By: somnolentSlumberr [Instagram]
Contents
1. Introduction
I had been in the market for a good black denim jacket for a long time, but nothing seemed to appeal to me. The traditional denim jacket has been around for so long that, while seemingly an undying staple of American fashion also has become very tired; aesthetically worn out. Having owned an Old Navy blue jean jacket since middle school, which became almost as soft as a cotton hoodie after countless washes and was only worn around the house, I wanted to get a new denim jacket, but something different to the classic design. Levi’s and other cheap fast-fashion brands using subpar overseas materials assembled with subpar overseas manufacturing was not something I wanted any part of.
Eventually I discovered something that I knew I would want to get my hands on, from a company that no doubt many of us in the technical fashion community have heard of: Triple Aught Design [Website]. Based out of San Francisco, California, they’ve been designing, making, and selling purely American-made products since 1997. On a scale from Walmart to Crye Precision, their designs lean more towards the latter, though with a clear focus on being more casual and less overtly “tactical”. With a reputation for reliable, durable apparel made from exclusively American-sourced materials in American factories, their Interval PD denim jacket was exactly what I had been searching for. First released in 2018 in their “Siege Denim” blue colorway, and later on a limited “Blackout” variant made of selvedge Kuroki Mills denim, it was back in black during their Venture Into Summer sale of 2022.
At a pre-sale price of $225 USD knocked down to $145 (shipping and taxes added about another $25), it was too good of a deal to pass up, so I pulled the trigger. The Interval PD Jacket can be found in limited sizes on Triple Aught Design’s e-commerce store in both blue and black denim here: [Webstore LINK].
2. Performance Specifications
Triple Aught Design’s website offers the following specs for the Interval PD Jacket:
- Material
- TAD Blackout Denim
- Raw and Sanforized
- 11.5 oz/square yard / 389/.91 g/square meters
- 99% cotton, 1% elastane
- TAD Blackout Denim
- Pocket Configuration
- 2 zippered chest pockets
- 2 zippered hand pockets with internal dividers
- Cut and Sewn in the USA
3. Design Features
The design is what sets the Interval PD apart from the hordes of faceless, indistinguishable brands selling denim jackets. The cut on the Interval PD is immediately more visually reminiscent of a biker’s race jacket.
Gone are the prominent buttoned chest pockets and the vertical seams running down the length of the front; they’ve been replaced by a pair of vertical zippered chest pockets. Gone is the higher, fold-down collar, which has been replaced by a shorter band collar that gives the jacket a pleasing touch of asymmetricity with the left side having an extra flap meant to secure the collar to protect your neck from more drafty conditions. Gone are the internal bucket pockets typical to most trucker jackets; both pockets on each side of the jacket are secured to the jacket’s insides with a visually contrasting gray lining.
Even the sleeves have been more deliberately tapered, helped along by the double layered shoulders and elbows. The lower pockets are also vertically zipped, with internal dividers meant for pistol magazines or multitools. The only concessions TAD has made to tradition are the buttoned sleeve cuffs and hems, adjustable by about one inch on each side. Held together by blacked-out stitching and custom TAD buttons, the entire package comes off as tightly-designed; aesthetically and philosophically consistent with Triple Aught’s history as a long-running “tactical” brand that designs for life off the battlefield.
4. Issues and Concerns
If you’re concerned about too much outward branding, be assured that there’s basically none. No garish logos splattered all over the chest and back and no obnoxious labeling anywhere. The only places that have any logos at all are the buttons, which all have a subtle TAD triple-arrow on the metal, and the label on the inside right under the collar.
4.1 Loose Threads and Minor QC Concerns
As tightly-designed as it is, I can’t help but wonder if a few small things have slipped past TAD’s usually meticulous quality control department. The button holes and hems on my jacket had bits of loose threading straying away from the stitching. This was easy to tidy myself luckily.
4.2 Pocket Capacity and Storage
The lack of any inside pockets is also something of a departure from the norm. I think this might be the only jacket I have that doesn’t have any pockets on the inside. Storage isn’t really as much of a concern when the chest pockets are ten times more usable than a regular denim jacket’s buttoned-up chest pockets, so it’s not so much a concern as it is something that just feels off. However, not having any bulky items inside to mess with the jacket’s lines visually does make the entire thing that much more sleek.
The pockets are very big, and can hold quite a bit, but be aware that, like most external pockets, cannot hold much without being obvious about it. Anything bulky will immediately stand out as the pockets don’t have a lot of give, and bulge outward pretty quick. As an example, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter won’t show up at all in any of the pockets but anything bigger than that will.
4.3 Denim as a Jacket Textile
In terms of weather resistance, it’s not waterproof at all, so keep that in mind. With the jacket worn open, it is light and breezy enough to wear in the summer (around 80/90 degrees Fahrenheit) while being warm enough to wear buttoned up at night (around 50/60 degrees Fahrenheit).
5. Use Case and Styling
Right off the bat, it’s obvious that TAD designed the Interval PD to be used as a concealed carry garment. The hems are slightly longer than typically higher-cut trucker jackets, lower than the beltline in order to hide any inside-the-waistband holsters’ belt loops from showing. The denim is also heavy enough that, when open, a simple flick to the side easily sweeps it out of the way to aid in an easy draw stroke from the 3 o’clock position. Even when buttoned up, as long as the lower two buttons aren’t secured, it is very easy to lift either side of the jacket up enough to get your hands on anything you have at your belt line without even needing to use your other hand.
Even in the “Blackout Denim” colorway, the jacket doesn’t come off as overtly tactical, something that anyone interested in using it as a concealed carry garment will no doubt appreciate. Pairing it with inoffensive khakis or blue jeans will no doubt make it even less obvious that it’s a “tactical” jacket.
However, in terms of technical fashion, especially when emulating the “cyberpunk” style, the Interval PD jacket is a very non-traditional piece that still works well. Traditionally, the “cyberpunk” jacket is either a bulky, heavy jacket with high collars and pushed up sleeves, usually made of leather or some other obviously meant-for-bikers synthetic material, or it’s a slick “techwear” jacket with long sleeves and hem made of GORE-TEX or some other performance waterproof polyester textile. This jacket is neither. Denim is neither waterproof nor light, but it’s still lighter weight than leather and Kevlar.
Paired with my Sarma TST L4 combat pants and an old, worn pair of Palladium canvas boots, it becomes something I’m perfectly comfortable wearing as a “lighter” cyberpunk-inspired summer outfit, especially for dry, windy weather. The denim is heavy enough to block wind while light enough to remain cool, the 1% elastane giving it just enough stretch to be relaxed and unrestrictive movement wise. It came pretty damn stiff out of the box, but wearing it for even a few hours broke it in into something a lot more supple.
Classifying it mentally as “a biker jacket without the leather” or “a denim biker jacket” in terms of styling is the secret to figuring out what works well with this jacket. It’s in the perfect midpoint, stylistically speaking, between a traditional leather racer jacket and a traditional four-pocket denim jacket. Anything that would work well with either of them would work well with this one
6. Summary
6.1 Pros
- Stylish and lightweight
- Wears well over time after breaking in, does everything you’d expect a denim jacket to do while being less obviously a denim jacket in terms of styling
- Unique biker-style silhouette
- Fairly inexpensive for a denim jacket in a non-standard cut
- Vertical external pockets much more functional than traditional jean jacket flap pockets
- Cut, sewn and designed in the USA
6.2 Cons
- No internal pockets
- The all-black version of the Interval PD is out of stock in most sizes almost all the time, so it might be hard to get your hands on one direct from Triple Aught, unless you’re fine with the blue version
- No water resistance at all, though you might be able to get away with spraying it down with some sort of DWR if you really need to, though I doubt anyone who reads this blog on the regular doesn’t have other options
- A lack of internal pockets is sometimes frustrating. The external pocket capacity might be big, but they also can’t hold too much without visibly distorting the outline and bulging out
6.3 Verdict
If you’ve ever wanted a black denim jacket but thought that your everyday traditional denim jacket was just too boring or old-fashioned, the Interval PD in black is something you’ll want to keep an eye on when it restocks. It performs about as well as you’d expect out of a high quality denim jacket when it comes to protection; and in terms of concealment also performs just as well as you’d expect from a garment specifically designed for such from Triple Aught Design. *And* the piece is designed, cut and sewn entirely in the USA, with all the ethical, labor and supply chain benefits associated with that.
Fair Use Statement: This article contains images hosted without express permission from their copyright holders. These images are provided for illustration purposes to support an informational objective. This should constitute fair use of any such copyrighted material.
Ethical Statement: This product was purchased by myself with my own funds and is in no way endorsed or otherwise sponsored by the manufacturer (Triple Aught Design).