My mother had one for a very long time and was quite pleased with it. Quite durable, roomy enough to layer underneath and "shabby chic" as she would say.

Any tips for the best place to buy one currently? I imagine these are susceptible to counterfeits, so how to positively identify one as genuine?

I have very little direct knowledge of these, essentially due to lack of interest, but recognize the practical advantages the garment affords and so would welcome any pointers from those who do.

Thanks

Buy direct from their website?

Undoubtedly the safest bet.

Orvis on line, or maybe there is an Orvis  shop nearby

The Orvis site has a fair amount of information. Particularly about determining the right size.

My crash course in Barbour wear continues.

Thanks for the pointers.

Over 400 bucks for one?! Dude, just get her a Carhartt.
JK, yeah get one from the source.

Not sure where in SC you are,located but Dumas on King Street in Charleston has about 3 to four times the stock of any orvis store I have ever been to.

Those are expensive jackets. What do they do?

Mostly what they do is be ghastly expensive Barbour waxed cotton jackets that are moderately effective at keeping one dry as long as it’s not raining too hard.

That said, I really like the way waxed cotton looks, but being poor white trash, I had to settle for a Bean mountain parka on sale.   Love it.  Twenty years on, it’s still moderately effective at keeping me dry as long as it’s not raining too hard.

You'll probably find a few equestrian stores (dressage not quarter horses) that stock them too.

Keep you dry and have customer service to the point that if it needs totally rebuilt after 50years they will do that for you.

Rewaxing is a thing...

Orvis.

The beadnell is a bit more fitted women’s version.

My wife and I both love Barbour and have a couple each.

Yes, thank you, I knew that.  Not that it’s relevant to what I posted.

Gore Tex is a thing...

here, go to Orvis.  I got mine in England.  Great coat, and worth it, to me at least.

For some reason, women get fixated on Barbour and Burberry, but speaking from experience, there are better options. Helly Hansen makes high-performing stuff, especially above the $200 mark. If you want waxed cotton, Belstaff is top of the food chain. I own coats from the above brands and would only buy HH and Belstaff again.

No Belstaff isn't. Go take a gander at their site nowadays and see what Belstaff is about.

Also to add to the waterproof thing. Mine are waterproof for hours in heavy rain.  

But no, they are not gortex which I have plenty of. What they do well is make you not feel like you are not in a plastic bag. They keep you from looking like a ski-guide. They breathe surprisingly well. Finally they are rally freaking comfortable and break in to the point that they are always one of the first jackets you reach for.

Is it the best choice for hiking the Appalachian Trail? No. Going out on patrol for a week? Nope. Wandering the hills being outdoorsy for an afternoon? Absolutely. They are waterproof but they aren't just for rain, they are for anytime you need a light, rugged jacket with awesome pockets.

For some people they work wonderfully. For many they have nothing but complaints. Unsurprisingly the complainers often know all about them without ever actually having had one.

One last thing. Their more traditional jackets like the Bedale, Beaufort, and Beadnell are still made in England. Most of the others are not.

Found this when I was looking at getting one for my mom last year. Shows their rebuilding process.

Holy shit, thanks for the warning. They've moved way downmarket vs. 10 years ago. I don't see anything obviously made in England on there.

Consider my info obsolete.

Why not Filson?

I saw some really nice ones for men when I was in London years ago. I should have bit the bullet and gotten one, but they were freaking expensive!

I used to live in a quaint fishing village* called South Shields
(*utter bollox, it's a shit hole)

When in the area I worked for some time at a small factory in Jarrow as a bench-hand leatherworker.
This firm made all the bags for the Barbour firm, which was located about 400 yards away on the same industrial estate

I used to hang around the "factory shop" when it was a few shelves and cardboard boxed to one side of the loading dock.
The factory shop now is a different beast...and all of 30 minutes from me.

@1989765T - if you want me to hunt out a jacket and get a little off the RRP I am happy to do so - as swmbo & her daughter both have the bug for Barbour kit; so both insist on regular top up visits.
Just found out last month that shipping to the US via Surface from the UK is still as thing too = cheap
There may even be able to do a semi-livestream shop using WhatsApp or similar as the factory shop has all the catalogue items, plus a lot of dealer and sales rep. samples and prototypes.
A huge change in direction with most new jackets as they use a lot of modern fabrics and seem to be aiming for the New York fashionista market as opposed to the British country pursuits crowd.

Sadly my last visit was FUBAR as they had a WuFluQueue system in place which meant I stood in line to buy about £100 of wool scarves for around 25 minutes, and was ignored so others could be served.
Dumped them where I was standing and walked out

The Barbour jacket I am going nuts trying to find is the Longshoreman. Not been made for a long time....a traditional fisherman type smock design.

Well it is if you're not waterproof anymore... that is afterall the primary water proofing on the cotton jacket. None of mine leak in a downpour.

I am quite waterproof, thank you.  It’s that jacket that isn’t.   It’s very much water resistant, but not waterproof. My West Marine jacket and bibs were waterproof; the waxed cotton never was.