Merino Coach Jacket

386g

¥26,400 Tax included

Introduction

For hiking, at home or around the campfire

This Coach jacket is made from a 100% Merino fabric we stumbled on by chance when developing our trail shirts.

Weaved by a well-established Italian manufacturer using New Zealand wool, it is medium thick and yet slightly thinner than the Merino 5-Pocket Pants, at 208g/m².

Merino wool is naturally fire-resistant, doesn’t really smell, and has excellent thermal and moisture-wicking qualities that make it perfect as both an outfit for hiking and around campfires. This is the type of jacket I enjoy wearing all the time, whether it be hiking in the mountains or walking around in my garden at home.

On February 8 only Navy, Brick, and Faded Blue colors will be available; Charcoal, Light Gray, Indigo, and Sand Stone are while supplies last.

Color

Charcoal
Indigo
Light Gray
Sand Stone
Brick
Navy
Faded Blue

Specs

Made in Fukushima, Japan

Material:
100% Merino Wool 208g/m²
Weight:
386g (Size XS)
422g (Size S)
448g (Size M)
473g (Size L)
498g (Size XL)
Size:
UNISEX | XS / S / M / L / XL

Product Story

A Jacket that breathes

Akira Natsume, Yamatomichi Founder

The beta version of the Merino Coach Shirt Jacket released in 2019 was very convenient with a folding sleeve and a large pocket, so it received many good reviews from those who tried it. We thought of releasing it as it was for the general public, but as it had very little difference from the Merino Shirt, we considered making it a slightly thicker coach jacket instead.

The Merino 5-Pocket Pants work really well for the fall and winter seasons. The excellent thermal and moisture-wicking qualities of the Merino wool create a comfortable feel that cannot be expressed by synthetic fabrics.

So, we made it using Merino wool fabric that is slightly thicker than the Merino 5-Pocket Pants and it turned out to be brilliant. It can also be used as an outer jacket and can be worn comfortably at all times. In terms of use, it’s sort of like fleece with slightly better wind resistance.

At freshly-snow covered Kurodake, Hokkaido.

I love wool. I often go hiking in just wool tops and bottoms. The gentleness of the wool gives you a sense of security and comfort, as if it were your 2nd skin. I think wool is captivating in the same way as naturally levered bread is delicious and a solid wooden floor feels great walking on with bare feet.
Our Alpha Direct jackets are light and have excellent breathability and heat insulation, so are better for serious mountaineering. I wear these when it’s really cold. However, I would pick the Merino Coach Jacket if I wanted to enjoy hiking more casually. This is because it is comfortable to wear for long periods of time, has good thermal and humidity control, and has sort of a spongy feel that has great breathability.

It blends easily into your everyday life as well. It’s actually hard to find a reason to take it off!

October, 2020

Review

Perfect Winter Wear

Masaaki Mita, Yamatomichi Journals Editor

During the winter of 2019 and 2020, I wore the prototype Merino Coach Jacket on top of a Yamatomichi pullover shirt and Merino Hoody as well as our Merino 5-Pocket Pants for the whole winter for the whole time.
This combination, that covered me in sheep wool from head to toe, gave me all the thermal and humidity control benefits that Merino wool provides, so that I didn’t feel too hot when going from outdoors to indoors and still felt comfortable outdoors thanks to the excellent wind resistance and adequate heat insulation, eliminating the need of taking it off and putting it back on.
In a nutshell, it’s so easy to use and yet so comfortable. Moreover, it looks stylish, so I just keep wearing it. Thanks to that, I got through winter without hardly wearing my down or fleece jackets.

On a fall hike to Oze where it was around 5–15 degrees celsius, I still felt very comfortable walking in that outfit. Of course, I had to take it off when hiking up Mt. Shibutsu, but it doesn’t get as stuffy or wet with sweat inside compared to synthetic fibers when my body heats up, which is probably thanks to the excellent thermal and moisture-wicking qualities of the Merino wool.

I will probably spend most of the coming winters wearing this “Perfect Winter Wear” too.

Form and Function

The perfect campfire Jacket

Wool is naturally fire-resistant and is the perfect kind of fabric for enjoying campfires. Wearing jackets made out of synthetic fibers like nylon or polyester to campfires often result in holes in the jackets caused by even small sparks, but this doesn’t happen too often with wool. Of course, it does burn if you put it close to the fire, but it naturally extinguishes itself and does not flame up or melt like synthetic fabrics.

Combine it with the Merino 5-Pocket Pants to enjoy campfires without any worries.

Naturally Odor Resistant

Wool items are chosen by many hikers for the material’s excellent odor neutralizing performance. Some say it’s almost odor-free even after a week of heavy hiking, but we’ll let you (and your friends) be the judge of that…

Comfort through Superior Humidity Control

Merino wool, also known as “the natural air conditioner,” controls the temperature and humidity in your clothes guaranteeing your comfort at all times.

Put your collar up to keep your neck warm

In the early mornings or chilly evenings when you want to keep your neck warm, just turn up your collar and fasten it with a single button to keep out the wind. Also great when trying to avoid your neck getting sun-burned at the height of summer.

Details

Standard and simple neck design.

A center loop allows it to be hung for drying.

Snap buttons allow for speedy opening and closing while moving about.

The design incorporates pivot sleeves, where the arm holes are extended under the armpits so as not to impede arm movement.

The sleeve openings are elastic and easy to roll up.

Convenient large pockets can be closed by buttons so that the items will not pop out.

The hem can be tightened by the draw cord.

The tail is longer to keep it from riding up under backpacks.

Material

Why 100% Merino?

Wool is a natural material with various unique features such as temperature/moisture control, thermal insulation, and is naturally odor-resistant. All developed by sheep to survive the harsh environment over time.

Merino wool comes from merino sheep and compared to other kinds of wool, merino’s fiber is finer, softer and less scratchy, and hence even suitable for making underwear and baselayers.

All wool, including merino wool, is cool in summer and warm in winter. It is warm even when it’s wet, and practically odor-free even after many hours of wear.

While many other manufacturers add synthetic fibers to strengthen their Merino fabrics, we wanted to stick with 100% Merino to maximize the natural benefits of pure merino wool. Our merino will keep you dry even when it’s hot and humid and comfortable no matter the climate.

The above chart shows the comparison of moisture content ratio of three types of fabrics in a humid and hot environment (up, 30˚C with 90% humidity) and a more comfortable environment (down, 20˚C with 65% humidity).

In a humid and hot environment, the fiber with superior moisture absorption keeps you dry and comfortable. On the other hand, in dry conditions, it is more comfortable when the fiber provides a certain level of moisture without excessively absorbing available humidity. The difference of the moisture content ratio in the above chart indicates the moisture control performance: the greater the value is, the better the fabric’s moisture control performance is, therefore the larger percentage means better comfort.

The 100% merino fabric, as shown above, has a 6.8% moisture ratio difference. This means that our merino material can effectively control the moisture compared to the other fabrics, keeping you dry when it’s hot and humid while supplying a moderate amount of moisture when the humidity is low.
This is the reason why the merino wool is known as “a natural air conditioner”.

Italian Merino

The Merino Shirt uses 100% merino wool fabric, which is manufactured by a long-established Italian maker that operates everything from raising sheep on its own farm in New Zealand to spinning yarn and weaving fabric.

Compared to the warm and soft fabric used for flannel shirts, it has a light and bouncy linen-like texture, and although it is 100% wool, it does not get too hot and keeps you comfortable.

Material:
100% Merino Wool 208g/m²

Spec:
Tear strength tested by JIS L 1096 D (In-house test)
Vertical: 2.8kg, Vertical: 2.9kg

Tensile strength tested by JIS L 1096 A (In-house test)
Vertical: 39.9kg, Horizontal: 38.2kg

Breathability tested by JIS 1096 A (In-house test)
38.3cc/(cm²・s)

Merino Wool

Wool is a natural material with various unique features such as temperature/moisture control, thermal insulation, and anti-odor performance; all of them developed by sheep to survive the harsh environment over time.

Merino wool comes from merino sheep and compared to other kinds of wool, merino’s fiber is finer, softer, and less scratchy, and hence even suitable for making underwear.

All wools, including merino wool, are cool in summer and warm in winter. It is warm even when it’s wet, and practically odor-free even after many hours of wear.

Wool’s Structure

The wool’s fiber is composed of amino acid-based protein, just like human hair and skin. The surface is called the “scale”, which is similar to a fish scale, and the inner part is the “cortex”.
The cortex is composed of ortho-cortex and para-cortex, each with different moisture absorption performance. Because each of them differs in property, the combination of ortho and para cortexes makes the fiber “crimped”.

This crimped structure produces the wool’s unique features such as moisture/temperature control property and thermal insulation performance, avoiding the coldness caused by the sweat.

Disadvantages of Wool

Wool or merino wool has various features and functions, but it is not flawless.

  • Easily absorbs moisture and becomes heavy
    Wool can get quite heavy as it is great at absorbing moisture. This also means that wool takes longer to dry and synthetic fibers, but compared to cotton, it actually dries faster.
  • Liked by insects
    Soft, natural fibers such as wool, cashmere, and silk are prone to damage by insects./li>
  • Easily damaged
    The relatively short fibers of wool mean that wool fabrics are easier damaged than synthetic and cotton fibers. However, small holes can easily be fixed with a bit of pure wool and a needle.

Size

  • Kim 175cm-70kg
    Size L (Indigo)

    • Kim 175cm-70kg
      Size L (Indigo)

      • Hikari 163cm-49kg
        Size XS (Light Gray)

        • Hikari 163cm-49kg
          Size XS (Light Gray)

          • Ichiro 170cm-56kg
            Size S (Faded Blue)

          • Kim 175cm-70kg
            Size L (Indigo)

          • Kim 175cm-70kg
            Size M (Navy)

          • Hide 178cm-68kg
            Size L (Brick)

          • Nacho 180cm-68kg
            Size L (Indigo)

          • Nacho 180cm-68kg
            Size XL (Sand Stone)

            • Ichiro 170cm-56kg
              Size S (Faded Blue)

            • Kim 175cm-70kg
              Size L (Indigo)

            • Kim 175cm-70kg
              Size M (Navy)

            • Hide 178cm-68kg
              Size L (Brick)

            • Nacho 180cm-68kg
              Size L (Indigo)

            • Nacho 180cm-68kg
              Size XL (Sand Stone)

              • Misuzu 150cm-47kg
                Size XS (Charcoal)

              • Kanade 161cm-51kg
                Size XS (Charcoal)

              • Kanade 161cm-51kg
                Size S (Light Gray)

              • Hikaru 165cm-59kg
                Size S (Light Gray)

              • Hikaru 165cm-59kg
                Size M (Navy)

              • Yumiko 170cm-60kg
                Size M (Navy)

                • Misuzu 150cm-47kg
                  Size XS (Charcoal)

                • Kanade 161cm-51kg
                  Size XS (Charcoal)

                • Kanade 161cm-51kg
                  Size S (Light Gray)

                • Hikaru 165cm-59kg
                  Size S (Light Gray)

                • Hikaru 165cm-59kg
                  Size M (Navy)

                • Yumiko 170cm-60kg
                  Size M (Navy)

                  推奨サイズ/Recommended Size

                  Unisex
                  Size XS S M L XL
                  体重/Weight
                  kg
                  42~53 51~61 59~69 67~78 76~85
                  胸囲/Chest
                  cm
                  78~84 80~88 84~95 92~102 100~110

                  製品サイズ/Product Size

                  Unisex
                  単位:cm
                  Size XS S M L XL
                  着丈/Length 67 71 73 74.5 76
                  肩巾/Shoulder Width 43 47 49 52 54
                  身巾/Body Width 51.5 56.5 59 62 65
                  裾巾/Hem Width 48.5 53.5 56 59 62
                  袖丈/Sleeve Length 55 60.5 62 63.5 65
                  袖口巾/Sleeve Opening 8 9 9.5 10 10.5

                  Instructions

                  Care Instructions

                  Merino wool has excellent deodorizing properties, but it does have some disadvantages, such as being prone to moth holes and shrinkage. Therefore, It should be washed and stored properly, though not frequently.

                  For more instructions on washing, drying and storage at home, please read on the “Read More” section below.

                  How to Wash

                  It can be tumble-dried at a low-temperature setting (60℃ or lower). Repeated use of the dryer may deteriorate the fabric or damage the elastic part of the jacket, so we recommend using it when necessary. Line dry in the shade to prolong the lifetime of the product.

                  Smooth out the wrinkles as much as possible before drying for a clean finish.

                  • Wool fibers are slightly acidic, so avoid washing with alkaline detergent as it may damage the texture. Use a neutral detergent.
                  • To avoid damage caused by contact with other laundry, or deformation caused by tangling, please wash it separately or use a laundry net.
                  • Wrinkles tend to develop during spin-dry. Shortening the dewatering time in your washing machine will help reduce wrinkles.
                  • Washing with lukewarm water (about 30℃) will help remove dirt.
                  • Smooth out the wrinkles, adjust the shape, and line dry in the shade.
                  • The dryer can be used at a low-temperature setting (60℃ or lower).
                  • Do not use fabric softener as it may coat the fibers and hinder the natural properties of wool.
                  • Do not bleach as it may cause color fading.
                  • How to Remove Wrinkles

                    Compared to knit fabrics, woven fabrics tend to wrinkle more easily, so please shorten the dewatering time and smooth out the wrinkles as much as possible before drying. If wrinkles still remain, please iron them out.

                    • Use a steam iron.
                    • Always use the iron at a medium temperature (around 140°C to 160°C) setting or lower.
                    • When ironing, apply a thin cloth while blowing the steam.
                    • After ironing, dry completely so that no moisture remains.

                    How to Avoid Insect Damage

                    Merino wool, an animal-derived fiber, has the disadvantage of being easily eaten by insects because of the protein contained in the fiber. However, the risk of insect damage can be reduced by proper care.

                    • Dry well before storing. If there is any moisture left, it will be prone to insect damage.
                    • Steam from an iron can effectively kill insects by heat. Use a low temperature setting when ironing, and after steam, dry it completely before storing it.
                    • Keep well-ventilated. Avoid humid environments.
                    • Vacuum storage bags are also effective in preventing insect damage. In this case, an insect repellent specially designed for vacuum bags is recommended. Air left in the bag will allow insects to survive.
                    • if you choose to use mothballs, please follow the labelled instructions.
                  Read More

                  Payment

                  • We only accept payment by credit card. We currently do not accept payment via bank transfer from overseas accounts.
                  • We accept the following Credit Cards: Visa, Master, American Express, and JCB.
                  • To download your receipt, please click the link included in the Dispatch Notice, which we will send by email as soon as the items are dispatched.

                  Delivery

                  • Order Confirmation will be sent after the order.
                  • The items will be dispatched within 3 days after the payment is confirmed.
                  • The dispatch notice will be sent by email as soon as the items are dispatched.
                  • The delivery may be delayed by unforeseeable reasons such as natural disasters and other logistics issues. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
                  • We cannot ship multiple orders in one package due to how our delivery system is currently set up.
                  • We will ship to regions in North America, Oceania, and Europe (excluding Russia) via DHL. For regions in Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America, Africa, and Russia, we use EMS (International Express Mail Service) for shipping.
                  • Shipping fees and delivery times vary depending on the shipping destination as well as the size and weight of the items.

                  Size Exchange

                  • Overseas customers who need to change the size of their order, should note that the time needed for shipping will vary greatly depending on your country of residence.
                  • We only accept exchanges when the item is unused (except for fitting).
                  • If you wish to exchange the size of the item, please contact us within seven days of receiving your order.
                  • Exchanges can only be made for the same color in a different size.
                  • If the size you wish is out of stock, we will suggest a different color.
                  • If the product is out of stock, we may simply have to ship the item back to you.
                  • All shipping costs to be carried by the customer.
                  • We will only send the exchanged item to you, upon receipt of return shipping cost via PayPal.
                  • Please be aware that some countries charge customs duties depending on the price of the item.
                  • We are unable to answer any questions on local customs. Please contact your local customs bureau.

                  Repair

                  We accept repairs for all of our Yamatomichi products. For inquiries on repair services including patching the holes, repairing with extra components, or fixing the items damaged over time, please feel free to contact us from the “Repair” section of the SUPPORT page.

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