1816 by Remington Ryder Jacket (For Men)

I liked the look of this jacket on the Web site, but hesitated to order it because I had questions that weren’t answered in the description. STP eventually made an offer I couldn’t refuse, so I took a chance. Once it arrived, I found that my questions were answered in a positive way, and I am very happy with the purchase.

The outer shell fabric is a sturdy, canvas, Cordura–style nylon. The jacket interior and hand-warmer pocket lining is soft, brushed polyester. The arms are lined with polyester taffeta. The jacket is extremely well made, comfortable, attractive, and roomy enough for a sweater underneath.

This is advertised as a “concealed carry” jacket. I don’t carry a weapon, and was concerned that the pocket design might be too restrictive for use as a normal jacket. I was pleased with what I found. The two inside “magazine-carry” pockets are sewn in at chest-level and made from the same heavy nylon canvas fabric as the outer shell. The pockets are bellows-style with snap flap top closures. Interior dimensions are approximately 5 ½" high, 4" wide, and ¾" deep. The pockets are not divided into individual magazine compartments. I can get my iPhone 6 Plus snapped in, but just barely.

I was most curious about the exterior chest pockets, and whether the holster system would take up too much space. I found that the chest pockets are CAVERNOUS! They extend from the pocket opening down to the waste-band, then backward along the waste-band for approximately 11 inches (size XL jacket) to the second vertical seam, then vertically upward about 14 inches, to just behind the arm hole. If not for the constriction at the armholes, you could fit a full-sized laptop into these pockets. The chest pockets are constructed from the same tough nylon material as the outer shell.

For concealed carriers I’ll try to explain the holster system. Inside each chest pocket are three heavy-duty, two-inch-wide, Velcro strips. These strips are sewn, fuzzy side out, to the rear face of the pocket. The strips run vertically from the top to the bottom of the pocket. These three strips are roughly parallel to each other and spaced about 2 inches apart. Provided with the jacket are two Velcro inserts, one for each pocket. These inserts are T-shaped, and made from the same heavy-duty, two-inch-wide Velcro. The Ts are 10 1/2 inches tall and 8 inches across the top. They can be attached in a variety of ways to the Velcro strips sewn inside the pockets. You can use them to attach your own holster, or, in a pinch, configure the long part of the T into a loop and use the loop as a holster. The system is sturdy enough, and the pocket big enough, to accommodate even fairly large handguns without causing sagging in the jacket’s chest area.

This is a very nice jacket. It works well for normal use, and the huge chest pockets would be a shoplifter’s dream. And, well, just in case of that zombie attack……