Why WWII Navy Peacoats Are Actually Incredible (A No-Nonsense Guide)

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Intro & Why I’m Being Super Serious This Time

The peacoat, AKA the urine coat.

What’s up, Snailiens? This is Michael. Today, this article is going to be split into four different sections, all of which will be very serious because the last time I made a post in the Fedora Lounge, someone said, “Too silly for me.” So, none of that. This is full-on business, and I’m going to post this in the Fedora Lounge.

I’ll let you know my results. So anyway, today we are talking about the best peacoat ever. Honestly, I know someone’s going to say, “What about this peacoat or that peacoat,” but something I consider is price is also a function of the jacket sometimes, and I paid $60 for the jacket I’m talking about today when something that could stand up to it is usually like $300-400, or like $150 used or something like that. Mine is used, but still. So, I just kind of wanted to get that out of the way.

The Saga of My Too-Big Peacoat

Another thing to get out of the way: this peacoat doesn’t fit me, so I’m gonna keep on putting clothes on until it does. So far, we’re starting out in a t-shirt: too big. I bought it on eBay. They said it was a size 38, this is like a 42 or 44. So, I am giving it away to my girlfriend Taylor’s brother. (I almost wrote Taylor’s boyfriend – I would hate it if she had another boyfriend.) But yeah, I am giving it away.

The peacoat is freshly urinated! You’ll have to ignore the fact that in college, I thought the joke was that with peacoats, you had to pee on them in order for them to be warm, so I really rode that joke to death. So, as long as you can deal with that, we’re golden.

The Four-Part Game Plan

Okay, so anyway, we’re gonna split this article up into four different parts. Let me tell you those four parts now: One – how to identify this particular peacoat. This one is from World War II, but the early fifties and the late fifties peacoats are also great. They are A1 steak sauce. Two – fit. That’ll be a little tricky because this jacket doesn’t fit. It makes me look like that cartoon that Steve Carell plays.

But I will do my best. Three – something that makes this jacket such a standout is the wool type, and then we’ll go over the details a little bit. Pretty standard peacoat, so nothing will shock you. Then, four – my favorite part – we will go over the two coolest features of a peacoat.

I just found one of them out, and the second one changed the way I look at wool coats in general.

How to Spot a Legit Vintage Navy Peacoat (And Where to Buy Modern Ones)

Okay, so first things first, the peacoats that I like specifically range from the 40s to the 50s. That era, to me, is a golden time for naval US peacoats. Also, if you are looking for a modern peacoat that is still the same quality as an old US Navy peacoat, I suggest looking at Schott. There’s also Sterlingwear, and there’s Real McCoys, but that’s like a thousand-dollar peacoat. So, if you have big bucks, I definitely recommend that one – that is an insane peacoat. It’s like 37 ounces. And then, lastly, if you want to get a little funky, check out Mr. Freedom. Mr. Freedom makes really cool stuff. They have a very heavy denim peacoat that I want to get one day, but also, that’s a big bank. I don’t have that big bank.

Let’s get into the history of the peacoat a little bit. Well, kind of. So what I look for to identify these jackets – the easiest way is the stitching near the cuff. There are two things I look for: stitching three inches above the cuff and stitching one inch above the cuff. The three inches above the cuff are from the 40s World War II, and one inch above the cuff is from the 50s World War Three- I don’t know, maybe a chili war. That’s the first thing I look for and sometimes the only thing I look for. I actually found one of these peacoats in the women’s section at Savers for three dollars, but I didn’t buy it because I already had one. That was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done – I could have made $57!

Another thing to look for is that in the 40s, there were eight buttons on the peacoat. In the 50s, they had six buttons. There’s also a naval tag stitched on the inside of peacoats that you can use to date them. There’s a great article in the Fedora Lounge that I read while they mercilessly bullied me.

The Great eBay Hunt: Finding Your Perfect Peacoat

Okay, so that’s how you find one of these peacoats. I suggest eBay, and this is what I do: I look up “Kersey wool peacoat,” then I look up “1940s peacoat,” then I look up “1950s peacoat,” then I look up “World War II peacoat.” I do those four things separately. I look through every listing.

Sometimes I’ll add the size, so I’ll say 38 or small or something like that, but usually, when it comes to eBay, you’re looking for the person that doesn’t know – they just know that’s a peacoat, and they type in “vintage peacoat for men” or something like that. That’s where I usually find the best deals, so you really have to comb through like a thousand jackets to find the best one.

Let’s Talk Sizing (While I Layer Up Like a Madman)

I know just a single sweatshirt wouldn’t fix the situation, so we’re gonna then put on my favorite denim jacket. Oh, that might be it! It kind of fits me as long as I’m wearing a sweater and denim coat underneath.

Okay, so point two – sizing. Like I said, it’s a little difficult. These are very slim-fit jackets, which is one of the reasons why I think they’re the best: because that’s the kind of fit that I’m going for. I recommend true to size. I definitely don’t recommend going one size down – you probably won’t be able to hug your child.

And one size up you can do if you’re gonna put a lot of stuff under it, but keep in mind that the shoulders are stiff. They’re not shoulder pads, but they will stick out and make you look like me or Gru or whoever.

The Epic Battle: Kersey Wool vs. Melton Wool

Wool types, which is one of the most interesting things about the World War II peacoats and just peacoats in general – wool type is obviously the most important part of the jacket. That’s the engine, that’s the outside, that’s the inside, that’s the tires of the jacket.

That was the worst analogy I could have ever thought of. I like the 1940s and 1950s peacoats because they use Kersey wool, which we’ll get into in a second.

They later transition to Melton wool, which we’ll also get into in a second, but those are two different wool types. We’ll talk about those broad, and then I’ll zero in on them.

So, button your knickerbockers! There’s this debate – it’s really not a heavy debate. There are probably five people talking about it on the internet, but it’s Kersey wool vs. Melton wool. For the most part, what I can find is that they’re the same, but the big difference is when you look at the 60s and 70s and stuff like that, the weight of the wool changed.

So you measure garments in weight where I think it’s a square yard, and you have an ounce number. So 32 ounces is a square yard of this fabric weighs 32 ounces. When you’re talking peacoats or just winter gear in general, you typically want a higher number. If you see a 14-ounce wool peacoat, that’s pretty flimsy.

But the big debate was: is Kersey warmer than Melton? And I have no information on if you have a 32-ounce Kersey fabric and a 32-ounce Melton fabric and how they’re going to perform differently. I don’t know – I assume Kersey will always be a little bit warmer and a little bit more wind-resistant just because it’s a tighter weave, but I don’t know that for sure.

What I do know is that as the peacoats transitioned from Kersey wool to Melton wool, the original Melton wool weight was 32 ounces, which is a very hefty weight for wool. That is a very thick jacket, and I think that was on par for warmth, but quickly, U.S. Navy peacoats went down in wool weight, I think, to 24, which is then – there was a big difference.

So people were saying the jackets weren’t as warm, they weren’t built as well, and they weren’t as water resistant. That’s all true when it’s a lesser weight, but I think when it comes to the original Melton wool peacoat, the baseline is the same.

So again, I don’t know this part for sure, but I think Kersey wool is a little bit lighter than 32-ounce Melton wool, but the way that it’s produced makes it the same warmth or maybe even a little warmer. I’m not a hundred percent positive about that. Kersey wool was made in 11th-century Britain, so if you’re really curious, you can just go and ask them!

So when we’re comparing Kersey to Melton wool, what you’ll see right away is that they are finished differently, or they’re woven differently, so they look different. Kersey wool is extremely smooth and has a lot more rigidity. Melton wool is a little bit rougher and isn’t that rigid – it looks a little bit softer, although when you get to 37 ounces or 32 ounces, it’s also pretty stiff. A lot of material to be packing.

Other than that, like I said, there’s not a lot of information about it. The big thing is that I think the presentation of a Kersey wool peacoat is a lot better. It has a little bit more stiffness, so it looks a little bit more structured.

If you look at the wool, it almost looks like a board of some other material that’s not a fabric. It looks a little stiffer, which I really like. It looks like you can shave the wool down, not like it would fray everywhere, and I know if I’m getting a Kersey wool peacoat, I know it’s built like a tank.

Quick Reference: Kersey vs. Melton Wool Comparison

The Nitty-Gritty Details: Rayon, Buttons, and Corduroy Pockets

Other than that though, the lining of this jacket is rayon, which is a semi-synthetic material because it’s made of wood pulp, but the wood pulp is chemically treated in order to become rayon. I thought it was made in the 60s – it turns out it was made in 1846, so I got the six right!

This is usually the first thing that goes on these jackets. Mine’s a little ripped up, a little gross, but if this was my jacket and I wasn’t giving it to Taylor’s brother, well, maybe I’ll do it for his birthday – I would replace the lining with something cool.

Maybe it could be nylon or something like that, but I would make it a cool color or a cool print or something like that because that would be really cool – a 1940s peacoat that fits great and has a crazy lining!

Other than that, though, like I said, it has buttons. The name of the person who originally owned this jacket is stamped on the rayon lining, which is pretty cool. Oh, it’d be so cool if I framed that portion! Michael, write that down! But the other part is that there are corduroy pockets, which is great.

Corduroy is still cotton, so it doesn’t add a lot of insulation or anything like that, but compared to like a canvas-lined pocket, one – it feels nicer, and two – there is a little loft, so I think that will probably add a little bit more warmth for your fingies.

Third time’s a charm? The current layer is a t-shirt, sweatshirt, denim jacket, and another sweatshirt. Okay, alright, I think that’s it. That’s a little easier than I thought. Also, I can’t really bend my arms that well. But it looks alright! I wouldn’t recommend it, though. This isn’t the official “how to wear a peacoat guide.”

The Two Mind-Blowing Features That Changed Everything

And finally, the two coolest features of this jacket – like I said, one of them changed my life forever, the second one I found out today, and I was like, “Oh, that’s incredible!” But the first one is that the reason you can button a peacoat from two different sides – so you can button it from the right or the left – is because a sailor, when they were out to sea, the wind was blowing in one direction so they could button the peacoat to face against the wind so that way the wind wouldn’t sneak through the buttons and make him cold.

I don’t know how much that actually came into effect because I’m assuming, for the most part, the sailor was moving and changing directions, and I doubt every time he moved, he was like, “Oh, one second, I had to rebutton it” – was like, “Sorry sir, hold on, I’ll load the cannons in a second.” I don’t know anything about the Navy, but I’m assuming there are times when you stand still for a long period of time, and then it comes in handy.

It’s really cool to think about that, and the second thing is the reason peacoat collars are so big is that you can pop them up – and obviously, you can pop up any collar, but peacoats are made to be popped up to keep you warm. So if it’s really windy or cold or anything like that, they go up really high.

There’s also a ton of stitching on the collar, so it is rigid enough to stand up, and there’s a little throat latch to secure the collar and make it a little bit tighter. It does what I call the “full cone.” There’s nothing better than being inside of the full cone, especially when it’s windy, and you can slowly shrink inside of your full cone and not feel it.

When I first saw that with a peacoat or just kind of read about what they were for, I was like, “Okay, that has to be on every jacket that I buy because that’s incredible!”

That’s actually why I would rather a Woolrich Mackinaw over some Filsons because the collar on some Filson Mackinaws is small, so it doesn’t really do anything when you pop it up, but with an old Woolrich jacket, you could pop right up to your ears, cinch it and just be on your way.

Watch This Review

Bye Bye!

But yeah, so anyway, that’s about it. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time!

This article was adapted from Michael Kristy’s video on The Iron Snail, with edits from FashionBeans, and was reviewed by Michael to ensure the integrity of his original content. Watch the full video here.

The Iron Snail is a men’s fashion vlog (and now article series!) starring a young man named Michael and featuring a snail no bigger than a quarter. The two are set on taking over the world of fashion by creating a clothing line to end all clothing lines. Until then, we’re here to tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about the best clothing out there, from the highest quality raw denim jeans to the warmest jackets to the sturdiest boots…the Iron Snail has got you covered.