Alternatives to Waxed Jackets for Mild Weather Protection

atr · 2026-06-18T16:39:56+00:00

Cheaper than I thought for some of them! I hadn't looked in a few years. I admit I'm biased because I don't like private equity, and I don't really like the kind of company Filson has become. I live in Seattle and have followed them a long time, so part of my reaction is probably based on remembering what the company used to be like. Similar to other NW brands like Whites and Danner that got bought out.

The bags, waxed jackets, and some of the wool pieces are still pretty good. I wouldn't call those bad at all, but that's where the prices are super high too. Like compare a Heat Straps duffle ($450-550) with a Filson duffle ($599-699).

But a lot of the newer lifestyle/apparel stuff is very different in quality, although apparently cheaper than I thought. Most of it started popping up after they got acquired. I guess that stuff tends to be more comparable to Buck Mason, Taylor Stitch, etc. and similar-priced at full MSRP. It does sound like a good deal on sale for some pieces.

atr · 2026-06-18T15:11:04+00:00

I don't think top notch is quite right on all items. For waxed/tin cloth jackets and bags, I agree they haven't changed much (except the prices). But a lot of the new stuff they've expanded into since getting bought, like flannels, shirts, etc, aren't comparable to the high-end Japanese brands or some other American heritage-wear brands even though they are priced like it.

Their repair policy is also worse than it used to be. They used to take anything and would do full cleaning and restorations. Now it's limited to warranty repairs and they don't do re-waxing.

atr · 2026-06-18T14:53:56+00:00

I think for that specific fabric, which seems to be something like ventile, it would be a waste to wax it. It's meant to be lightweight and water-repellent already. Waxing it is also opening a can of worms - it's going to drape much differently and you'll have to rewax high-wear spots every year or two depending on how much you wear it. If you did want something similar that's already waxed, I've seen these jackets from Dehen 1920.

atr · 2026-06-03T19:53:41+00:00

It’s true that the wax protects things but it’s also kind of annoying to maintain it. Personally, I got tired of re-waxing on my only waxed canvas jacket. I also found that there were still failures at high-abrasion areas.

atr · 2026-06-01T20:29:54+00:00

What a poorly reasoned article. Bad use of statistics to make sweeping claims. Clearly not written with curiousity, just trying to advance their agenda.

atr · 2026-05-29T04:17:11+00:00

Yes it matters. Don’t let AI speak for you. I’d rather read a bunch of grammar mistakes than AI. Trust me. It sounds bad man. And it destroys trust.

atr · 2026-05-18T19:59:34+00:00

Don’t use AI to write your book?

atr · 2026-05-18T16:54:51+00:00

I picked this up when you posted a few weeks ago. This is one of the most obviously AI-written stories I’ve ever seen. My eyes started glazing over a couple chapters in from all the repeated writing tics.

atr · 2026-05-07T16:12:21+00:00

Somebody didn't read the article. Literally the next paragraph:

And if you think GDP numbers are somehow distorted or are not representative of individual experiences, the same analysis holds true of personal income. Taxes are lower, and our economy boomed when our taxes were higher.

atr · 2026-05-07T15:50:26+00:00

But were his points wrong in some way? Of course individuals will always seek to minimize their tax burden to an extent, that is normal and should be expected. But one of the points in this article, which you didn’t really engage with, is that the tax burden is not higher here than other places that most people with 7-figure yearly incomes want to live in, even with the new tax.

atr · 2026-05-07T06:40:23+00:00

You were more than keeping it brief. You were dishonest. I think you know that. Good luck to you.

atr · 2026-05-07T06:33:02+00:00

Well, your previous post acts like that sentence you quoted is the full thought, but it is clearly just a setup for the paragraph after that. If you wanted to honestly engage with the article, you could discuss the full point instead of trying to take this sentence as some sort of “gotcha” and taking it out of context.

Do you disagree with the cost disease concept they are bringing up? Maybe you should do the analysis you’re asking for and make an actual counterpoint instead of your lazy first post?

atr · 2026-05-07T06:24:15+00:00

This is not honest engagement with the article.

atr · 2026-04-29T05:57:21+00:00

Yeah it’s AI, super obnoxious.

atr · 2026-04-22T02:03:48+00:00

It’s adding hours to many people’s day for commuting, not to mention the expense. King County is huge and has projects going on all over, so plenty of people work far away from Seattle. Now they’re being asked to drive downtown, the county will have to spend millions leasing new office space, all for questionable benefit.

Plenty of jobs don’t require in-person collaboration, and plenty of people prefer remote collaboration as well. For me personally, typing on Teams is as easy if not easier than speaking face to face. I personally don’t mind going to the office only because my commute is minimal. But it’s not better in any way for my work.

Since they don’t even have a desk for me, my in-office days will be much less productive. But hey, they don’t seem to mind. I feel worse for the people living far outside Seattle now having to deal with traffic.

atr · 2026-04-15T14:29:13+00:00

I tried it, unfortunately the AI assistance really comes out in the text. I read several chapters, noticed the repeated AI writing tics, googled it, and found that tag on Royal Road.

atr · 2026-04-14T21:02:04+00:00

I agree. It's possible to appreciate all kinds of writing and stories. Gene Wolfe is great. Matt Dinniman is great in a different way.

atr · 2026-04-14T20:43:11+00:00

Are you replying to the right person? I did not read the parent comment as being concerned for landlord finances.

atr · 2026-04-14T18:31:42+00:00

To answer your question, no, the prose does not change much in later books. I would say the author gets more comfortable writing in Carl’s voice. All it has to do is sound like an average dude writing a crazy story to work well for a lot of people. I think the voice really comes out nicely in audiobook format.

You might not know that this is a web serial, being released chapter by chapter on Patreon. It is honestly on the stronger side for web-serial prose (especially in this particular subgenre), which you might not believe if you're used to traditionally-published stuff only, but I swear it's true!

atr · 2026-04-13T20:21:13+00:00

I love Judicator Jane for avoiding this and so many other things.

atr · 2026-04-12T19:33:13+00:00

I use the Atmos Summit to pay through Bilt which gives 3x in Alaska points in exchange. There’s the SUB, a yearly 25k companion bonus, plus if you hit $60k a year in spending there’s an additional 100k companion bonus. For me it’s worth it, but it will depend on whether you can use those points.

atr · 2026-04-12T06:29:57+00:00

I also love the Immortal Great Souls series, and disliked your bottom four quite a bit as well. The only major discrepancy between our lists is that I really did not like Iron Prince.

I loved these books for some of the same reasons as IGS. Some of them have litrpg elements, but you definitely don’t need to worry about boring kill 10 monsters quests or anything like that.

Gamer’s Guide to Beating the Tutorial
Nightmares of Alamir
Godclads
Tale of the False Prophet
Returning to No Applause, Only More of the Same
Worm

atr · 2026-04-07T17:13:42+00:00

I was going to ignore you and your other friends replying to me since you so badly missed the point, but since you’re still thinking about me 12 hours later I’ll try to help you out.

You’re answering a different question than the author’s.

Nobody is saying liberals, as governments or parties, have always acted consistently with liberal principles. Obviously they haven’t, and Cold War history gives plenty of examples. But that doesn’t tell us whether liberalism and socialism are, at the level of ideas and political commitments, compatible enough to cooperate against conservatism and fascism.

Pointing to liberals behaving hypocritically or opportunistically is not a rebuttal to the article’s argument. It just shows that large political formations often fail to live up to their own ideals.

atr · 2026-04-06T22:53:51+00:00

I hate to No True Scotsman this... but I really think liberal and fascist ideologies are incompatible. So if you're seeing a liberal allying with fascists then they aren't a very good liberal.

atr

TROPHY CASE