in secondary market.

I’ll look up Swedish coat as well. I’m a real sucker for really heavy coats!

 

[NamoAmituofo]

Guys I bought this RAF greatcoat on eBay for a steal of £75. Previous owner changed the buttons for civilian wear and I actually like them. Its condition surprised me as feels almost new and the wool is quite stiff. I think this one fits quite well over a size 40R suit jacket!!

No more cold January and February mornings next year!!

 

[barnabus]

Guys I bought this RAF greatcoat on eBay for a steal of £75. Previous owner changed the buttons for civilian wear and I actually like them. Its condition surprised me as feels almost new and the wool is quite stiff. I think this one fits quite well over a size 40R suit jacket!!

No more cold January and February mornings next year!!

View attachment 664606 View attachment 664607 View attachment 664608 View attachment 664609

I love a big coat.

 

[Worf]

Guys I bought this RAF greatcoat on eBay for a steal of £75. Previous owner changed the buttons for civilian wear and I actually like them. Its condition surprised me as feels almost new and the wool is quite stiff. I think this one fits quite well over a size 40R suit jacket!!

No more cold January and February mornings next year!!

View attachment 664606 View attachment 664607 View attachment 664608 View attachment 664609

Sorry man... please forgive me but all I can see is dem toes! Well better than Crocs I suppose. Sorry, I'm just a goofball!

Worf

 

[NamoAmituofo]

Haha we are not allowed to wear shoes indoor so I kicked off my Birks for a more authentic look shall we say!

I hate crocs though never worn them never will

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Sorry man... please forgive me but all I can see is dem toes! Well better than Crocs I suppose. Sorry, I'm just a goofball!

Worf

Podophob is real, Worf!!

B

 

[WolfofStateSt]

Loden coats immediately spring to mind.

I don't have one, but I know that in Bavaria and Austria they are also worn while hunting, where you sit for hours in the cold. And they come in all kinds of shapes. I think loden is a pretty cool material.
Examples.
https://www.manufactum.at/herren-lodenmantel-doppelreiher-a202896/

https://www.grube.at/p/rascher-loden-ansitzmantel-kuno-prestige/P88-474/

I second this.

 

[WolfofStateSt]

I have a Buzz Rickson peacoat I may end up moving after I get my long deck coat. The 30+ oz wool is pretty thick and relatively water resistant but it is not lined.

There are long and hooded versions of the USN deck coats. Repros from both China and Japan.
View attachment 663088 View attachment 663089 View attachment 663090 View attachment 663091

I just learned about these deck parka’s this last week, just when I thought I had seen every mil-surp jacket from ww2 to Vietnam

 

[Edward]

Guys I bought this RAF greatcoat on eBay for a steal of £75. Previous owner changed the buttons for civilian wear and I actually like them. Its condition surprised me as feels almost new and the wool is quite stiff. I think this one fits quite well over a size 40R suit jacket!!

No more cold January and February mornings next year!!

View attachment 664606 View attachment 664607 View attachment 664608 View attachment 664609

Good score. I'm a big fan of military greatcoats. Going surplus is a great way of getting a quality, warm coat much cheaper than you'll ever buy a civilian alternative of the same quality. More modern milspec often isn't so good, but I've found up to about 1982 you can get nice stuff. I'd guess this one of yours is post war, anywhere up to about the 70s.

The other options I like tend to be repops; Soldier of Fortune do a very nice repro of the British WW2 greatcoats; I plan for next Winter to buy one of the 1939 models. The 1939 replaced the WW1 style single-******ed model. I love the length - they come down to just below the bottom of the calf muscle. They weren't issued for long - the 1940 pattern replaced them. Same coat, but with a box pleat in the back, and knee length, as the longer length caused issues at Dunkirk.

I've also found a company called qmi.be who do a version of the US equivalent (as worn in - indeed, they supplied them to, Masters of the Air). Not sure I can justify two in green, but...

My long coat these last two Winters has been a modern Scots Guard dress overcoat (which has a bit of an almost Edwardian vibe to it). As with your RAF coat, I changed the buttons (I'm too old now and too far past my days of wearing military dress uniform bits with ******* trousers) to civilianise it. A simple touch, but it really does totally change the look.

If you're looking for something for colder early Spring if not depths of Winter, the US Army AG44 trenchcoats are relatively easy to find and tend to be very affordable. Worn in a civilian context, they have a look of a period twenty odd years earlier than their actual issue date (1966 onwards, as memory serves).

Peacoats are nice too for casual wear, but can be hit and miss if you want to wear them over a blazer or suit jacket - some aren't *quite* long enough, and it looks odd to have the jacket hanging out under them. I picked up a fairly cheap Miltec nod to the West German style recently, though I might next Winter think about a Pike Brothers version of the USN peacoat. They call it their 1938 Peacoat, though it's six buttons (post WW2) and black (post 1970). Best peacoats I ever had were West German 1960s issue - hefty blanket wool, and the body was lined with a second layer of the same wool as the shell. Sadly almost impossible to find now, and I suspect extinct in my.....enhance middle aged size.

 

[Doctor Damage]

^ Edward makes a good point in his last sentence above. Military stuff, especially British stuff, is often designed to fit on physically fit men aged in their 20s which means a nice military greatcoat almost certainly won't be something you can wear for decades to come, even though the coat itself will last. The RAF coat in the photos posted by NamoAmituofo is a good example: it is not designed to fit most middle-aged men.

 

[Edward]

^ Edward makes a good point in his last sentence above. Military stuff, especially British stuff, is often designed to fit on physically fit men aged in their 20s which means a nice military greatcoat almost certainly won't be something you can wear for decades to come, even though the coat itself will last. The RAF coat in the photos posted by NamoAmituofo is a good example: it is not designed to fit most middle-aged men.

This is again where WW2 repop excels, as on the whole that does seem to be available in what might be considered non-milspec sizes.