 G'day, how you going? My name is Tech and welcome to my channel Bootlossophy. I acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands that I live and work on, the Wajik people of Nungabuja. My channel being named Bootlossophy is normally a boot review channel but today I'm bringing to you this RM Williams dry skin cotton jacket. This is a waterproof waxed oil skin coat in the style and fashion of a traditional Aussie oil skin that's been used in bushware by farmers and cattle and sheep station workers since the late 1890s. Edward Leroy was a Scottish sailor working on wing jammer ships that sailed around the world and he first experimented making waterproof garments to use on ships by dressing sailcloth in a mixture of linseed oil and wax. When he settled in New Zealand he and his Australian partner T.E. Pearson started making oil skin coats in Sydney. Demand grew immediately and the coat was adapted to the Aussie bush lifestyle not only as waterproof rain gear but also adapted with slits and flaps to be used while riding a horse. For example this fan tail at the back and this split opening at the front comes from the knee to have room to sit astride a saddle. This example by RM Williams and it's called the brown dry skin cotton jacket. RM Williams of course is famous for their craftsmen and other Chelsea boots. Strong sturdy Aussie yard riding and work Chelsea boots that have now become de rigueur fashion items for the boardroom or at the pub. RM Williams was founded by Reginald Murray Williams in 1932 on the back of his whole cut Chelsea boot but they have always made bush work accessories including saddles, hats, mole skin pants and tough shirts and coats like these. Unlike their boots which have always been made in Australia many of their other goods have had their manufacturing shipped overseas. In the past since RM's sale of the company to others the company has passed through several hands including non-Australian hedge funds and French luxury brand Louis Vuitton Moy Hennessey. However a few years ago Australian billionaire miner Twiggy Forrest bought the company and brought its ownership back to Australia. In doing so in 2021 the owners made the announcement that they would bring all of the manufacturing back to Australia to sit beside the boots as made in Australia. Now my regular viewers will know that I'm not dying the ditch about where something is made but as in Australia nevertheless it feels good to know that there's a company that will support our industrial capacity and Aussie jobs and experience. This dry skin jacket is made in Australia and has been for some years. It is a wax cotton cloth not canvas or sail cloth and so feels softer to the touch with a very light impregnation of wax on the 100% cotton outer layer. The lining is cotton polyester with their famous Longhorn logo printed all over it. The lining and the windproof nature of the wax cotton makes this a warm coat for temperatures down to say 15 Celsius and if it gets any colder you can throw a jumper on under it. Going through the jacket it's a mid-length jacket or coat going down to the upper thigh. The back of it has a waistband sewn on with two buckles so that you can cinch the waist tight. As already mentioned there is a fan tail so that when you sit on a horse or a motorbike it flaps up behind you and keeps your bum dry. The collar is a plain collar and quite generous so that when you turn it up it covers the back of your neck. The sleeves are cut a little longer for protection of the arms when you're on a horse or a motorbike. The cuffs are adjustable with these pop buttons so that you can close down the opening in wet weather. You close the jacket with these RM Williams solid brass pop buttons. There's also one right at the top to close any gaps and four others down the opening but stopping short waist high providing an opening again for sitting down. We all know that feeling when you get in the car on a bike and the front of your jacket kind of crunches on up here. Pocket-wise there are two pockets at the hips both with usable protective flaps. The flap on the left has a leather longhorn logo sewn on. These are nice roomy pockets and although they're not bellowed to expand you can throw just about anything in them. The pocket pouch is actually internal the opening is just a tailored slit there are there's no seams and the pocket itself is sewn in internally. I'm guessing this is designed to have less seams that water can get through to keep whatever is in your pockets dry. I wouldn't have minded though the addition of some bellows or expandability there as often when you're wrapped up in a waterproof jacket and you're fully buttoned up you want to throw all sorts of things you know keys tools paper maps into your pockets outside of the jacket without having to undo the buttons. There are no breast pockets again I think to avoid seams and I don't mind that with two roomy pockets down there. There is one inside pocket on the left breast the opening is a vertical one easily reached and the pocket itself is quite deep deep enough to put your phone in there and I know that it feels secure in fact the placement of this pocket is quite high on the breast which means that it's easy to reach and even if you're fully buttoned up all you need to do is just basically pop this one button open and you can reach in. It's well put together there are very few external seams and what there are seems to be double folded and double stitched so that to provide water resistance the stitching is even and it looks pretty good. The hardware the buttons and buckles are heavy brass and they've been sewn on very securely the edges like at the breast pockets are rolled and lined. The wax cotton is waterproof I can attest to that my top half has been kept dry in a storm here in the southwest of western Australia in winter and if I have one criticism albeit it's a criticism of all short coats it's that my pants got very wet. The wax infusion is very light you don't get them moving and crackling that you get and say the flint and tinder wax trucker jacket where the wax sits on the surface before it's heated into the sail cloth. I don't think this was patina in this case I think the cotton material is immersed in a wax bath by the way it feels it's not waxy or oily or sticky at all as for care RM Williams just says to store it in a cool dry place presumably so it doesn't get moldy and to clean it with cold water only. I don't think it's hard to look after just don't throw it into a washing machine and I wouldn't send it to the dry cleaners you can re-proof the coat. RM Williams sells a re-proofing conditioner and they say that once you re-proof you need to heat it into the surface with a hair dryer. I've had this coat for eight years now and I've used it in all sorts of conditions I've thrown it into the back of a wet and muddy car as well as into the dusty tray of a ute and it still feels proofed so I wouldn't worry about re-proofing yours for many a year. As for sizing I take a medium in most clothing including coats and jackets and I take a medium in this. I'm five foot nine that's about 175 176 centimeters and I weigh 74 to 75 kilos that's about 160 plus pounds. I'm of light built maybe don't tell anyone with a little middle-aged spread starting this jacket in medium fits me very well it's comfortable on not too heavy not too light it's just right across my shoulders and the sleeves are a bit long but that's for a reason it's water protection it can easily fit over a thick jumper of your wearing one and it will keep you dry and warm. Now I bought this eight years ago when it cost I think about 250 Australian dollars on your website now they list at 499 dollars gulp kind of like their boots the is it worth it question is a little coloured by the knowledge that you may be paying a premium for the name and the reputation at 499 bucks I can't honestly say that it's worth every penny at a hundred dollars less I'd feel more comfortable but it's what you like or want I guess if you want a really securely waterproof and windproof jacket that will last you for a long time under almost any conditions and you want an RM Williams coat this is worth it to you so there you are a departure from boots but a coat made by a boot brand and after all if you wear boots you have to wear clothes that suit I hope you like this type of review if you did please let me know in the comments below so I know whether to make more videos like this and of course don't forget click on the like button also if you're not already subscribed why aren't you by the way don't forget to click on the subscribe button so that you don't miss the videos I'll be pulling out about boots boot reviews and boot brand comparisons as well as maybe the odd gear stay tuned until then take care and I'll see you again soon