There’s usually a bit of a compromise to be made between form and function. However, this jacket – the Finisterre Shipyard – has been designed with some of the old-school cool that you’d associate with a typical barn or yard coat, combined with some tip-top features that can help it fend off cold and wintery conditions when they arise. 

It’s a jacket which is inspired by the classic US Navy Deck Jacket. That iconic coat was first introduced in the 1940s during the depths of the Second World War as naval personnel looked to protect themselves against fierce weather conditions experienced while manning ships across the Atlantic. So can this Shipyard carry through some of the hard-wearing features of the original deck jacket into the modern age? We’ve been putting it through its paces to find out. 

Sphere Score

For

• Surprisingly lightweight
• Good variety of pockets
• Very warm

Against

• Might be long in the arms for some
• No hood option
• Won’t protect you against a sustained downpour 

Tech specs 

• £225
• Water-resistant 2-layer fabric with PFAS-free water-repellent finish
• Crafted from cotton and recycled polyamide 
• Repreve insulation made from recovered ocean plastic bottles
• Large pockets with hidden hand warmer pockets behind 
• 1050g in size medium 

What does the Finisterre Shipyard have to offer?

For what is quite an understated jacket design-wise, the Finisterre Shipyard actually has a lot going on behind the scenes. It’s crafted from a blend of organic cotton and recycled polyamide, which is then given a PFAS-free water-repellent finish which should help you out in lighter showers. You’ve got big ‘dump’ pockets at either side, behind which hide hand warmer pockets which are fleece-lined for extra comfort. There’s also a bonus zipped chest pocket designed for valuables such as your keys or phone. 

Inside, there’s a quilted finish filled with Repreve insulation which is made from recycled plastic from ocean-recovered bottles. Helping to fend off the elements is what the Shipyard is all about and that’s why you’ve also got critical seams which have been taped for additional weather protection. You’ve also got a combination of zipped and button fasteners. 

Inkeeping with Finisterre’s usual approach to impact-reducing measures, the Shipyard jacket is also, according to the firm, shipped ‘by land and sea’ in an effort to avoid air freight to reduce emissions further. 

Wearing – what is the Finisterre Shipyard like?

Straight out of the box, the Finisterre Shipyard feels like a quality item. It’s not a heavy jacket, but it has a rugged feel to it overall. That primary material used for the jacket isn’t rough, either, as you might expect with your typical deck jacket, but has a smoother finish to it. That said, there’s still a level of weave going through it to give it more of an old-school feel. We’ve got the Shipyard in a classic ‘Timber Green’ shade, though an equally good-looking Navy blue colourway is also available. 

The contrast quilted inner section is a nice touch, too, and while it is insulated, the jacket doesn’t feel bulky once it’s on. We went for a size Medium – as we tend to get in jackets of this type – and the arms did feel a touch long. You can get over this by rolling the sleeves up a cuff or two, but having tried a Small on at a later date, it feels as though this may have been a better option. You may lose some of the space for layering underneath, but you do gain a more cropped look, which feels like it suits this jacket more. It’s not quite as short-cut as the Danner Woodsman GTX, for instance.

However, something that you can’t argue with when it comes to the Finisterre Shipyard is warmth. It’s a very toasty jacket indeed and on brisk walks outside in the winter air, it does a great job of keeping things toasty. The hidden hand warmer pockets are ideally placed and, because they’re lined in a fleece material, help to make things even cosier. There’s no option to have a hood on the Shipyard, but you do get a collar which you can raise against the wind. 

However, this collar does feel a little flimsy – it might be nice if it had been made from a sturdier material than the rest of the jacket in order for it to provide better protection from the breeze. Plus, if Finisterre had wanted to play even closer to the original US deck jacket, then this collar should have been lined in some way, too, even with an animal-friendly alternative to wool. 

As mentioned, the Shipyard gets a water-repellent finish and, in our experience, this does a good job of preventing lighter showers from getting you wet. A good shake of the jacket and most of the water comes dripping off, so the protection is definitely there. More sustained downpours are going to cause more of an issue, mind you. 

Those primary dump pockets are plenty deep enough for most requirements, too; you can get a bag of dog treats in there, a torch or even your gloves when they’re not in use. It’s handy having the inner chest pocket, too, as a key place to keep things more secure. 

You’ve got a combination of zipper and traditional button fasteners for the front of the jacket, too. The buttons add a distinctively heritage feel to the jacket, but it’s nice to have the zip there too for a more secure fit. It could’ve been quite cool to have the zipper and buttons made from brass or another form of metal for a more upmarket finish, but you can’t fault the way the ones fitted to the Shipyard perform anyway. 

To finish

Finisterre has done a great job of reinventing the traditional deck jacket with more modern touches with the Shipyard. It’s impressively warm, but it’s light enough to pack away when not in use easily. Plus, you’ve got enough pockets for all occasions and the general fit-and-finish throughout the jacket is top-notch. 

It may feel slightly lighter than your traditional deck jacket, but that won’t make it any less durable. For a cold winter spell, the Finisterre Shipyard is definitely a jacket you’d want to reach for.