Satchel & Page’s Montgomery Jacket Review | Worth Every Penny

In my eyes, leather jackets have always been a haphazard article of clothing with immensely varying results.

On one hand, some people wearing one will effortlessly pull them off, reaching levels of cool matched only by James Dean or James Bond. On the other end, many consumers will buy a cheaply made Kohl’s leather jacket that does not fit well, isn’t made of quality leather, and worsens the overall aesthetic they are going for. 

During one of my many nights scrolling through youtube videos I came across a Carl Murawski video titled “The Only Fall Jacket You Need,” he was talking about the Satchel & Page Montgomery Jacket. After watching this video, I immediately went to their website to see not only were they sold out of the Montgomery, but all of their jackets were sold out.

I became obsessed with finding out if and when they would be doing another run and after waiting months, sending out multiple emails to S&P to clarify when their “Jacket Event” would go live, I finally got my hands on my very own Montgomery Jacket. 

It’s unlike any you’ve tried before.

Satchel & Page's Montgomery Jacket

This rare example of a waxed flesh jacket (that's leather flipped inside out) has a vintage workwear vibe that oozes cool.

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The Pros & Cons of Satchel & Page’s Jacket

Got somewhere to be? Here’s a quick summary of the review that’s coming up.

Pros

• Waxed flesh outer will develop a patina over time and feels immensely luxurious
• Styling, old school American heritage, homage to a Levi’s trucker type 3 in leather
• Impeccable stitching and finishing all around
• High end quality without breaking the $1000 mark.

Cons

• Price; at the time of this review $685 is not a cheap purchase and will be out of the realm of spending for some.
• Availability; S&P does one Jacket Run a year and after they sell, they are gone until the following year.
• Fit; very trim, tailored, short cut. Not ideal for tall torsos or athletic bodies. 

The Waxed Flesh Leather & Lining

• British Waxed Flesh leather, that will age with a unique patina
• Cotton / Satin lining through body and sleeves

Satchel & Page is mostly known for having high end, luxury bags that range from weekend getaway bags to backpacks, totes, and belts. The leather they use for their bags is vegetable tanned, but the Montgomery is combination tanned (both vegetable and chrome tanning), which makes sense given how much more flexible a jacket needs to be than a bag.

Satchel & Page decided to go with a Roughout style of leather for this jacket which means it includes the grain side of the leather: it is a full grain leather that has basically been turned inside out to use the fuzzy side. Roughout uses the underside of the leather/skin to give a more textured finish. With that being said, it still feels plush and luxurious with an extremely satisfying hand to it. Since it is waxed, depending on the lighting and which way the fabric is going, some parts of the jacket look like they are made with different colors, giving it a unique, varied appearance.

The stitching on the entirety of the jacket is surgically even and constant throughout. I did a deep dive on the jacket upon receiving it, trying to find any sort of mishap or blemish of any sorts but could not find a thing.

Due to the jacket being waxed it has a pretty hefty weight to it, much heavier than it looks. But “substantial” is usually something you want from a jacket and it has a comfortable, luxurious feel, to the point where I caught myself opening up my closet just to rub my hand down the sleeves of it.

[Further reading: Satchel and Page’s Mailbag review]

Lining

The lining of the jacket is a cotton / silk blend that goes throughout the entirety of the jacket. This is a notable upgrade from most jackets, which tend to use polyester lining to save money and because it’s less likely to catch your sleeves when putting it on, rolling your cuff up your arm. This would be a risk with, say, a cotton flannel lining, but due to S&P’s choice of a cotton/silk blend, the jacket breezes over your arms when putting it on.

It feels great on the skin if you’re wearing a t-shirt. It almost feels like a combination of a jacket and a hoodie with how comfortable it lays on the body.

One other feature that sells the quality of this piece are the buttons on it. They feel sturdy and almost as if they were molded out of solid brass, but they’re made of zamak , a zinc alloy that consists of aluminum, magnesium, copper. 

Pockets

One thing that can kill the want or enjoyment of a jacket is the number and accessibility of the pockets. The Montgomery has 5 total pockets: an internal chest pocket, two external chest pockets, and two exterior hand warmer pockets (which feature the same cotton/silk lining). The hand warmer pockets rest at a nice angle reassuring that comfort if I need to rest my hands in the pockets for an extended period of time.

Satchel & Page Montgomery Jacket Fit

• Slim and tailored

As mentioned prior in my cons list of this jacket, this has a slim and tailored cut to it. Now I say that as a con, because if you do not fit the body type/build that this jacket is designed for, it’s simply not going to fit you. And since this is sort of the only jacket of its kind, at least from what I have been able to find and from talking to others, that is a bummer.

But frankly, the fit will probably only be a problem if you’re quite overweight. Otherwise, it will make you look like a rockstar. Per their site:

This jacket fits skinny, athletic, and average body types. If you are overweight or have a jacked/bodybuilder frame, the jacket will not fit you well… just being honest here.

It is by far the biggest confidence boosting article of clothing I have. For the record I am about 6’ flat and weigh 175 lbs with a 40 inch chest. I mostly wear mediums and occasionally larges, depending on what the garment or manufacturer is. I sized up to a large with this and it seems I am just reaching the threshold of it being too small. If I got a medium it would have been much too tight on me.

[Further reading: How to Clean and Condition a Leather Jacket]

Montgomery Jacket Price & Value

• $695

When it boils down to it, as it is with anything of quality, if you want the good stuff, you gotta pay top dollar and leather jackets are maybe the best example of that.

Satchel & Page's Montgomery Jacket

This rare example of a waxed flesh jacket (that's leather flipped inside out) has a vintage workwear vibe that oozes cool.

Check Best Price

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

A good benchmark for higher end leather jackets are from the New York based company Schott. Most of their pieces come in at $900 or more. Schott is known for their attachment to quality leathers, attention to detail and fit. With this piece coming in at some $200 lower than Schott’s benchmark without a sacrifice in quality, there is some serious value here for a luxury item.

The Montgomery comes in at $695 upon writing this review. Now being a $700 article of clothing, it is more of an investment rather than just another jacket. It’s something I plan on keeping, ideally till I either die or pass down to a younger family member. I am by no means a leather jacket aficionado but for the price of this piece, after comparing other jackets in this tier, I am beyond satisfied with my investment..

Conclusion

Overall, the Satchel & Page Montgomery jacket is a masterpiece article of clothing in nearly every sense you can critique something like this.

The leather is supple and plush with a luxurious finish to it. The wax added to the leather adds some weight and shine in areas that with time will develop into a one-of-a-kind patina. The smell is intoxicatingly upscale. I have had this jacket for about 4 months now and still, every time I open up my closet, I get a nice whiff of that supple leather.  

If there was one thing I could say is negative about this jacket is that it will just not fit everyone, and that stinks because everyone deserves to be able to wear something like this.

In a previous life, I worked retail in an upscale paint manufacturer store and would often get people scoffing at the price of our products — or complaining about the cheap quality of big box store paint. Something I’d say almost daily: “you get what you pay for.”

That could not be any more obvious here. Yes, $695 is a lot for a single piece of clothing, but for anyone on the fence of purchasing this, do it. And I 100% guarantee you that you will not be upset with your new investment.