How durable is authentic lambskin?

Heyjude7 · Post by **Heyjude7** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 12:15 am

Im sorry if this topic was brought up already but i really couldnt come to a good conclusion to how durable is authentic brown lambskin? does it tear easy or scratch easy? is it tough but not as tough as goat? i ordered a wested in authentic brown lambskin so im hopin i made a right choice here...i wont be able to see it or try it on till i get back from my deployment at sea for a few more months..but im hopin i made the right choice.. thank you ladies n gents.. your posts are always appreciated
~Jason aka Heyjude7

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 12:18 am

I have mine going on a year now and it's doing fine. I don't go out and beat it to death but I don't baby either. I think it will be just fine.

Rusty Jones · Post by **Rusty Jones** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 12:50 am

Well I've heard that it is not as tough as goat but distresses both naturally and artificially very quickly and very nicely... I have a goatskin and It appears to look almost exactly like the lambskins I've seen. I have heard nothing to suggest that the lambskin is drastically more vulnerable than goat, but I went with goat simply because I couldn’t see a difference in the leathers and I heard it was more durable... Honestly considering that goat is on backorder now I think I would have gone lamb if I were ordering a Wested now too... enjoy the jacket and don’t forget to post pics!

Heyjude7 · Post by **Heyjude7** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 1:40 am

Thanks gents! thanks for the info.. i cant wait to get it.. its gonna be like 3 more mons till i see it.. this deployment needs to go faster.. im gonna order a badge for my zippo from relic raider soon.. any suggestions?
thanks again gents

Hemingway Jones · Post by **Hemingway Jones** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 8:25 am

Heyjude,
You should be careful with Lambskin. I have had one for a few years now and I have torn some flakes of leather from it, which I then glued back down. You have to be careful what you lean up against or brush passed. I would not keep your keys in the cargo pockets.

It wrinkles nicely, really breaks in like a dream. It is light, and drapes perfectly. It is great for warmer climates.

If you want to keep it nice, you'll need to take some care, but it will give you years of enjoyment.

Havana · Post by **Havana** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 9:39 am

I have heard some horror stories about lamb tearing and being pierced by various objects. I've had two Wested lambs and never experienced such things. I have treated one gently to be sure but the other has received no such consideration. It is scuffed, scratched and color has worn off in various areas but no holes. I do carry keys, pens and all kinds of junk in the pockets. I have fallen on asphalt which left some scratches but nothing major. I've worn it climbing trees, hiking in thick southern brush, and while doing lawn work. I really wanted this jacket to distress "naturally" without being too abusive to it. I think the quality and thickness of lamb varies with each batch Peter gets. Some gearheads have had hardluck with their lambs but I hope your experience will be similar to mine.

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:17 am

Couldn't have said it better myself, Havana. I have read the same horror stories, and yet the 6 year old dark lambskin my eldest daughter owns and has been rode hard and put away wet MANY a time is still going strong. It's showing true 'screen accurate' wear, but not tears.

She brings it to me about once a year to treat, but that's all the babying it gets.

It just seems to be different from jacket to jacket. I'd say on the average they're a fine choice for daily wear. Just listen to the advice above, and you'll enjoy it for a long long time.

Regards! Michaelson

Hemingway Jones · Post by **Hemingway Jones** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:45 am

Well let me clarify, nothing has torn off or all the way through, just scuffs, little flakes that peal back, which I have then glued back down and both times were due to my carelessness: once leaning back against stucco, the second, catching my keys on a railing at Pier 39 in San Francisco.

Lambskin seems to have the "bamboo principal," if you will; it is so supple, it bends, but does not break.

I am just saying that, if I were a kid, or very hard on my jacket, and I wanted it to truly last, I would go for goat or horsehide.

Herr Jones · Post by **Herr Jones** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 1:16 pm

So Cal weather was a big part in my choice of lamb. I’ve wondered about this also until my first incident. I was entering my building and my sleeve caught the strike plate on the door frame. I was about a step and a half when my arm was pulled back and I heard the “tang” as my jacket was released from the plate, I was sure it had torn. There was no tear, no busted stitch just a 1/16”x1/8” blemish. Now I don’t know if it was my reflex or the jacket just releasing which saved it but I’m sure it would have been different if the edge was sharp or if it were a branch.

Best,
Herr Jones

whipwarrior · Post by **whipwarrior** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 12:09 am

The only physical wear that I've encountered with my lambskin jacket is that the bottom edge of the cuffs wore completely through, and you can actually pull the leather apart. This is due to how thin the leather is, and how the edge is rolled and turned in on itself to form the inside of the cuffs. With a thicker leather, this problem is practically nonexistent (although my HH cuffs are showing some beautiful natural wear, along with the upper edge of the storm flap where the seatbelt lays across).

Heyjude7 · Post by **Heyjude7** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 8:31 pm

Thanks for the info gents'..was the jacket in the movie lamb ??

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Feb 23, 2006 8:41 pm

Yes, it was.

Regards! Michaelson

FloatinJoe · Post by **FloatinJoe** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 12:23 am

Well, I've had my jacket since right after the new year. I wear it most everytime I leave the house and saw the first wear on it the other day. I was walking into the store and looked down at the front and noticed that the storm flap had some wear at the edge. It really baffled me because it was only a 4-inch section about stomach high. I couldn't figure it out and bothered me the entire time I was in the store. By the time I got back out to the car and got ready to drive out I had figured it out. The leather had worn where my seatbelt crossed my stomach.

Needless to say I was a bit suprised by that, but now I don't feel as bad about the natural distressing taking place... it has already begun.

Mike

whipwarrior · Post by **whipwarrior** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:06 am

Yeah, I wondered how many other people had that same distressing on their jackets. In addition to the usual driving, I'm also a delivery specialist, which means that I'm fastening and taking off my seatbelt all day long, so it didn't take long for the storm flap wear to start appearing.

McFly · Post by **McFly** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:49 am

Indiana_Tone wrote:If you're looking for the style and cut (redundant?) of the Indy jacket itself and don't necessarily want to look exactly like Indy, ANY hide you choose will NOT be disappointing (except hamsterhide.)

Dang it!!! I knew it! *rushes to cancel / change order*

This is good info, guys! I'm not getting a leather Wested any time soon (though my Cotton doesn't stand up well to even the 50-60 degree morning weather here in So Cal) but I like reading your opinions on this stuff.

How warm are the lamb and goatskin jackets?
How warm is the hampsterhide?

In Christ,
Shane

Bjones · Post by **Bjones** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 10:45 am

I chuckle at the thought of how many hamsters it woud take just to make the back panel....can you say patchwork jacket?

Post by **Michaelson** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 10:51 am

Depends on the size of the hampster....I hear in Australia they're HUGE!

Regards! Michaelson

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 11:16 am

Michaelson wrote:Depends on the size of the hampster....I hear in Australia they're HUGE!

Regards! Michaelson

Australian fighting hamsters, HUGE, scary spurs too!

.

Post by **Michaelson** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 12:20 pm

Anything like those Texas fighting bulls we hear so much about in the whip section?

Regards! Michaelson

Indakin · Post by **Indakin** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 2:02 pm

thats no ordinarry hamster... ITS A KILLER HAMSTER!

Gotta love monty python

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:35 pm

I've had my lambskin for two years, and show it no mercy. It's got the little flakes that Hemingway refers to, its got scratches, a razor blade cut (don't ask), and the sleeve cuffs feel more like fabric than leather from all the wear and tear. I've noticed the cotton lining has tear holes around the arm pits from putting it on and taking it off.
I was leary about getting lambskin, but now, when I finally retire this poor jacket, I will replace it with another Wested lamb. I can wear it in temps ranging from 25 to 85 degrees.

The Wested is really the only way to go for lambskin. The other lamb jackets I've had have always seemed "puffy".

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:52 pm

a razor blade cut (don't ask)

oh come on now, thats sounds like a funny story hideing there.

Dr. Jones Jr. · Post by **Dr. Jones Jr.** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:39 pm

Does anyone have any experience with the Horsehide, i want to get a thicker type leather, and ive heard that the goat isnt that much thicker than the lamb. I have experience with the cow, i owned a cow and recently parted with it. any input is appreciated.
-Chris

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 4:37 pm

I'm not sure, but I may have owned a horsehide A2 jacket once. I was about 14, and found a leather jacket at an army surplus store that, as far as I was concerned, looked enough like an Indiana Jones jacket. This was 1982, when you couldn't log on and buy a screen accurate jacket from England. I found a brown leather jacket with cargo pockets, and I jumped on it like a bum on a bologna sandwich.

Anyway, I didn't know what it was made of, but it was very stiff and heavy. Very, very heavy. I out-grew it within a couple of years and went back to the same store to get a new one. The new one was much softer and a slightly darker shade of brown. I didn't know why it was different at the time, but knowing what I know now, I'm guessing the first A2 was horsehide, and the second was cowhide. Unfortunately, I have neither now.

From what I've learned about horsehide, it was the leather used in the original A2's from WWII. But because it was so heavy and stiff, eventually goatskin became the leather of choice. If you are interested in pre-aging your jacket, it won't work with horsehide. MK explains all this in his Regular Guy website.

I've had a goatskin A2 since 1988, and its been through some crazy stuff over the years. The sleeve cuffs are kinda torn up, but the leather is in excellent shape. And I only just recently found out you're supposed to TREAT leather from time to time.

If you'd like a tough leather that will still look good years from now, I'd go with goat.

Oh, and jpenman, the razor cut in my jacket involved more tears than laughter. Suffice it to say, never show your idiot friend your brand new jacket when he's holding a sharp object.
It's like telling a lion your wearing meat pants.