So the fact it worked in the 19th Century stops it working now?

I wore a Drizabone all last winter and a Belstaff copy over the summer. They are truely waterproof (probably a factor of the collar and cuff design as much as anything) and need a few hours work per year (usual bikers fiddle factor at work here IMHO, too many owners like getting the wax out, which at least makes a change from adjusting their valves twice a week). I've had no problem with grease/marks/smells (use spray on proofing not wax in a tin). I don't find the Belstaff too hot in a UK summer and in a German or Scandanavian winter the Drizabone was a great top layer. I don't limit my thinking on safety to armour (only works after the event), so while this is a factor it doesn't put me off. Certainly for sidecar use the advantges outweigh the problems.

Durability I don't really know about. Last jacket I fell off in was nylon/Goretex and was trashed but did it's job. I'm still using the remains of my last Goretex and nylon jacket for the odd trip to the shops/work. The fact it leaks where the velcro (nasty old 1960's technology) doesn't work or the outer is dirty, or some badly glued on bit (horrible old 1990's technology) has dropped off puts me off 2 year old £400 jackets. My Drizabone was second hand 3 years ago and is still perfect, the Belstaff copy perfect at just over a year (and only cost £99).

For a two month trip round Europe I'd take the wax cotton. For longer and hotter it could be a tougher decision. I think I might go leather and put the cash into decent zips (sorry Cam, I know these are 1920's). It would take a lot to get me back in the Horrible Gherkin shop.

Andy

Well, we've had some time since the 19th C to improve materials. Maybe you'd like the kind of armour they used in the 13th C, if you're into early technology; and that would be a choice. Waxed cotton worked just as badly a century ago, but it was the best they had. Sorry, Andy, this is the 21st C.

Even Dod who is a fan of waxed cotton lists a lot of things that are wrong with this material for biking. You don't comment on all that, unfortunately. But if you like such stuff well why not - but that's different from saying it's good. I used waxed cotton for bike and deerstalking and it was clear that others with simple PVC clothing fared much better at a fraction of the cost. My new waxed cotton jacket was ready for the bin after 12 weeks use at deerstalking. The limited waterproofing came with a penalty -the fabric got a stiff as a board and weighed a lot more too. The fabric then developed holes where creases were. That's in addition to the list of other problems for bikers. Then the Hooray Henrys started using it. It seems this fashion has returned, and it can be seen in bars as one post showed.

Just because a product is old doesn't mean it's good, unless nostalgia confuses your opinions. If you don't like zips and don't like velcro etc, then yes waxed cotton has a place. You're right about one thing though - the prices charged for many modern jackets etc is horrific, and a ripoff, especially as many are made cheaply in Asia. £400 for a jacket? Tho' a Belstaff waxed cotton jacket cant be far away from that. Am I wrong in thinking that Drizabone makes those big long coats that reach to your boots? Maybe fine on an outfit, but not solo?

How do you feel about pudding basin helmets?

So if we wait a couple of years for wax cotton to drop out of fashion there should be plenty of second hand jackets on ebay for a fair price

How can they be improved if they have to have glued on fasteners and cease to function when dirty? What we have is more proffitable materials that work well enough to be accepted. Goretex can be welded while cotton has to be sewn with a waxed thread. Nylon thread does not absorb moisture to any great extent, natural fibres need treating. The current batch of modern gear is only more expensive at retail prices because the shops are selling to people prepared to pay and still be damp on the few occasions they get caught in the rain. The current crop of Belstaff copies are cheap because the fashion market won't pay bike shop prices unless they get the name and they are mostly made in what for want of a better word we'll call third world sweat shops (mine's Egyptian).

It's actually the same with the suit of armour you mention. Good early renaissance steel armour is shaped to deflect to sword strikes and with the layers underneath would stop small bullets (which is why the military use 3/4-inch musket balls for years). If you want something to save you in a hacking battle it's as good as kevlar. The reason it wasn't used for four hundred years is the cost of equipping enough people with it to make it effective. Knight versus archer is cash versus training. Knight versus musketeer is quality versus quantity, you can train a peasant to shoot faster than you can make the armour. Put some dodgy undersize actor in the armour without the leather and wool underneath and it ceases to function properly too . IMHO, Goretex bike gear is still at the red coat and needing four hands to carry your hat, pack and musket stage, not kevlar and ceramic plates.

Andy