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Plenty of jackets borrow the look of workwear. The Filson Tin Cloth Short Lined Cruiser is the real thing. It is a heavy waxed cotton coat cut for movement, built with hardware that is meant to outlast the wearer's patience, and finished with pockets that were designed around tools rather than phones. It is stiff when new and gets better every year you wear it.
What Tin Cloth is
Tin Cloth is Filson's name for its oil finish waxed cotton. According to the product page, the fabric comes from British Millerain and weighs 14 ounces per square yard, which Filson says is twice the weight of imitations. It is woven unusually tight, and that tight weave is what gives Tin Cloth its tear strength and improved water resistance. The wax finish makes rain bead and roll off, and the cotton underneath blocks wind and brush.
The relationship goes back a long way. Filson's own history explains that its earliest waxed cottons came from traders bringing British Millerain cloth to North America, and the mill has finished waxed fabric in Yorkshire since the 1880s. If you want the full story, our guide to waxed canvas and Tin Cloth walks through it.
The cut
The Short Lined Cruiser is hip length. That matters in practical ways. Filson says the jacket will not ride up when you are seated, so it works in a truck cab or on a tractor seat without bunching at the waist, and the shorter hem leaves your pants pockets easy to reach. It is a jacket designed for people who bend, sit, climb and reach all day.
The torso and sleeves are lined with canvas. That lining adds structure and a little warmth, and it gives the inside of the jacket a smoother surface so it slides over a flannel shirt or a sweater rather than catching on it. It also protects the waxed outer layer from wearing through from the inside.
Hardware and closures
The jacket closes with metal shank buttons, which are attached through a metal loop rather than sewn through holes, so they hold up to repeated buttoning in cold hands. Filson adds cuff tabs and hem tabs, letting you cinch the sleeves around gloves and snug the hem against wind. Small details like these are what make a jacket useful on a cold morning instead of merely good looking.
Pockets built for work
The pocket layout tells you who Filson had in mind. On the left chest is a slotted pocket sized for a pencil or small tools, a nod to carpenters, surveyors and anyone who needs a marker within reach. On the right chest is a flap pocket that keeps a notebook or phone dry. Lower down, the hand pockets are bar tacked at the stress points, meaning the corners are reinforced with tight zigzag stitching so they do not tear when you jam your hands in or load them with gear.
Breaking it in
New Tin Cloth is stiff, and that is normal. Filson compares it to denim. As you wear it, the fabric softens at the elbows, shoulders and anywhere it flexes, and those spots lighten into creases that are unique to the person wearing it. After a season or two, the jacket stops feeling like armor and starts feeling like it was tailored to you. This is why people talk about owning a waxed jacket for decades rather than years.
The finish does need occasional attention. Filson recommends refreshing Tin Cloth with its Oil Finish Wax when water stops beading, and suggests about every two years under typical use. A dedicated rewaxing guide is coming on the site, and for now our shop box below includes the wax so you can keep both together.
How it compares
If you are comparing waxed jackets, the Barbour Bedale is lighter and softer with a country riding heritage, while the Cruiser is heavier, stiffer and more utilitarian. If you want something truly weatherproof with a membrane, our GORE-TEX explainer covers that route. And if you like the idea of waxed cotton but want a softer wool layer underneath, the Pendleton Woolen Mills guide pairs nicely with this jacket.
Who it suits
The Short Lined Cruiser makes sense for people who work outside, for anyone who wants one jacket for fall chores and weekend wear, and for buyers who would rather spend once on something that will last. It is not the right choice if you want a soft, packable shell for travel, or if you dislike the slightly waxy feel of the fabric. For everyone else, it is one of the best expressions of what classic American workwear can be.
Where to buy
For more heritage workwear, browse our denim and workwear hub.
