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Why field jackets are the most versatile style, and how you can buy a GOOD one

Bryan

11 Aug 2025 — 1 min read

Chief Editor & Founder of Splished

Appreciating craftsmanship and using clothing for the purposes you need them; functional fashion — that's what Splished is at its core. Good material, thoughtful pattern design, and how your gear makes you feel is what's most important.

A nylon-cotton blend field jacket from Banana Republic, styled like a Belstaff Fieldmaster

Field jackets have virtually always been a popular style of jacket, ever since their introduction during World War II as the M-41 field jacket.

Incarnations since then, like the M-65, had gained popularity through the years due to media. With prominent characters in movies and TV donning these war-era styled jackets, it's easy to see how the field jacket gained popularity among the average person.

From left: Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver; Silvester Stallone in First Blood; Woody Allen in Annie Hall

With a longer length than typical jackets, and typically made out of 100% cotton or a nylon-cotton blend (CORDURA® NYCO or otherwise), these tightly weaved jackets help keep the wind and rain off your body.

Four large pockets adorning the exterior allow expansion via gussets, with the bottom two usually having eyelets at the bottom to allow moisture to escape.

Watch my detailed overview on field jackets, using my Banana Republic as an example

Whether you decide to get an old school, war-inspired field jacket, or a more modern one made with different materials, you'll soon learn the versatility harder gets any better.

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