I firmly believe that Facebook is the one of the best hunting grounds for vintage jackets at a bargain price. 

Amongst the Yorkshire mums sharing lost dog posts from Tennessee, there’s a pandora’s box awaiting if you can find the time to invest in searching. 

I once hunted down two 1950’s Belstaff Trialmasters complete with matching trousers, for a total price of £50. They were on sale following a house clearance and listed under the unremarkable title of ‘Motorbike jackets’. 

Unlike the ad title, they truly were remarkable. The pride of Belstaff from that era, they were impenetrable and essentially what helped build the brand the name that it holds today. 

Like most industries, the newer versions of past ‘icons’ have diminished due to many factors. We talk a lot about cost and yes, that’s true and obvious for a lot of brands who’ve tried to save money/increase profit margins but we must also consider trends too. 

A jacket born from the need to protect motorcycle riders has crossed the divide to become a fashion garment. And that’s fine, no real critique here. But sadly a jacket designed for utility yet executed for fashion can and often does have a very short shelf life. To address the elephant, we’re not picking on Belstaff here, there’s many at it and at least they’ve tried to breathe life back into their heritage. 

On the other side of the heritage scale in terms of age is Hebtroco. If you’re on any social platform it’s likely you will have heard of them. They play that game very well and were in fact one of the sources for our own research when we created our own online persona way back. 

They’ve been making ‘stuff’ since 2015 which to my eye looks solely rooted in that world of utility. Jeans, jackets, shirts and action blankets (ifkyk) that if not worn for the purpose they were made would simply be classed as an offence. 

We followed the flow of the River Calder from Wakefield to go see their new wax Roadrunner jacket and for me as a fanboy of this world, take a peak behind the curtain of a brand doing something I could only dream of. 

Like a child in Hamleys or like a ‘me’ in a place that makes waxed jackets, I spoke at Ed about jackets in far too much detail but thankfully he humoured my enthusiasm. 

He explained the process of creating the Roadrunner and the testing involved, including long motorcycle rides to Denmark/Finland (one of the two, sorry!) in a red sample version that was simply stunning. It was marked beautifully by the stories gathered on that ride and finished perfectly with a green lining that only made it look even more like something from an old motorcycle film that definitely featured Steve McQueen. 

Ed kindly showed me the first iteration of the pattern in calico which was ace to see lined up with the sample and then the finished product. The hard work, thought and then the testing that goes into these garments needs to understood to be fully appreciated, not just by Hebtroco but other brands too. This is the polar opposite of Shein AI bots manipulating online trends. 

I tried the Roadrunner on with a view to taking it away to put through its paces, very kindly offered by the team. I wear a true medium in most brands and this was no different yet it was roomy to allow pretty much anything to be worn underneath. 

The jacket hung beautifully, with additional covering in the places that matter, the shoulders and the elbows and cut perfectly shorter than a Trialmaster at the waist. If we’re considering Belstaff at this juncture, the fit is very similar to my favourite Belstaff piece, the Circuitmaster. A jacket that wears perfectly when sat upon a motorcycle. 

The jacket is wider than most of this ilk and when the belt was unfastened, it reminded me a little of the Barbour Spey in how it hung. 

Excuse my poor turn of phrase but this is a jacket that simply feels ‘proper’. It feels like a motorcycle jacket. It’s made from a 12oz waxed cotton that I’m certain would stand up on its own if positioned to do so. It’s a jacket that wants to be worn. From the ‘out of the box’ patina’d finish to the crease lines as it learns the shape of my body, it’s a really substantial piece of kit. 

I took a long walk in it yesterday afternoon and found myself purposely brushing past brambles and the odd wall, making it look even better with every mark but also just to throw its weight around. Yes I looked mad. 

I’m two days into wearing it now but plan to put it through its paces over the next few months and report back. The only downside to report is the price. It’s simply too cheap at £325. We work with jackets costing far more for far less. You should take advantage of this before they realise. 

To bring it back to where we started, lots of people spend a lifetime searching for that vintage Belstaff grail piece. You may even find yours on Facebook but if you want a ‘new’ vintage Belstaff, you should certainly consider the Hebtroco Roadrunner.