Two decades ago, my father gave me his M65 field coat that he'd treated with linseed oil and beeswax. Aside from touch-ups on the weather-proofing, it's still serving me well to this day. However, I've had more than one occasion where I needed something with more coverage and could stand up to extremely bad weather. Thus, I began my search for a good oilskin duster and if that's what you need, Australia is where you look. There are three manufacturers who make them that come to the top of the list and Kakadu is one of them. Different people will claim their preference is better than another or that the quality is all the same, as the designs are almost identical. HOWEVER, the Long Rider 3-in-1 is just a little bit "more." Across the spectrum, you can find a great oilskin duster that covers as much as you need. The selling point for me was the modularity/multi-fuctional ability of this coat. It has all that you would expect for a great duster (length, internal pocket, adjustable wrist straps and leg straps to keep it from flapping). Having the ability to convert it into makeshift overalls is a really neat idea and I think I'll have use cases for that, but just haven't yet. Regardless, I like having the option. Being able to convert it betwen 3/4 jacket and full length duster was what made this the winner for me, along with being able to remove the rain cape. This allows me to wear it in milder weather and more casual situations where walking around in a duster would stand out too much. Add in a removable hood and a liner, and you'll have everything you need to deal with the worst of foul weather to a low-key night out and about. For transparency, I'm in the US and couldn't find this coat locally or via the usual online retailers; I ordered directly from AU and it's worth every penny of the shipping cost! The only thing I could recommend for an improvement is to be cut a little larger for using with the liners, possibly some belt loops for equipment belts, and bellows pockets on the outside instead of patch pockets. Honestly, just having the bellows pockets would make this the absolute perfectly designed coat I could hope for. As it stands, it's still THE BEST oilskin duster I have ever found and look forward to having it for years to come and eventually passing it down to my son, if I don't end up getting him his own before then! If you're on the fence on buying this coat...BUY IT. Worth every penny.
