“I have never found anything better in coats than those made of mackinaw cloth, such as lumbermen wear. I like the plain colors best, blue black being my choice. All outside pockets should be covered with flaps to keep the snow out. Mackinaw is a soft, warm material and it will turn considerable rain. It has only one objectionable feature–the snow will cling to it, especially across one’s back just above the pack sack, which the woodsman nearly always has with him; the warmth coming through the cloth causes it to collect the snow.“
(Kreps 1919)
“Cold Weather Clothing. — The main fault of most cold weather rigs is that, paradoxically, they are too hot. You go out into “twenty-some-odd” below zero, all muffled up in thick underwear, over- shirt, heavy trousers, and a 32-ounce (to the yard) Mackinaw coat. Very nice, until you get your stride. In half an hour the sweat will be streaming from you enough to turn a mill. By and by you may have to stand still for quite a while. Then the moisture begins to freeze, and a buffalo robe wouldn’t keep you warm. …
… In buying Mackinaws get none but the best quality. Cheap Mackinaw is shoddy, or part cotton, and soaks up moisture like a sponge. A good grade sheds rain so long as the nap is not worn off; then it can be waterproofed by the lanolin process. It is noiseless, and stands rough usage.
The natural gray color is best, except where the law requires you to wear red for protection against gun-bearing fools. (About this, saith our friend Crossman: “Yes, some fellow might take you for a deer if you wore an inconspicuous color in the woods, but what would you? He’d take you for a zebra if you wore green and yellow, or shoot you for a forest fire if you wore flaming crimson.”)
(Kephart 1925, 162)
Both Kreps and Kephart shared an appreciation for Mackinaws. During the time of their writing, 1919 and 1925 respectively, these style of coats were in regular civilian fashion. The Mackinaw I own and wear is a reproduction of the U.S. army mackinaw issued to soldiers during WWI. An excellent source of compiled information about the WWI mackinaw can be found in the us militaria forum’s link at the end of this article. The author did such a fantastic job in their research that I do not feel I can improve upon it or add anything of true value to it in the context of it’s military use. Another incredibly well done article about the use of the military surplus mackinaws in use by civilians in the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) during the Great Depression of the 1930’s can also be found be found linked below in the Bibliography section. Due to both of these sources I do not feel compelled to expand on the history of the military or surplus use of the mackinaw and so will instead direct my focus on the use of mackinaws for outdoor recreation, especially for hunting and campcraft, and then follow up with my own personal review and experience using one. If you would like to purchase your own mackinaw I would direct you to What Price Glory’s reproduction.
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Mackinaws really found their place in acceptance of daily wear. The style essentially stayed the same and were marketed to college aged men and sportsmen in the growing industry. It can be seen in catalogues that the mackinaws could be worn by itself or as an overcoat, generally be depicted being worn over business attire. The Canadian outdoor supply companies sold several styles of the mackinaw, some with fur collars and others with more subdued collars. Patterns were often checkered, plaid, or beige from the few colored pictures I was able to find. The sportsman certainly had some options!
My experience comes from using the reproduction WWI What Price Glory mackinaw. By itself, without another coat underneath, it makes a fine coat down to the 40 degree F temperatures if I am moving around but the garment is really designed for an shines as an overcoat. This makes for a great modular system depending on weather fluctuation which happens all the time in Ohio, we have jokes about it. When the temperature gets in the 20’s and below I add the mackinaw to my 1930’s Woolrich coat and am very comfortable and if I start getting too heated, I open the front of my coat up to allow air circulation. The mackinaw’s large collar is useful to cover up the neck and ears when the wind is blowing and the belt placement and loops permit some smaller light weight gear to be attached for easy access, like a belt knife. There are twin generous pockets in the front for other quick gear like ammunition, compass, whistle, pipe, matches, etc. The tight weave and heavy weight wool does not permit wind through easily and it repels light rain readily. I am thoroughly satisfied with this coat and understand why such a piece of equipment was valued by soldiers and sportsmen alike!
If you enjoy traditional campcrafting, bushcrafting, hiking, hunting, or other outdoor adventure then I invite you to join us in the Guild!
Bibliography
Horace Kephart, “The Book of Camping and Woodcraft : A Guide for Those Who Travel in the Wilderness / by Horace Kephart.,” HathiTrust (The Macmillon Company, 1918), https://hdl.handle.net/2027/pst.000009209466?urlappend=%3Bseq, 162.
https://sites.google.com/view/ccc-uniforms/outerwear?authuser=0#h.p_DZSzRxs7QWzt
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