Dickies' Most Popular Jackets Come in Weatherproof Waxed Versions, Too
Two of the brand's most well-known outerwear designs, the Eisenhower Jacket and the classic Chore Coat, come in waterproof waxed cotton.
Dickies, which was founded more than 100 years ago, still specializes in workwear, even if it has expanded into fashion-forward stuff, too. A release from earlier this year (2023), however, takes its workwear legacy to new heights using a relatively commonplace material, which, until now, the brand has never used before: waxed canvas. It applied the famously weatherproof cotton fabric to two of its most iconic jackets, the Eisenhower and the classic Chore Coat.
With their new wax seals, both jackets work better in wet conditions. In the past, Dickies introduced insulated versions of both, but they still lacked when the rain rolled in or a puddle caught it by surprise. The wax-enriched cotton also lasts longer because it doesn't just defend against wetness, but rips, abrasions and the loosening of seams, too.
But the material wasn't the only swap Dickies made for both jackets. On the zip-front Eisenhower Jacket, there's a zippered chest pocket, interior chest pocket and bicep sleeve pocket, as well as a brushed cotton flannel liner and a corduroy collar. The liner and collar carry over to the Chore Coat, but it has three front snap pockets, which typically remain open on Dickies's lighter chore coats.
They're nearly identical in price, too, with the Eisenhower Jacket at $189 and the longer, bulkier Chore Coat at $199. That's a whole $100 less than Flint and Tinder's popular Waxed Canvas Trucker, our top pick in the category. Time will tell if these compete over time, but they seem like solid options for those hoping to spend less than $200, especially since it seems like these jackets derive their looks from the archival Dickies designs, which typically reincarnate for far more — like $500 — in Dickies's luxurious 1922 sub-line.
