Early Retirement Extreme Forums

Many years ago (IIRC 2005), I bought one of these: https://www.filson.com/double-mackinaw- ... acket.html

I paid $245+free shipping.

Marvel at what inflation and having a brand being discovered by hipsterdom some years later will do to the price level.

My experience with using it for camping in CA was excellent. It's comfortable over a wide temperature range (-20F to 55F).
However, my experience in IL has not been that great. It sucks in the rain. Not that it doesn't work, but at the end of the day you have a soaked (yet still warm) wool coat that takes many many hours to dry out. The same problem actually applies in the snow/blizzards. It's so well insulated but also sticky that snow actually builds up on top of it. This is okay when you're outside (after 10 minutes you look like the abominable snowman), but as soon as you come inside there's still enough snow that can't be shaken off to leave you with the "rain problem" as it melts and soaks the coat.

My question is whether we've just been spoiled by various tech garments where snow and rain falls right off ... or was there some kind of old-school trick to these coats (leave them outside? put them next to the massively warm fireplace cf. the puny heat level coming out of a central heating duct?). It really doesn't look like it was designed to be worn under another wax coat ... but maybe under a rubberized poncho? What did people do before the oil industry started making clothes?!

If I can't find a better solution, I'm thinking of selling it.

Hmm, not entirely sure. Maybe a combination of a few things.

First off having a mudroom/hallway that you can keep said items in helps minimise the spread of the wetness. Growing up such items often got placed on the radiator situated in the mudroom/hallway where they dried relatively fast and caused minimal mess in the rest of the house.

There are also the hooded clear plastic poncho like items one can wear in wet weather to minimise water intrusion.

Lanolize?

they used oil skins as well as treated canvas, treated with linseed oil, you can look up videos on how to do it.

solution for snow might be a stiff bristle brush. I think maybe these coats were originally meant for use in the drier/colder climates where snow is easily dusted off. Fall in the snow in Alaska and you're still dry, too cold to stick.

They'd knock the snow off and hang up the coat near the fire, and didn't care much if the floor got wet.
Also I picture folks long ago wearing their coat only once per day whereas modern busy folks tend to go in and out many times per day, which is not compatible with long dry times.
Nowadays you can put the coat rack somewhat near a vent or other heat source, and put a mat or tray under to catch drippings.