If you’ve followed the blog for any appreciable amount of time you’ve most likely heard about one of my favorite travel brands: Bluffworks.  They make functional and fashionable clothes that are perfect for the everyday traveler.  As the proud owner of Bluffworks pants and shorts, I have some exciting news to share: Bluffworks is releasing a Blazer on Kickstarter.  A few weeks ago they sent me a pre-release Bluffworks Blazer and asked for my thoughts.

I don’t think they were expecting the test I put the Blazer through.  But we’ll get to that later.

The Bluffworks Blazer

Yours truly with my Bluffworks Blazer and Bluffworks chinos

So what makes the Bluffworks Blazer so innovative?  I mean, isn’t the typical blazer kind of known at this point?  That’s what I thought too, but I was wrong.  Here are four reasons you have to get a Bluffworks Blazer:

1. Machine Washable

I spend a ton of money dry cleaning suits.  It’s annoying, my dry cleaner is out of the way, and it just stinks that after almost every trip I have to spend more money on a jacket which already cost hundreds in the first place.  When they told me that the Bluffworks Blazer would be machine washable, I was floored.  I mean, I admired the courage to try it, but had my doubts if it was actually feasible.  The Bluffworks team put together a little video demonstrating:

So, did they do it?  Did they actually make a good-looking and functional blazer that can be washed and dried at home?  YES.  I’ve washed and dried mine a few times now and it has stayed true to size and true to shape.  It’s a game changer.

2. Smart Pocket Design

One of the reasons I liked the Bluffworks travel pants so much was the smart pocket design, with hidden pockets inside of regular pockets to protect my valuables.

Just one of many pockets in the Bluffworks Blazer

The Bluffworks Blazer has the same smart pocket design.  With 10 pockets of various size you will be able to fit a surprising amount of stuff in the Blazer and a variety of security features will keep your items safe.

The security pocket on the inside lower back is my favorite pocket.  They put a discrete pocket in previously unused space.

3. It’s light and breathable

The material is light and very breathable while still feeling and looking like wool.  As an example, the lifestyle shots I took for this review were taken in a neighborhood park in 95-degree Texas heat.

Not pictured: the world on fire from the heat

The Blazer was very light and much more breathable than a similar suit jacket I had custom made earlier this year.  The problem with most wool jackets is how heavy they are, especially when the temperature rises.  I didn’t get that from the Bluffworks Blazer.  Even in the heat it was still comfortable.

4. It passed my Epic Durability Test

In their marketing materials Bluffworks says that the Blazer features “Mechanical Stretch…Ready for active movement”.  As you saw in my post from yesterday, I put that claim to an epic test.

Bluffworking out (haha get it?!)

Here’s the vid in case you missed it.

Ok ok I get it, it’s not very often that people are walking along in everyday Blazer Situations and suddenly are thrown into intense Street Weightlifting Battles.  In more typical use cases it’s just as durable.  I’ve worn the Blazer on planes and have stuffed it into carry-ons.  It comes out ready to go every time.  As a business traveler this is incredibly important to me, and that Bluffworks can accomplish it with a jacket manufactured in the USA for hundreds less than other jackets I own is flat out impressive.

Final Thoughts

Back in April I declared the Bluffworks travel pants to be the “best travel pants in the world” after they passed my necessarily epic two–part test.  The Blazer is just as good.  I would happily wear the Blazer to a business meeting or out on the town, or even at my next CrossFit competition.  The combination of features is impressive and it delivers on their lofty claims.  That they were able to put all of that in a jacket that will retail for just $295 is amazing (the Kickstarter price of $240 is even better!).

Bravo to the Bluffworks team, the Bluffworks Blazer is absolutely a game-changer.  I give the Blazer my highest recommendation.  Actually, I think we should give one away…stay tuned for giveaway details!

[Disclaimer: Bluffworks sent me the blazer for free.  At no time did they ask for specific comments or content to be published, instead that I would give my honest opinion in a creative way.  Bluffworks has not approved, modified, or otherwise edited any of the content in this post, all opinions shared are solely mine.]