Marmot · Men's Outerwear
Marmot Guides Down Hoody Jacket
Real 700-fill down in a hood that actually cinches. The jacket you buy once instead of three times.
$250–$500
Get It Here →Style, travel & hobbies · /mens-outerwear/
Men's outerwear: two jackets, most of the year
Most men own too many jackets and no good ones. Two solve almost the whole year: something waxed or water-resistant for weather, and something soft in brown leather for everything else.
Both improve with age, which is unusual in clothing and the entire reason to spend here rather than on a fourth technical shell.
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The two that matter
Waxed cotton for weather, lambskin for everything else. Buy the waxed jacket first if he lives anywhere with a real autumn.
Carhartt · Men's Outerwear
Carhartt Men's Washed Duck Active Jacket
Washed duck canvas, so it is soft on arrival rather than after a year.
$100–$250
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Members Only · Men's Outerwear
Members Only Original Iconic Racer Jacket
The 1980s jacket, unchanged, and it has come back around properly.
$100–$250
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ORORO · Men's Outerwear
ororo Heated Vest with Four Heating Zones
A battery and four heating panels, for someone who is genuinely cold rather than fashionably cold.
$100–$250
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Carhartt · Men's Outerwear
Carhartt Men's Paxton Heavyweight Quarter-Zip Sweatshirt
Heavyweight quarter-zip that survives being worn as outerwear. The most-worn thing he will own.
Under $100
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The · Men's Outerwear
The North Face Tsillan Full-Zip Fleece
The mid-layer that ends up worn on its own for eight months of the year.
Under $100
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Columbia · Men's Outerwear
Columbia Glennaker Lake II Rain Jacket
Packs into its own pocket. Fifty dollars and it lives in a bag until the day it matters.
Under $100
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Levi's · Men's Outerwear
Levi's Signature Gold Trucker Jacket
The denim jacket shape everyone else copies, at forty-five dollars. It improves as it fades.
Under $100
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Amazon Essentials · Men's Outerwear
Amazon Essentials Packable Hooded Puffer Jacket
Folds into its own pocket and weighs nothing. Lives in a bag from October to March.
Under $100
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Carhartt · Men's Outerwear
Carhartt Washed Duck Mock-Neck Vest
A vest keeps the core warm and the arms free. The layer for a garage or a touchline.
Under $100
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COOFANDY · Men's Outerwear
COOFANDY Varsity Letterman Jacket
Forty dollars to try a shape that is either completely right or completely wrong on him.
Under $100
Buy This for Him →
Nautica · Men's Outerwear
Nautica Wool Blend Double-Breasted Peacoat
A peacoat is the one winter coat that works over a suit and over jeans.
Under $100
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WenVen · Men's Outerwear
WenVen Washed Cotton Military Jacket
The field jacket shape, washed soft before it reaches him.
Under $100
Buy This for Him →
Legendary Whitetails · Men's Outerwear
Legendary Whitetails Flannel Button-Down Shirt Jacket
Ninety-eight thousand ratings. The flannel most American men actually own.
Under $100
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TACVASEN · Men's Outerwear
TACVASEN Lightweight Bomber Jacket
The in-between jacket — too warm for a coat, too cold for a shirt.
Under $100
Get It Here →
Carhartt · Men's Outerwear
Carhartt Gilliam Vest
The vest that works with everything else he already owns, which is the point of a vest.
Under $100
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What goes under them
Knitwear does the visible work; the jacket is the frame around it.
And the designer tier
Shirt jackets, field jackets, parkas and technical ski outerwear from loryn.com. Pre-owned, so the prices are a fraction of retail on labels that rarely discount.
SIMKHAI · Clothing
Keaton Reversible Shirt Jacket
One jacket, two fronts — the Keaton reverses.
New
Price at Amazon
See It at Amazon →
Giuseppe Zanotti · Clothing
Dragon Crystal Jacket
The crystal dragon, now on a jacket.
New
Price at Amazon
See It at Amazon →
Perfect Moment · Clothing
Max Down Parka
The Max — down parka for the mountain or the school run.
New
Price at Amazon
See It at Amazon →
SIMKHAI · Clothing
Iver 4-Pocket Field Jacket
The Iver — field jacket, four pockets, no fuss.
New
Price at Amazon
See It at Amazon →
Giuseppe Zanotti · Clothing
LR-61 Vest
Zanotti's padded vest — the LR-61.
New
Price at Amazon
See It at Amazon →
Workwear that lasts
Washed duck canvas and heavyweight quarter-zips. Soft on arrival, and hard to wear out.
Outerwear FAQ
What jacket should every man own?
A waxed cotton field jacket for weather and a soft brown leather jacket for everything else. Between them they cover September to May in most climates, and both look better after a few years than they do new.
How do you look after a waxed jacket?
Do not machine wash it. Brush off dirt, sponge with cold water, and re-wax it roughly once a year or whenever water stops beading. Barbour and most makers offer a re-waxing service.
Black or brown leather jacket?
Brown, if he only has one. Black leather reads as a specific look — motorcycle, punk, going-out — while brown works over knitwear, under a topcoat and with almost any trouser.