Where to buy a great coat?

[rebelyell62]

Good evenin' all,
I am in the market for a great coat.

Do any of you folks have suggestions of where to buy? I am looking for something of good quality at a decent price.I've looked at Fall Creek, Blockade Runner etc.Have yet to check with Jarnigan, Orchard Hill.

Suggestion and or opinions are greatly appreciated.
Wendell

[Doug Cooper]

Good evenin' all,
I am in the market for a great coat.

Do any of you folks have suggestions of where to buy? I am looking for something of good quality at a decent price.I've looked at Fall Creek, Blockade Runner etc.Have yet to check with Jarnigan, Orchard Hill.

Suggestion and or opinions are greatly appreciated.
Wendell

In my opinion, if you want one made using the correct period pattern, materials and construction techniques there are two basic choices - www.cjdaley.com and http://www.skilletlicker.com/servlet/Categories?category=Uniforms%3AFederal

The above choices you mention compromise two or more of those characteristics (pattern, materials, construction techniques) to varying degrees. Buy a good (correct) one, you will be happy you did.

[jademonkey]

In my opinion, if you want one made using the correct period pattern, materials and construction techniques there are two basic choices - www.cjdaley.com and http://www.skilletlicker.com/servlet/Categories?category=Uniforms%3AFederal

The above choices you mention compromise two or more of those characteristics (pattern, materials, construction techniques) to varying degrees. Buy a good (correct) one, you will be happy you did.

Wendell,

I can personally vouch for Joe Hoffman's (Skilletlicker) Greatcoat - excellent quality, material, details construction etc. If price is an issue, think of it this way - if you were to purchase a Jarnigan greatcoat with the correct lining, and want the buttons sewn on, the difference in price isn't that great for what you get in return. Not to mention the time you save by not having to sew your own buttonholes. Something to think about. Good luck,

[reb64]

In my opinion, if you want one made using the correct period pattern, materials and construction techniques there are two basic choices - www.cjdaley.com and http://www.skilletlicker.com/servlet/Categories?category=Uniforms%3AFederal

The above choices you mention compromise two or more of those characteristics (pattern, materials, construction techniques) to varying degrees. Buy a good (correct) one, you will be happy you did.


all great items above, but what use do you plan for it, late night porto john runs or living history? as a confed I found myself sledom using one even in the coldest days. before you invest in a coat valued at a truck or house payment , think about the purpose and use, would your unit even had them, etc? maybe a alternative or lower priced one if not for serious use.

[jurgitemvaletem]

all great items above, but what use do you plan for it, late night porto john runs or living history? as a confed I found myself sledom using one even in the coldest days. before you invest in a coat valued at a truck or house payment , think about the purpose and use, would your unit even had them, etc? maybe a alternative or lower priced one if not for serious use.

If you are looking to use it for nothing special, a great authentic alternative would be to pick up an authenticaly made blanket (less than a hundred bucks) and turn it into an overcoat. This can be done as easily as cutting a small hole in the center for your head.

[31stWisconsin]

I have a fall creek overcoat. Machine stitched, but it is thick and I am satisfied with it. I don't use it enough to justify spending $$$.

[KeystoneGuard]

Like other have said, how often will you actually use the thing to justify paying mucho bucks. I bought my great coat for under $130 and it works quite well (especially at Cedar Creek 06').

Now if you feel the need to spend your tax return, then by all means get a quality handsewn one from Skilletlicker or CJ Daley or others.

[CivilWarBuff1863]

I use mine through the winter. Sure I get comments and looks from people but it does keep me warm enough. Try walking out there in a blizzard in one and you'll see what I mean.

Anyone get any greatcoats from Servants or Regimental Quartermaster?

[Rob Weaver]

I have a Fall Creek overcoat as well, and am very happy with it. I use it as a sleeping bag that you can walk around in, or for exceptionally chilly events like Cedar Creek, Fredericksburg, etc.

[VaTrooper]

What about a civilian pattern coat? A quality one can be bought for not much more than the mainstream military styles.

[terry sorchy]

Morris Clothiers also makes a fine one.
Terry Sorchy

[rebelyell62]

First off; I'd like to thank everyone for their input, it is truely appreciated.

As much as I would like to have a Daly or Skillet likker coat, it is not in my budget.
The magority of my gear is mainstream(other than two fine shell jackets).
I have just entered into the world of reenacting (haven't attended one yet)
My gear was purchased with skirmishing (N-SSA) in mind. The clothing requirements are a tad less stringent than living history. I strive to dress the best I can in recreating a Kentucky volunteer (CSA of course) wearing jean material, "captured" Federal accoutrements etc.
I feel the Great coat would be used more for evenings spent around the cooking fire than on the field. Lord knows when I 'm skirmishing in the summer,
I'll usually be stripped down to little more than britches, galises,hat, and shirt haha.
Wendell

[bob 125th nysvi]

but to second what others have said, I never use it in the field.

I've used it at drill day and association meetings, it keeps me warm and looks as good as anybody's in the Company.

Any of the sutlers you mentioned can provide an adequate replica for the amount of times you are going to use it at a reasonable price. Most likely you'll use it at night at an early or late season event, even if you are guard duty, somebody would have to get pretty close to tell you it ain't authentic.

Then just stab 'em with your bayonet and the question is settled.

[Silas]

A great coat is a serious investment in your kit. You might be happy with a cheap coat if you attend standard events, but you'll stand out like a sore thumb if you go to higher quality events. The difference between coats sold by most mainstream vendors and quality coats made from proper fabric and proper pattern is very noticeable to even the untrained eye.

I made my own a few years ago from a County Cloth pattern and four yards of Family Heirloom Weaver fabric. The cost of pattern and fabric alone was a hundred and twenty bucks. If you can purchase a completed, light blue coat for a hundred and thirty, there's something seriously wrong with the coat.

Below are two links which show original great coats:

http://www2.inxpress.net/jwedeward/original_great_coat.htm

http://members.tripod.com/bliss_barn/originals.html

Here's a link to Blockade Runner's great coat. (http://www.blockaderunner.com/Catalog/catpg13d.html)

From the photos, it's hard to tell the difference. When you see a standard reenactor standing in his standard great coat next to someone who has paid the big bucks for a proper coat, you'll notice the difference.

Buy a coat on the cheap and that's what you'll get.

Tackitt,
AIG, AoT

[VaTrooper]

Fall Creek has an infantry pattern coat listed at $209 and Fred Baker will make you a nice Civilian Pattern one for $245. What to do.. What to do.....

[RJSamp]

From the photos, it's hard to tell the difference. When you see a standard reenactor standing in his standard great coat next to someone who has paid the big bucks for a proper coat, you'll notice the difference.
Tackitt,
AIG, AoT

If you paint different sides of a house with slight variations in color from different batches of paint you can't tell the difference.

If a standard reenactor wearing a standard great coat is standing with 40 standard reenactors wearing standard great coats you won't notice the difference Silas. And when would you see a standard reenactor with a standard great coat standing next to a cph authentic reenactor wearing an authentic great coat at an EBUFU event? wouldn't be surprised if most cph reenactors didn't own an authentic great coat.....maybe less of a number that own authentic frock coats? That OTB picture of a company assembled at Fort Delaware on the inside of the fort near the sally port facing south have a number of different coats. Would be interesting to point out the 'differences' in them....even though a picture can tell a thousand words, they don't show the subtle differences between an $80 sack coat and a $160 sack coat.....or a $150 great coat and a $450 great coat.

I thought going authentic was just as cheap as going mainstream?
Evidently not.

Me? i sent the big bucks to Scott Langdon and had him handstitch me up a cavalry/mountain pattern great coat with two 'in the field made' hand warmer pockets lined with scrap wool. But looking authentic costs substantially more than looking standard.

[Milliron]

First off; I'd like to thank everyone for their input, it is truely appreciated.

As much as I would like to have a Daly or Skillet likker coat, it is not in my budget.
The magority of my gear is mainstream(other than two fine shell jackets).
I have just entered into the world of reenacting (haven't attended one yet)
My gear was purchased with skirmishing (N-SSA) in mind. The clothing requirements are a tad less stringent than living history. I strive to dress the best I can in recreating a Kentucky volunteer (CSA of course) wearing jean material, "captured" Federal accoutrements etc.
I feel the Great coat would be used more for evenings spent around the cooking fire than on the field. Lord knows when I 'm skirmishing in the summer,
I'll usually be stripped down to little more than britches, galises,hat, and shirt haha.
Wendell

Fair enough. I have a Daley great-coat, and I LOVE it. You'll know where that extra $$ went when it's 20 deg and you are trying to take a pee at 4:00 a.m.

That said, you probably won't wear it that much, considering the stuff you like to do. One possibility is to look for a quality used one. Authentic gear is better used, IMHO, but I'm one of those strange ones that hates it when it looks new. Really though, you may just want to do without one. If you are doing CSA, the chances you would have an overcoat are really pretty slim (post Richmond, KY 48th TN references aside).

One fun possibility might be to buy a cheaply made Federal one and overdye it with a period vegetable dye. It will be as ugly as sin, but make a nice conversation piece as well as be historically accurate.

[tompritchett]

Another option to look at is get a high quality blanket or even a second blanket, especially if you are a Confederate. Just wrap it around you at night as you are carrying your weapon. Wearing a blanket for warmth seemed to be fairly common and does not require that you figure out how you are going to pack a great coat into your blanket roll.

Just my 2 cents.

[Silas]

RJ,

Before I made my own, I had not really noticed the difference between a correct coat and a standard coat. I spend much time looking at photos of actual coats before diving into the sewing task of my own coat. After completing my coat, I remember looking at coats sold by a standard vendor at a local event. I was appalled at how wrong the standard coat really is.

I made my coat for an event I did with the Southern Guard a few years ago. (By the way, it was one of the best events I've ever done.) At that event, there were many non SG members, like myself, participating. I saw a few standard coats in the ranks. (It was the non-SG members who were wearing them.) I wasn't looking at the coats to pick the guys apart. I was wondering why their coats were so different than mine. The nonconforming, poor quality of the coats is what caught my eye. There is something about modern powder blue fabric, nonfunctioning belts, and poorly fashioned vents which really calls attention to standard coats beyond ten yards.

If one only does standard events and only purchases standard items, there is no way to tell what is right and what is wrong. The standard is based upon what everyone else is wearing be it correct or noncorrect items. However, standard gear at high end events stands out like a sore thumb.

Tackitt

[rebel yell]

all great items above, but what use do you plan for it, late night porto john runs or living history? as a confed I found myself sledom using one even in the coldest days. before you invest in a coat valued at a truck or house payment , think about the purpose and use, would your unit even had them, etc? maybe a alternative or lower priced one if not for serious use.

Yeah, my coat is a blanket or a coverlet wrapped around me.:rolleyes: It's a lot cheaper, and AOT soldiers didn't have as much access to Federal Great Coats anyway. So it works out good for my impression.

[GrumpyDave]

Polyester burns quite well.

[tompritchett]

Polyester burns quite well.

Since your reply has nothing to with the post it is linked to and you did not quote whichever post you are replying to, I am assuming this is in reference to the post about the sleeping bag catching fire?

[terry sorchy]

Here is just a suggestion for future posts. When asking what type or what maker do I get for a certain item, please clarify what type of event you are going to use it for. If you go to mainstream events then anything you want will work. If you are going to a C/P/H event or want to then you must have something that is historically accurate. By the way Morris Clothiers makes a very fine federal greatcoat to.
Cheers
Terry Sorchy

[Memphis]

The reference to polyester burning well possibly stems from the well founded assumption about bargain basement greatcoats having a higher man made fiber content than those made for the more history oriented market. Each buyer has to weigh the pros and cons of what they buy. It is possible to over buy a garment that exceeds the authenticity of events, as well was underbuying something that just doesn't meet the guidelines of the better ones.

[rebelyell62]

Here is just a suggestion for future posts. When asking what type or what maker do I get for a certain item, please clarify what type of event you are going to use it for. If you go to mainstream events then anything you want will work. If you are going to a C/P/H event or want to then you must have something that is historically accurate. By the way Morris Clothiers makes a very fine federal greatcoat to.
Cheers
Terry Sorchy

Point taken my friend.
Thanx again to one and all for your input.
I believe I'll just buy another horse blanket for now and pin it around me.
Wendell

[GrumpyDave]

Sorry Tom,

The higher Polyester content fabric in some Greatcoats will burn/melt in a big hurry if a spark lands on it in the wrong place. 100% wool just smolders. I guess it's the same effect some ladies have had with their dress's around fires, at the least, from what I've read.

[Doug Cooper]

I have owned only one item that could not be called authentic, thanks to my mentor James Owens, who would not let me buy anything from the usual sutler row suspects. That one item was a sutler row federal overcoat that I grabbed in an emergency before my first winter event where snow and cold temps were predicted. Late the first night the overcoat caught fire with me in it while I was sound asleep. My comrades rolled me down the hill in the snow to put the fire out. The coat was hor's de combat but we kept it around as an example of what not to buy.

An excellent and cheap lesson in the flammability of fabrics used in sub standard garments.

[CivilWarBuff1863]

I've had a few remarks about my greatcoat while using it as a regular coat for the winter time. Most people ask me: "Is that real?", "Are you a rebel?", "Is it authentic?", "You must be one of those reenactors right?", "Where'd you get it at?"

I give them replies about what it is and where I got it at. Some people must be color blind too cause they mistake my skyblue greatcoat for a grey coat. I just eat it all up after I talk with people about it. Quite the conversation piece!

[coastaltrash]

Doug,
I hate to tell you, but I've seen natural dyed fabric go up at the same rate if not faster than poly. I got my coat for a steal at 250. Made by Scott Lyndon and Nate Petersburg I just waited until a deal came along. Also- Daley uses a lay away system.

Oh and to the gentlemen who lumped authentic made garments as handsewn, perhaps you should research a little more on the product and the makers before slamming them, as not one of the mentioned quality vendors hand stitches uniforms unless they are documented to be done that way, in the case of a greatcoat, it was machined except for the buttonholes and other small details.

Pat Landrum

[Doug Cooper]

Doug,
I hate to tell you, but I've seen natural dyed fabric go up at the same rate if not faster than poly. I got my coat for a steal at 250. Made by Scott Lyndon and Nate Petersburg I just waited until a deal came along. Also- Daley uses a lay away system.

Oh and to the gentlemen who lumped authentic made garments as handsewn, perhaps you should research a little more on the product and the makers before slamming them, as not one of the mentioned quality vendors hand stitches uniforms unless they are documented to be done that way, in the case of a greatcoat, it was machined except for the buttonholes and other small details.

Pat Landrum
Pat speaks the truth - if fire is still present it will burn 100% wool. If just a small ember, 100% wool generally will burn a hole and that's all. My coat burned AND melted...glad it was the 3rd layer!!!

Ditto on the hand vs machine stitching. Not a month goes by when we don't unearth another machine stitched original uniform piece - from trousers to overcoats to jackets to shirts, etc, CS and US, officer and enlisted, depot and commutation. Buttonholes and some details remain handsewn, but many, many garments were full or partially machine sewn. Made sense, since the sewing machine existed in the thousands, North and South.

That is the cool thing about the best vendors - pattern, materials and construction are correct, including whether the original was machine or handsewn. Poor vendors machine sew everything as a rule. That is how machine sewing became identified as not accurate among the mis-informed.