This is Worth The Hype, where our writers and editors put popular products to the test to see if they are, in fact, worth the hype.
If you know anything about the retailer Huckberry, then you’re likely familiar with the Flint & Tinder Waxed Trucker Jacket. The hype machine around this jacket is real — especially at the first hint of colder weather. Warm, water resistant, and designed to be worn hard, it’s ready to be pulled out of the closet at the first sign of autumn and thrown on pretty much regardless of what lies ahead.
I got to test out a Waxed Trucker Jacket in Havana leading into fall, and over the past month I’ve put it through crisp Icelandic days and nights, a cruise over cold and rainy seas, Colorado nights that threaten winter at any moment, and relaxing coastal evenings on California’s central coast.
Let’s just say it didn’t take long for me to understand the love that so many people have for this jacket.
The exterior has a waxed seven-ounce canvas that repels moisture (and it can be easily rewaxed once it’s been worn enough that water no longer beads on the outside). The interior is flannel that goes all the way through the sleeves. Imagine the feeling of wrapping a blanket around yourself while sitting by a campfire in the fall. The inside feels like that, but perfectly fitted. It’s proven to be warm enough to button it up with just a shirt underneath and stay comfortable down to a blustery 60 degrees. I didn’t size up, but it’s still roomy enough to layer, and a sweater underneath easily extends its use into winter.
Three main pockets are on the outside: a chest pocket that buttons closed, and two roomy side pockets. An interior media pocket fit my spare charger perfectly, and it kept a small notebook dry while I stood on the backside of a ship on the misty Norwegian sea between Iceland and England.
The fit is more trim than my Levi’s denim trucker jacket, but not so much that it can’t take light layering (I got a medium, and am 6’0, 185 pounds). Each time I put it on it feels a little different as it wears in. The patina shows the most common movement patterns I’ve had when wearing it through the recent late summer nights and into early fall — namely the position of my arms outstretched as I’m writing outside on a chilly night. As someone prone to spills, tears, and general ruining of clothes, I admit a jacket that can’t be washed or dry cleaned was a little concerning at first, but it’s so far already repelled stain threats from dark beer to red sauce.
At about $270, the Waxed Trucker Jacket isn’t a budget item. Huckberry acquired Flint and Tinder in early 2016, and remains the sole place to buy all Flint and Tinder goods. But it’s already clear that this is a jacket that isn’t easily worn out, and is an investment that’ll be worn for many more adventures to come.
Specs: Flint & Tinder Waxed Trucker Jacket
- Waxed (and rewaxable) seven-ounce Martexin sailcloth from New Jersey
- Fully flannel lined body and sleeves
- Cut, sewn, and finished in Los Angeles
- Custom Flint and Tinder metal buttons
- Button-flap chest pocket
- Outer hand pockets
- Interior media pocket
