Chrysalis Chiltern Shetland Field Coat - Wool, Insulated (For Men)

I was looking for a shooting jacket in London (I find that they make the best outerwear because they are made to take the roughest conditions). I saw this jacket in Jermyn Street but it was the same price in POUNDS as the retail price listed on this site. I was pleasantly surprised when I found it on STP at such a discount. I have other jackets from Musto and a Yorkshire supplier but this is much higher quality. As others have pointed out, it is much better quality than Barbour (most real shooters don't use oiled cotton anymore, it makes too much noise, so Barbours are mostly worn by wannabes nowadays). The only problem is that it is too nice to wear in the outdoors so I ended up using it mostly as a dress coat.

I hope that STP will continue to carry Chrysalis clothing, and that for my wife's sake, it will expand to include women's clothing. This is a beautifully made classic jacket. The value is excellent. I don't buy many clothes, but am glad to have this jacket.

I knew I wanted a coat like this, had plans to buy a particular one, but the maker stopped producing them. What I thought was a set back was my blessing. This is a finer coat than the one I had in mind. I'd only once seen such a coat, and thought it out of reach expense-wise. I feel very fortunate to have found it on Sierra, and am thankful for previous review writers, without whose glowing reviews I might not have pulled the trigger. This is a heavy wool and insulated coat, warmer than 98% of similiar things found in this city, perhaps one other garment tied this one for warmth. I'd found other English producers, but with no outlets here. I actually started calling Canadian shops looking for a "heavy car coat". The assistant at Sierra told me this coat weights a considerable, but not troublesome, 4.5 lbs.It's roomy and perfect for me. I'm 6'1", 225, late fifties and an athletic build. I can wear bulky sweaters under this coat easily. I could and will wear a sweater and a vest under it if it were bitter cold. The coat is larger than most other XL coats I tried, and that's fine for me. Someone on the cusp, could be quite satisfied with a "L". The sleeves come to where my fingers start. That's a tad long for some people, not for me. That's my taste. The ~ 4 inch collar folds up and stays there easily, touching and/or nearly touching the ears without annoyance giving great protection from wind. A high collar was a must for me. I wear scarves frequently and they fit in easily and comfortably. The sleeves have inner cuffs which I thought would be discomforting, but I was use to them immediately. This is a very finely made, English country coat with heavy somewhat rough wool. It's a style you either like or you don't. I love it. I'm grateful to have Sierra's considerable discount (+ a 10% initial customer discount which the assistant made me aware of) and her no-rush, personable help on the phone acquiring it. If it didn't work for me, I could have returned [...] Did I say I love this coat? I love this coat.Best, NYCP

This is my second review of this jacket. I had intended originally to have it taken in as it feels a little large, but I decided I liked the relaxed fit and the ease of movement it gave me..and I didn't trust anyone to take it in. I love this jacket. My only quibble is that the neck is way to big for me, so I need to wear something else to keep my neck warm. This is a really warm jacket. I can't comfortably wear it in the car for very long or if the temp is above 45F. I haven't tested its waterproof abilities, but I imagine that, since the tweed gets soaked before the water gets to the waterproof breathable liner (between the tweed and the interior insulation and liner), that it will work fine but be a soggy mess when I take it off. I will have to remember to hang it nicely and wait for it to drip dry. It also has to be dry cleaned and the tweed will absorb the snot from my kids when I pick them up. So far I have been able to wipe it off with a wet cloth, but I may have to dry clean it eventually. I have gotten a lot of comments about how nice this jacket looks. I compared it directly to a Barbour Beufort tweed jacket. The neck on the Barbour is smaller than the one on this jacket, but the Barbour jacket is a good 6 inches bigger in the chest and waist. This jacket is also markedly better quality than the Barbour (it looks and feels more high quality and less workmanlike). If it wasn't for the markdowns at Siera Trading Post I wouldn't ever have a jacket this nice. I like the chest handwarmer pockets. The interior pocket is nice. The zipper is large and easy to use in gloves (once you get used to the pull on the left hand side). The snaps are easy. The chain loop to hang the jacket with is a little cold on the back of the neck if you don't wear a collared shirt under it, but the lining is really nice. Really a nice jacket. I don't have much experience with coats at this pricepoint or of this caliber (I own Marmot and Arteryx shells which is a whole diferent thing), but I can't imagine a better made jacket being available. In my research I noticed that Chrysalis mostly sells the equivalent of this jacket as a custom tailored item in the U.K. That would be the only way I think it could be improved.

Being older, I feel the cold more and needed a good, warm jacket/coat. It would 'look better' if a belt could have been sewn on the back about 1/2 way. Very cosy and nice for this Oregon High Dessert, in the winter!

This jacket is beautifully made. I tried this and a Barbour Beaufort tweed jacket. This jacket is much nicer (matreials, fit and cut). The drawback is that I am a 46 jacket and a 38 pant waist, but this jacket would easily feet a 50 chest and 46 waist with room to wear bulky clothes underneath. I looked all over the net to find the real measurements of these jackets and couldn't find anything for Chrysalis (their website is under construction). Barbour adds 10 inches to their jackets as "chest tolerence" making a Barbour 48 an actual 58 (about a 58 waist, too), so the Chrysalis is better than the Barbour for sizing, but that isn't saying much. I am having the wool part of this jacket taken in about two inches per side to fix the jacket's "bell like" apearance. You can alter the tweed without affecting the waterproof (think generic Gore-tex)membrane. Still a good deal after tailoring considering the only other way to get this jacket is to import it from England and pay the retail price.

This coat can handle anything from field use to casual elegance in the city (with a country-gentleman flavor). My caution is to be careful of sizing. I'm a 42R & ordered the Large, which would fit a 44R wearing a bulky sweater. The Medium is just about perfect.

Chrysalis coats are much more expensive in mens clothing stores selling traditional clothing. I would have preferred the woolen lining, used in the top end coats.