If you are shopping for Filson gear, you will see Filson Dry Tin Cloth garments. What is Filson Dry Tin Cloth? Filson Dry Tin Cloth is Filson’s heavyweight canvas Tin Cloth with no oil-finish (meaning it is a dry finish). You can also buy Filson Oil-Finished Tin Cloth.
Filson uses the oil-finish to make their Tin Cloth garments water-repellent. However, Filson oil-finish Tin Cloth is not best for every situation. It is less breathable than dry Tin Cloth, and some people don’t like the oily texture. Therefore, Filson also offers dry Tin Cloth (but Filson Dry Tin Cloth is not water-repellent).
Update – Filson now offers some types of dry Tin Cloth that are finished with a DWR coating to make them water-repellent without needing the oil-finish. This is an example of a Filson Dry Tin Cloth Garment that has this DWR coating (paid affiliate link takes you to Filson.com).
Dry Tin Cloth is very durable (although the oil-finished Tin Cloth is widely considered to be the most durable option). Dry Tin Cloth is machine washable (oil-finish is not), and as I mentioned, dry Tin Cloth is much more breathable. However, even though the dry Tin Cloth has some DWR versions, the oil-finished Tin Cloth is the better material for wet brush and rainy conditions.
What is Filson Dry Tin Cloth?
Filson Tin Cloth is the heavyweight canvas fabric that the company uses for its most durable gear. This Filson Tin Cloth canvas is offered in both an oil-finished and dry version.
The benefit of oil-finished Tin Cloth is it is water-repellent and even more durable due to the oil coating. The benefit of dry Tin Cloth is it is much more breathable than oil-finished Tin Cloth, but not water-repellent. Filson dry Tin Cloth is machine washable and Filson Oil-Finished Tin Cloth is not.
Is Filson Dry Tin Cloth Waterproof?
Filson Dry Tin Cloth is not waterproof (meaning if you expose it to water, it will become water-logged). Filson oil-finish Tin Cloth is water-repellent, and will be your best option if you are dealing with heavy, wet brush.
However, Filson recently began offering some types of dry Tin Cloth that have been coated with a DWR finish to make them water-resistant without needing the oil finish. It is still best to consider the oil-finish Tin Cloth to be the better garment for wet conditions due to the waxed finish.
Below is a video I made testing how waterproof the oil-finished Filson Tin Cloth is:
Pros and Cons of Filson Dry Tin Cloth
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Heavyweight durable canvas for rugged work | Longer break in periods due to heavyweight material |
| Much more breathable than oil-finish Tin Cloth | Not water-repellent |
| Machine Washable | |
| Tight weave helps withstand wind | |
| Won’t leave oil residue on skin |
Popular Types of Filson Dry Tin Cloth
Filson Dry Tin Cloth Pants: Filson’s Tin Cloth is popular because it is durable and handles well in harsh work environments, but the oil-finished versions lack breathability. Also, some people don’t like the feel of waxed work pants. These Filson Dry Tin Cloth pants don’t use that oil-finish, which means they won’t be water-resistant like oil-finished options, but they will be more breathable and you can machine wash them.
Filson Dry Tin Cloth Jac-Shirt – This is a newly released version of Filson Tin Cloth Jacket that uses dry Tin Cloth. Again, dry Tin Cloth means this jacket will *not* have an oil-finish. However, what makes this jacket unique is Filson has treated it with a DWR finish so that it is still water-resistant without the oil finish. This jacket also uses a 10.5-ounce Tin Cloth fabric, making it a bit more flexible than the heavyweight jackets.
Filson Dry Tin Cloth Shorts – Filson does use the dry Tin Cloth is their work shorts. This is an obvious garment to use dry Tin Cloth in because you need shorts to be breathable and you aren’t wearing shorts usually in heavy, wet brush (so the need for an oil-finish is much less). These Filson Dry Tin Cloth shorts have a double layering on both the front and the back to make them much more durable than standard work shorts.