Triplette Coaching Vest
A teaching jacket is one of the single expensive items a fencing instructor will purchase. It is the one physical item that distinguishes instructor from students in a busy salle. If it is well made and well maintained, it will last for decades, serving as connecting element for all of your students, past and present, with thousands of hits and the accompanying wear.
So, this gets a long review. :-)
Summary
I have been using this vest/jacket for three years now at all weapons and have no plans to replace it. Good value, tough jacket, keeps me from getting beat up.
The facts
This jacket is made from water buffalo hide. You can get it in any color you like, so long as it's black.
The torso is lined with a lightweight open-cell foam. The jacket is made from four panels of leather, plus the collar and sleeves. The short sleeves are unlined, as is the collar. The stand-up collar has a hook-and-loop closure on the back. There is a "male" snap at the top of each shoulder seam to which to attach a teaching sleeve. The front hem of the jacket drops down low enough to provide a nice overlap with TCA's teaching leg.
This is a back-zip jacket, so it is suitable for ambidextrous lessons.
Things that I don't like about it
One of the first things you will want to do with it is attach a long lanyard to the zipper. It would be nice if this was not an add-on.
The dye is not color fast, so clothing worn under it will pick up dark blue/black stains easily. After some steady use (and sweating), this diminishes, but even almost three years later it still bleeds a bit.
Keeping the jacket clean can be a challenge, as it cannot be washed. The collar is what gets the nastiest. Saddle soap works well. Some kind of removable (and thus, washable) soft fabric liner for the collar would solve this problem.
The stitching on the patch of hook-and-loop on the collar ripped out on one side after a few months, but this is not that big a deal for me (I still haven't fixed that).
It would be nice if the collar had more variability for neck sizes.
Things that are neutral
The jacket is pretty warm. For most foil lessons, I just use the jacket as-is. My UAP comes down to my elbow and my glove covers half my forearm, leaving very little exposed skin. This makes for a much more comfortable lesson. Épée and sabre lessons dictate a sleeve, of course. If the temperature in the salle is above 75 or so, the back zipper gets partially opened.
I have had new students tell me that the combination of me (I'm 6'-3", 235 lbs., beard, and ponytail) and the big, black, slightly shiny leather jacket can be a bit intimidating. Fortunately, I am actually a nice guy and quite patient. But, this is something I take into account now when teaching new students, and I make sure to present an especially kind demeanor during the first few lessons so as to convince them that I am not a drug-addled ex-motorcycle gang member armed with a steel stick.
This same intimidation factor helps my intermediate students. During some lessons, it is sometimes helpful to portray a physically intimidating opponent. They learn not to be intimidated by a hulking goon in black leather filling their field of vision, which provides them with a certain degree of immunity to over-amped opponents screaming in their faces at some USFA competitions. :-)
Things that I do like
The zipper itself is large-toothed and durable and has been trouble free.
Comfort-wise, the jacket is great. I wear a chestplate and a UAP under it, and that combination was worked well—even with heavy-handed beginning sabreurs. A bike jersey (if you happen to be a cyclist, as well, like me) works great as a base layer, with chestplate and UAP layered on in that order. I have fragile rib cartilage, but I have never had so much as a bruise on my torso with this combination.
A side note on wearing a UAP under a teaching jacket: blades break and even seams of the toughest jackets can fail. This jacket has two intersecting seams directly under the arm (one for the sleeve and one joining the front and rear panels of the jacket. A UAP is cheap insurance against seam failure and takes any remaining sting out of vigorous flank cuts during sabre lessons.
The leather is smooth side out, making for a slightly slippery surface. That and the non-bulky padding yields a jacket that more closely reproduces the surface conditions in a competitive bout. Students must make sure that the point is closer to perpendicular to the tangent of the surface. Training with that slight degree of added difficulty can be the difference between just one foil/épée touch that sticks and one that doesn't. It all adds up....
Conclusions
Compared to similar jackets, this jacket is fairly priced at $155.
Would I buy one again? Yep.
Would I recommend it to someone only teaching a few foil lessons each week? Nope, as there are cooler vests out there that will work just fine for half the price.
Would I recommend it to someone teaching daily lessons in all three weapons? Yep, especially if you are teaching standard (dry) sabre and foil.
So, this gets a long review. :-)
Summary
I have been using this vest/jacket for three years now at all weapons and have no plans to replace it. Good value, tough jacket, keeps me from getting beat up.
The facts
This jacket is made from water buffalo hide. You can get it in any color you like, so long as it's black.
The torso is lined with a lightweight open-cell foam. The jacket is made from four panels of leather, plus the collar and sleeves. The short sleeves are unlined, as is the collar. The stand-up collar has a hook-and-loop closure on the back. There is a "male" snap at the top of each shoulder seam to which to attach a teaching sleeve. The front hem of the jacket drops down low enough to provide a nice overlap with TCA's teaching leg.
This is a back-zip jacket, so it is suitable for ambidextrous lessons.
Things that I don't like about it
One of the first things you will want to do with it is attach a long lanyard to the zipper. It would be nice if this was not an add-on.
The dye is not color fast, so clothing worn under it will pick up dark blue/black stains easily. After some steady use (and sweating), this diminishes, but even almost three years later it still bleeds a bit.
Keeping the jacket clean can be a challenge, as it cannot be washed. The collar is what gets the nastiest. Saddle soap works well. Some kind of removable (and thus, washable) soft fabric liner for the collar would solve this problem.
The stitching on the patch of hook-and-loop on the collar ripped out on one side after a few months, but this is not that big a deal for me (I still haven't fixed that).
It would be nice if the collar had more variability for neck sizes.
Things that are neutral
The jacket is pretty warm. For most foil lessons, I just use the jacket as-is. My UAP comes down to my elbow and my glove covers half my forearm, leaving very little exposed skin. This makes for a much more comfortable lesson. Épée and sabre lessons dictate a sleeve, of course. If the temperature in the salle is above 75 or so, the back zipper gets partially opened.
I have had new students tell me that the combination of me (I'm 6'-3", 235 lbs., beard, and ponytail) and the big, black, slightly shiny leather jacket can be a bit intimidating. Fortunately, I am actually a nice guy and quite patient. But, this is something I take into account now when teaching new students, and I make sure to present an especially kind demeanor during the first few lessons so as to convince them that I am not a drug-addled ex-motorcycle gang member armed with a steel stick.
This same intimidation factor helps my intermediate students. During some lessons, it is sometimes helpful to portray a physically intimidating opponent. They learn not to be intimidated by a hulking goon in black leather filling their field of vision, which provides them with a certain degree of immunity to over-amped opponents screaming in their faces at some USFA competitions. :-)
Things that I do like
The zipper itself is large-toothed and durable and has been trouble free.
Comfort-wise, the jacket is great. I wear a chestplate and a UAP under it, and that combination was worked well—even with heavy-handed beginning sabreurs. A bike jersey (if you happen to be a cyclist, as well, like me) works great as a base layer, with chestplate and UAP layered on in that order. I have fragile rib cartilage, but I have never had so much as a bruise on my torso with this combination.
A side note on wearing a UAP under a teaching jacket: blades break and even seams of the toughest jackets can fail. This jacket has two intersecting seams directly under the arm (one for the sleeve and one joining the front and rear panels of the jacket. A UAP is cheap insurance against seam failure and takes any remaining sting out of vigorous flank cuts during sabre lessons.
The leather is smooth side out, making for a slightly slippery surface. That and the non-bulky padding yields a jacket that more closely reproduces the surface conditions in a competitive bout. Students must make sure that the point is closer to perpendicular to the tangent of the surface. Training with that slight degree of added difficulty can be the difference between just one foil/épée touch that sticks and one that doesn't. It all adds up....
Conclusions
Compared to similar jackets, this jacket is fairly priced at $155.
Would I buy one again? Yep.
Would I recommend it to someone only teaching a few foil lessons each week? Nope, as there are cooler vests out there that will work just fine for half the price.
Would I recommend it to someone teaching daily lessons in all three weapons? Yep, especially if you are teaching standard (dry) sabre and foil.
Review Ratings
- Overall Rating
-
Feels thin but offers good protection. Numerous hits on the same target have no adverse effect. Epee/sabre sleeve attachment did not always stay done. Unlined short sleeves may stain undergarments when wet from sweat. I initially had a problem with some seams splitting but TCA fixed them promptly with my only cost being initial postage. This is a front close jacket so ventilation is harder. Overall I've had three years of good performance from this jacket
Review Ratings
- Overall Rating
-
