All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
The best men's barn coat is red-hot right now, and for good reason. Brolic but not bulky, they’re rugged-leaning jackets that work with any and every outfit, whether you’re a jeans-and-boots guy or swear by swishy hiking pants and trail-ready XT-6s. They’re also in the process of a major fashion glow-up. It’s hard to beat the staying power of a waxy Barbour zip-up or a dad-approved riff from L.L. Bean, but a handful of niche labels are giving the old stalwarts a run for their money.
Buying your first barn coat? Make sure it’s cut with enough room to comfortably slip a sweater beneath it, and that its craftsmanship ensures it’ll remain a reliable rotation beater for years to come. The former, of course, might demand some trial and error on your end, but the latter exactly where we come in. These are the absolute best barn coats for men on the market right now, from the genre-defining joints you already know to the sleeper-hit versions you probably don’t.
The Best Men’s Barn Coats, According to GQ
- The Best Barn Coat Overall: J.Crew Limited-Edition 1983 Heritage Barn Jacket, $178
- The Best Barn Coat for Bad Weather: Barbour Classic Beaufort Wax Jacket, $435
- The Best Barn Coat for Aristocrats: Purdey Latch Cotton-Canvas Coat, $2000
- The Best Barn Coat Your Dad Swears By: Orvis Classic Barn Coat, $169
- The Best Barn Coat for Menswear Nerds: FrizmWORKS 003 Royal Hunting Jacket, $330
- The Best Barn Coat for Fashion Guys: Auralee Hunting Blouson, $1005
Take Me To: More Barn Coats We Love | How We Review Products | How We Make These Picks | Why Buy a Barn Coat Today?
Best Barn Coat Overall: J.Crew Limited-Edition 1983 Heritage Barn Jacket
Materials: 100% Cotton | Sizes: XS-XXL | Color Options: Five
Deep, easily accessed pockets? A warm corduroy collar? A charming plaid lining? This jacket from J.Crew is, quite simply, the platonic ideal of a barn coat. It has all the details dialed in, built upon a sturdy, 100% cotton washed canvas body that will only soften and feel more like your own in time. . Originally launched over 40 years ago, there’s a reason J.Crew is still able to sell it four decades later. And we didn’t even mention the hook on the back, so you can hang this up with ease as soon as you enter your bustling, warm, overcrowded local bar. It’s the little things.
Best Barn Coat for Bad Weather: Barbour Classic Beaufort Wax Jacket
Materials: 100% Cotton | Sizes: 36-44 (S-XXL) | Colors: Three
Speaking of items that have been in production for decades, is there a more recognizable barn coat than Barbour’s Classic Beaufort? The British royal family doesn't mess around when it comes to outdoor walking gear, so King Charles’ decision this year to reinstate Barbour’s Royal Warrant is not to be ignored (especially as he is, after all, the Menswear King). Designed to withstand the elements before the days of DWR and Gore-TEX, the jacket’s waxed cotton keeps drizzles at bay, the double zipper at the front allows for maximum mobility, and the oversized corduroy collar keeps wind from creeping in, especially when flipped up. The jacket’s best feature, though, might be the small insulated hand pockets just above the main outer ones, which are at the perfect height for resting your limbs and warming your fingers after a long day of grouse shooting (or a long walk through the Lower East Side).
Best Barn Coat for Aristocrats: Purdey Latch Cotton-Canvas Coat
Materials: Cotton, lamb leather patches, buffalo horn buttons | Sizes: S-XL | Colors: One
If you have a penchant for copping the finer things, look no further. Technically, this design from fellow British maker Purdey (open since, yes, 1814) is inspired by firefighters’ coats, but the waxed cotton canvas and wool lining put this firmly within the barn coat family. The lamb leather patches are going to age like fine wine, the lobster clasps keep gritty, bone-chilling winds from passing through the jacket, and a soft corduroy collar protects yer neck from harsh climes.
Best Barn Coat Your Dad Swears By: Orvis Classic Barn Coat
Materials: Cotton, recycled polyester | Sizes: S-XXL | Colors: Three
If you’re simply on the hunt for a warm, well made, classically-styled barn coat, Orvis’ sportsman-approved Classic Barn Coat gets you there. The body is lined with toasty flannel for extra insulation, the sleeves are polyester-lined so they slip easily on-and-off, and the 7.8-oz. cotton canvas is an ideal weight for three-season wear. Still on the fence? Skim some of the on-site reviews, where veterans and contractors alike can be found waxing lyrical about its qualities.
Best Barn Coat for Fashion Guys: Auralee Washed Organic Canvas Hunting Blouson
Materials: Cotton, leather | Sizes: 3, 4, 5 (S-L) | Colors: One
Just as Rick Rubin reduces records to only the elements they truly need, Japan’s Auralee pares down classic styles to just their necessary fundamentals, then finishes them off in all the best materials. This jacket’s heavy-duty organic cotton exterior and (removable!) leather collar are only going to get better with age, while the generous oversized fit makes it perfect for throwing on over a sweater or a down layer on cold days Six pockets on the front carry just about everything, and still leave space to keep your hands permanently tucked away à la 1960s Bob Dylan.
Best Barn Coat for Menswear Nerds: FrizmWORKS 003 Royal Hunting Jacket
Materials: Cotton, polyester, nylon | Sizes: S-XL | Colors: One
An unexpected source of pitch-perfect workwear and military-inspired silhouettes, South Korea’s FrizmWORKS here pays homage to the traditional British MK3 hunting jackets of the 50s and 60s with its Royal Hunting Jacket. It’s lightweight, has a perfect fit for layering, and tacks on a few thoughtfully-designed additional details that set it apart, like four strategically-placed front pockets, an adjustable drawcord waist, and—these are nice—corduroy-lined cuffs.
More Barn Coats We Love
Alex Mill
Frontier Jacket
If the Alex Mill Frontier Jacket looks familiar, that’s probably because it shares an almost identical design to the aforementioned L.L. Bean jacket. It sets itself apart, though, through its flannel lining, washed black finish, and—look closely now—real corozo buttons, which are about as durable as buttons can get. Just more heat from the Mill.
Sunflower
Waxed Leisure Jacket
Sunflower’s Waxed Leisure Jacket is a perfectly simple, and dare we say, elegant option if you’re looking for a versatile, pared-down jacket to take you from fall to winter and beyond. The waxed canvas comes from the legendary Halley Stevenson Mills in England, a brushed flannel lining adds some valuable warmth, and durable YKK zippers round out the restrained design.
L.L.Bean
Original Field Coat
We couldn’t round out a piece on barn coats without a nod to L.L. Bean, one of the barn coat OGs. Their version is an icon, pairing vintage hunting details and hard-wearing cotton canvas with strategic pockets, and the option to also buy in a ‘Tall’ fit for any of our more vertically blessed readers.
Miles Leon
Barn Corduroy-Trimmed Cotton-Canvas Jacket
Most barn coats fall into the realm of pleasant earth tone colorways, but this shade of brown really is just a step above the rest. The jacket marries style and utility throughout, from the perfect placement of the vintage-inspired pockets to the thoughtful stitching details. And the slightly cropped fit would do wonders for anyone who feels that thigh-length coats don’t flatter their height.
Knickerbocker
Catskills Canvas Coat
Another delightfully dirt-toned jacket, the Catskills Canvas Coat from NYC’s Knickerbocker is a faithful homage to vintage fly-fishing wading jackets commonly worn in the jacket’s namesake upstate region. The rounded collar stands out among other jackets on our list, and the gusseted shoulders allow for a wide range of movement on and off the river.
How We Test and Review Products
Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.
Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.
How We Make These Picks
We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.
To kick off the process, we enlist the GQ Recommends braintrust to vote on our contenders. Some of the folks involved have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets.
We lean on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrow down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.
Across the majority of our buying guides, our team boasts firsthand experience with the bulk of our selects, but a handful are totally new to us. So after several months of intense debate, we tally the votes, collate the anecdotal evidence, and emerge with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best of the category right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.
Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there's bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ's testing process here.)
Why Buy a Barn Coat Today, In the Year of Our Lord 2024?
Maybe it’s just us, but it sure seems like fall is getting shorter each year. That new reality is, objectively speaking, absolutely terrible for the planet—and gut-wrenching for the menswear fans that occupy it. But it also presents an opportunity: to buy a barn coat hardy enough to double as a parka replacement with a beefy cable-knit beneath, but light enough to rock solo with a threadbare vintage tee when the spring thaw hits. Scant other jackets boast that degree of season-agnostic versatility (trust us: we’ve checked), and that’s reason enough to cop one right now.