Flint and Tinder Flannel-lined Waxed Trucker Jacket Review

There is a lot of gear and apparel out there if you’re looking for something that oozes the industrious and persevering vibe of the working class. Some think of steel-toe work boots, sturdy trousers, or even pocketable multitools if a full toolbelt feels too much to wear every day. As for a top, Flint and Tinder’s Flannel-lined Waxed Trucker Jacket satisfies that need with a tasteful aesthetic and relative comfort.

Yes, the waxed exterior may bear all the scratches and dings your truck, tools, and toddler can throw at you, but rest assured, there’s a cozy flannel liner inside to give you a hug. And if you’re here solely for the aesthetics rather than the practical aspects like the number of pockets, ease of care, and heft, that’s okay because we’re quite fond of its looks. Don’t worry that we’ll skip over the important stuff, though—we’ll dive into those details now.

The Rundown

This jacket is off to a good start with a very self-explanatory name, so we’ll do it in that order. As it says, the liner is flannel, specifically a 100% polyester striped blanket lining. Flannel is one of those fabrics that can be made from various materials, like cotton and wool, or even a synthetic material like polyester. Regardless of its origin, flannel is very soft to the touch, which is great since bare canvas (waxed or not) isn’t the most comfortable fabric to wear by itself.

We’re already talking about the liner, so let’s continue the tour of what you’ll find inside. Admittedly, there’s not much. The only feature is a media pocket, a timeless way of saying a smartphone pocket. It’s not very big, so you probably can’t fit something like a bottle, but we can slide in a slim flask when we prefer to keep a smartphone in one of the exterior pockets.

Otherwise, the inside of the jacket is pretty bare. A small loop at the top lets you hang the jacket on a coat rack or in a locker. There are also multiple tags here. The one on the pocket bears the jacket’s name and brand, as well as where they sourced the materials and place of manufacture. The two smaller tags have care information and size info, respectively. All three proudly say, “Made in the USA.” This is a well-made jacket, so we can understand the pride that goes with it.

As for the exterior, the outer shell is waxed canvas, more specifically, waxed Martexin 7 oz. sailcloth (that’s cotton, in layman’s speak). It’s a hefty fabric, not that different in rigidity compared to a denim jacket, for example. One of the key characteristics of a waxed canvas fabric is that it’s very easy to scratch but not in a particularly destructive manner. Run your fingernail across the fabric, and you’ll produce a visible mark because of that wax coating, but the fabric itself is fine.

We dig this style of fabric, as we’ve mentioned in our gear reviews from brands like WaterField Designs and Trakke. Why? Something about the way it easily gets “scratched” feels very honest, like dirty skate shoes, a worn-out hammer, or a portrait of your grandparents when they were younger—its authenticity is appealing to us. Plus, it’s very water-resistant if you get caught in a light drizzle. On the other hand, waxed canvas does require extra care.

The wax needs to be reapplied periodically around areas that see a lot of wear. These spots include the behind elbows and shoulders, at least according to the jacket’s Huckberry page. You can also just feel the bare spots by touching them. As for the wax itself, you need fabric-specific wax like the Otter Wax Huckberry recommends and sells separately.

Apart from reapplying the wax, you’ll also have to take care of stains, right? Just don’t throw this jacket into your washing machine, or even hand wash it, for that matter. It’s spot-clean-only clothing, meaning you must blot away stains with a dry paper towel and then rub with a damp, soapy cloth. Fortunately, in our experience, many water stains are easy to blot away since there’s already a wax layer to prevent absorption. All in all, this is a jacket that’s not that hard to maintain.

Okay, so how does this jacket actually feel to wear? Well, if you’ve ever worn a denim jacket before, then you’re familiar with how constrictive it can be, and this is similar. It might not be the ideal jacket if you plan to hammer away at something in a tricky spot and do all sorts of acrobatic bends. It is quite warm, though, thanks to that flannel liner and the very closed nature of the waxed fabric. You’ll also want to get the fitment right, so make sure to check the page’s Find My Fit section before you lock in.

This jacket uses rather beefy snap fasteners for its closure. These were big enough that we thought they were regular buttons at first. Some may prefer those, as snap fasteners can let go if you put enough pressure on them or sit at a weird angle. Fortunately, we encountered no issues since we got the right size. On the other hand, the cuffs, the front pocket, and the cinch straps along the jacket hem do use regular buttons, which are just as beefy as the snap fasteners. Needless to say, they do not let go (by accident) once they’re locked in.

The media pocket inside is a bit small, but there are, fortunately, three pockets on the outside you can use as well. We didn’t use the front one since having its flap buttoned up just looks so proper, and we can’t be bothered to undo it every time we take something out. On the other hand, the side pockets are open and very roomy. You can easily fit a wallet and a smartphone in each and still have some room to spare.