in my first year on islay, i rather mistakenly figured that there were certain features that ought best be adopted in order to seamlessly fit in. to give you an idea of that of which i speak, i figured that making the attempt to learn gaelic would be a smart move, study the wide range of birdlife that surrounds every aspect of islay life and buy myself a waxed-cotton jacket of the type made famous by barbour.
to be honest, none of it ended well. for starters, i was blissfully unaware that there is more than one dialect of gaelic and the bbc book 'can seo' that i purchased, along with the accompanying cassette (yes, it was that long ago) was not the one spoken on islay. secondly, gaelic pronunciation bears no resemblance to the written word.
secondly, that indigenous birdlife. 'the observer's book of birds' initially seemed remarkably helpful, until i had actually to identify those winged creatures when spotted in the middle of a field. since then, i have adopted the stance that there are geese and there are not geese.
lastly, the waxed-cotton jacket. it might surprise you to learn that my more economic barbour copy was possibly the least practical garment in which to cycle, and, to be quite honest, it bore a less than attractive aroma. i began to see why folks paid the extra money for a proper barbour. though i'm not proud of it, at one point i also purchased (and actually wore - once) a waxed cotton flat cap. had lord margadale invited me out for a picnic on the estate, i probably wouldn't have looked out of place. everywhere else, i definitely did.
having spent many a winter, studiously avoiding so-called 'twitchers', who think nothing of stopping anywhere they like, having doubtless spotted a a rare white-breasted something or other, i'm very glad i failed to pursue the bird-spotting thing. it's almost politically incorrect to make any adverse comment about gaelic, so i will resist, but i invite you to read between the lines. and lastly, i really have no great desire to be mistaken for a 'hooray henry', over for a shooting weekend.
but then the recently formed frahm jackets, kindly sent me a review sample of their machine-washable, waxed cotton, utility field jacket. the philosophy underpinning frahm's modus operandi is the limited production of a single jacket design; once they're gone, they're gone. they then move onto the next design. the last few examples of the jacket under review are still available if you're quick, before the harrington racer makes its debut next month. so why, you might ask, has this particular waxed jacket given me cause to revise my apparent animosity towards the genre?
for starters, as a confirmed cyclist, writing a blog about bicycles, ultimately read by other folks who are interested in cycling (that would be you), this particular jacket has bicycles woven into its dna. in other words, it's simplicity itself to ride a bike while clad in its waxed protectiveness. the latter extends to a full-length front zip, protected from the elements by a poppered external storm-flap. and for those, like me, who can never have enough pockets, even if we can't remember in which pocket we've placed our co-op dividend card, this is pocket heaven.
there are two lined handwarmer pockets, precisely where you'd hope they'd be, overlaid with two external, double poppered outside pockets. those are mirrored with two remarkably similar chest pockets. but, were those six for starters, simply insufficent, there is a zippered internal pocket top left, capable of swallowing an ipod (in my case), or even one of those 'phablets' (in your case). then, still within the jacket's inner sanctum, there's yet another pocket in which the more prescient amongst us might consider keeping our wallets.
or, perchance, a paperback copy of will fotheringham's eddy merckx biography.
the pleasantly tall collar features another two poppers, providing the equivalent of a waxed-cotton force-field against any unwarranted and inclement weather. the cuffs are scalloped (which i believe is the technical term), offering additional coverage for the wrists and nicely overlapping any gloves with which you may have accessorised. the fit is very far from baggy, of particular advantage when cycling, but not what the italians would refer to as 'race-fit'. there's no real movement restriction and it's perfectly possible to wear a specialized hooded sweatshirt underneath without looking like you left the coathanger in place.
i am insufficiently well acquainted with waxed jackets to know if it's normal practice to throw them in the washing machine, but a cursory glance of barbour' website would tend to suggest not. however, the average cyclist has a tendency to chuck everything in the machine without first reading the care instructions. the utility field jacket's construction from millerain staywax, allows you to do just that. but then, we really, really want to know if it's actually waterproof; form and function are always a good match. my attempts to photograph this garment on a particularly wet and gloomy saturday morning rather proved the point. i got particularly wet, or rather, i didn't. there is no need to doubt the weatherproofing.
frahm would appear to be onto a winner here. granted, the price tag might engender a sharp intake of breath, but a bit like those patek philippe watches, this is a garment that you'll be effectively looking after for the next generation. yes, it claims to be breathable and it probably is, but never as breathable as a cyclist would want it to be; that's just velocpedinal life and it's unlikely to change anytime soon. i do have marginal reservations over the black colour with nothing in the way of refelctive details, but i suppose you can't have everything.
the frahm website positions the utility field jacket as "...your go-to jacket for everything from frosty bike commuting to drizzly dog trekking." this is not a garment that will be seen in the heat of a professional peloton anytime soon, but then you'd scarcely go for a walk along the beach in your three-rear-pocket, race fit winter jacket.
everything has its place and the frahm jacket makes it a happy place.
frahm's waxed-cotton utility field jacket is available in sizes ranging from small to xxl in black only, at a retail price of £395. there are, apparently very few examples of the original 100 made, so if you want one (and you probably do), click the link sooner, rather than later.
monday 14 january 2019
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