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Shop Thomas Cook Oilskins with Confidence
Waxed cotton for weight and longevity, faux oilskin for no reproofing — both across jackets, vests, a kids' long coat, gaiters and a wide-brim hat.
A Coat That Opens Over a Saddle
Thomas Cook's High Country oilskins are built by people who assumed you would be on a horse in one. The back carries a saddle gusset that snaps open so the coat falls either side of you in the saddle instead of bunching up underneath, and the cape over the shoulders is cut oversize so it wraps around to the chest.
The cape straps release quickly, the hood is concealed inside the collar rather than flapping about when you are not using it, and a double storm flap covers the front opening. None of that is decoration. It is a coat designed around the specific problem of being outside, mounted, in weather.
The Oilskin Jackets and Vests
Two Tarcutta jackets carry the real waxed cotton, one navy and one rustic mulch, and there is a children's High Country long coat so the kids get the same shell as everyone else. Waxed cotton is heavy, holds the weather off and gets better looking as it wears, but it needs reproofing every so often to keep doing its job.
Faux oilskin covers a men's jacket and vest in rustic mulch and a second vest in olive. That fabric is lighter, softer against a shirt and never needs waxing, which suits anyone who wants the look and the shelter without the upkeep. There is one further jacket in rustic mulch that sits in this range without being an oilskin itself.
Hats, Gaiters and Keeping Wax Alive
Two pieces round the range out. A wide-brim oilskin hat in dark brown does for the top of you what the coat does for the rest, and short oilskin gaiters in rustic mulch cover the gap between boot and trouser, which is where wet usually gets in first.
Looking after waxed cotton is simple and mostly a matter of what not to do. Sponge it with cold water, never wash or dry-clean it, keep it away from direct heat, and re-wax it once a season or so. Treated that way an oilskin outlasts most of the wardrobe it hangs next to.
Order Before the Next Wet Spell
All nine Thomas Cook oilskin pieces can be ordered here, and freight is on us past $175. Oilskins are worth sizing generously since they go over a jumper more often than not, so ring us and we will sort it out with you.
The Parafield showroom lets you feel the difference between the waxed cotton and the faux, which is the whole decision. The lighter layers that go under an oilskin sit here:
