100 Year Field Jacket

The field jacket has earned a reputation not only as one of the toughest military garments of the 20th century, but also one of its most enduring style icons. From WWII battlefronts and the dense jungles of Vietnam, to silver screen immortality on the backs of Pacino in Serpico and De Niro in Taxi Driver, it’s one of the few items of clothing a man can own that is resistant to trends. So we decided to make it resistant to pretty much everything else, too.

We’ve taken the original M65 field jacket’s functional design and rebuilt it using an advanced three-layer Swiss supermaterial originally designed for extreme-weather motorcycle gear.Not only does it provide the highest levels of protection against rain, wind and snow hitting the jacket at high speed, but it’s also tough enough to withstand a high-velocity encounter with the tarmac.

The issue with creating something crazily waterproof is breathability. The more you stop water from getting in, the harder it is to let it out. This can lead to air and moisture getting trapped inside your clothing, which can lead to overheating. Try going for a run in a wetsuit and you’ll quickly understand what we mean. The answer lies in the middle layer of the jacket, which uses Schoeller’s c_change® membrane. Instead of remaining static, the membrane can open and close to respond to different weather conditions as they happen, while remaining permanently waterproof and windproof.

This c_change® membrane is the most intelligent part of the material. It mimics natural structures like flowers and pinecones, opening and closing in response to changes in temperature, humidity and sweat. It’s designed to keep you at a consistent temperature by combining really high breathability with heat retention. While it can open up like a series of microscopic vents to let heat escape, in the cold it closes itself like a protective barrier to stop heat leaving. So as soon as the temperature drops, or you stop moving, the membrane contracts to insulate you and retain heat close to the body.

We’ve lined the inside of the jacket with an ultra-tough Cordura to match the high-strength outer shell. It’s highly durable and abrasion resistant, but smooth to the touch and feels soft next to your skin.

While the original field jackets came with four pockets, the 100 Year Field Jacket comes with eight. It starts with two concealed pockets on either side of the chest. They’re built with metal zippers and are hidden behind storm flaps. Inside they’re fleece-lined and large enough for your phone, wallet or keys.

You can fasten the collar across your throat when the weather turns bad, and there are two metal press studs to let you adjust the tightness. When you’re not using it, you can secure the fastening belt behind a loop that sits to the side of the collar. The entire inside of the collar is lined with fleece to keep your neck and chin comfortable.

Field jackets have a violent past. Born in WWII and Vietnam, Rambo wore one, as did Rocky. And back when Arnie was still the Terminator, he ripped a guy’s heart out to get one. The original idea of the field jacket was that it could work anywhere on the planet – from cold European cities to stormy Pacific islands. With storage pockets large enough to replace backpacks, and the ability to see you through freezing winters, heatwaves and rainstorms all at the same time, the original field jackets emerged from the idea that your enemy could be anywhere on Earth.