US Wings sizing help

gmarthe · Post by **gmarthe** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 3:58 pm

I'm ordering my first jacket ( Goatskin ) and am having a problem deciding on size (I don't want to ship back and forth to get it right). I am a 40R jacket size which puts me on the high end of their MEDIUM on the size chart but I am a 16" neck which puts me on the High end of their LARGE and I also weigh in between 165 and 171 which also puts me on the high end of their LARGE. Which one of these measurements should I be using as the most important? Any help by experienced US wings customers appreciated!

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 5:22 pm

I normally wear a wested 38-40 I'm about 145lb.

A wings A2 XS fits me well enough, you might go to a S or an M the large would probably drown you.

RockBottom · Post by **RockBottom** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 5:31 pm

I'm....ummm..."husky" with a 17 inch neck and 230 lbs or so. An XL U.S. Wings is plenty big on me. I'd go with the large if I were you.

Weston · Post by **Weston** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 5:36 pm

Sounds like you are almost exactly my size. I'm 6' tall and 165 to 170 depending on how well I eat. I ordered a US Wings goatskin in a size L, and really like the fit. It is a relaxed fit, but after 4 years of wear and washing, I'm glad I didn't order any smaller. I'd be happy to post some pics here if you want to see it.

Weston

RockBottom · Post by **RockBottom** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 6:10 pm

Weston wrote:after 4 years of wear and washing, I'm glad I didn't order any smaller.

Weston

You talking about 4 years of wear and washing on the jacket or your body?

gmarthe · Post by **gmarthe** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 6:52 pm

Weston, You have my size pegged. If you could post a pic or two I would be grateful.

Weston · Post by **Weston** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 8:12 pm

RockBottom wrote:
Weston wrote:after 4 years of wear and washing, I'm glad I didn't order any smaller.

Weston
You talking about 4 years of wear and washing on the jacket or your body?

The jacket of course. If I washed myself that often I would lose my protective crust!

gmarthe, I will have some up later this evening, probably around 9pm pacific time.

Weston

Weston · Post by **Weston** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:19 am

OK, here's my Wing jacket. I've raved about it enough in other threads so I will leave it be for now. I'll just say it is one great jacket, and I'm very happy with it.

[/img]

It is a relaxed fit, but not at all sloppy. Very comfortable.

Weston[/img]

Post by **Holt** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:21 am

it's perfect.yes not to sloppy.but relaxed.kinda baggy just like indy's in raiders

bests
Holt

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 1:26 am

Weston wrote: [img][img]http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/5761/1006653wh9.jpg[/img]

It is a relaxed fit, but not at all sloppy. Very comfortable.

Weston[/img]

Looks good to me. I have a Wings VIP Cowhide on the way and it should be here by Tues. I hope it looks that good in a few years. I'll post some pics in due time.

gmarthe · Post by **gmarthe** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:33 pm

Thanks for the pics Weston. Now all I need is a guy our size in a madium jacket to send me pictures!

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 7:41 pm

gmarthe wrote:Thanks for the pics Weston. Now all I need is a guy our size in a madium jacket to send me pictures!

I'm 5' 11" and will have a medium tomorrow. I weigh less though, I exchanged a large predistressed cowhide for a medium VIP, hopefully it will fit better. We'll see. Keep in mind I'm a 15.5 neck and a 40S or about 38R jacket.

gmarthe · Post by **gmarthe** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:14 pm

Bigrex -how much do you weigh? if you could post a picture it would be helpful either way. Thanks!

Arca Perdida · Post by **Arca Perdida** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:17 pm

Weston wrote:Sounds like you are almost exactly my size. I'm 6' tall and 165 to 170 depending on how well I eat.
Weston

so... how well fed were you in the posted pics?

CM · Post by CM » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:11 pm

bigrex wrote:
Weston wrote: [img][img]http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/5761/1006653wh9.jpg[/img]

It is a relaxed fit, but not at all sloppy. Very comfortable.

Weston[/img]

If they still had pockets like that, I'd buy one in a second.

Cheers

Weston · Post by **Weston** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 10:53 pm

Arca Perdida wrote:
Weston wrote:Sounds like you are almost exactly my size. I'm 6' tall and 165 to 170 depending on how well I eat.
Weston
so... how well fed were you in the posted pics?

This was after a killer BBQ, so better than average.

Weston

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 10:59 pm

Well, they sent another predistressed cowhide instead of the VIP cowhide. At least the size was better this time. I'm just going to try to get my money back it's been over a month that I've been trying to get the right jacket. I won't go into details so as to avoid this sounding like a rant. I'll post a pic of the size tomorrow for comparison since volunteered to do so. I will have to send it back tomorrow.

gmarthe · Post by **gmarthe** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:16 pm

Thanks Bigrex I'm looking forward to it. I'm THIS close to ordering my jacket.

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 12:47 am

Ok, here you go. I'm sick home from work today, so I've cropped my face since I'm unshaven and my hair is semi-unkempt. If I were to keep it I would probably have the sleeves brought up a bit after I tossed it in the washer.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n237 ... CN1457.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n237 ... CN1458.jpg

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n237 ... CN1460.jpg

Weston · Post by **Weston** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 1:06 am

Hey bigrex, why are you sending that back? I don't want to derail this thread, but is it because of the leather type, or is it something else?

Weston

CM · Post by CM » Wed Mar 26, 2008 4:31 am

Is it beacuse the pockets are stupidly huge?

FLATHEAD · Post by **FLATHEAD** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:29 am

Is it beacuse the pockets are stupidly huge?

Or that the jacket looks to be about 2 sizes too big?

I know its because its not the right leather (Predistressed cow versus VIP)
but I have to say that jacket is WAY to big on you!

You need to go down at least a size, maybe two. It looks like your
wearing a sack with no shape to it.

The sleeves are too long, and the body of the jacke is almost 3 inches
too long for you.

For the kind of money you spent, I don't blame you for wanting your
money back.

Spend the cash on a nice custom Wested or G&B Expedition. You will
be MUCH happier in the end.

Flathead

gmarthe · Post by **gmarthe** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:07 am

OK thats a setback. I decided on the Limited Edition vintage but the sizing is disturbing. Weston, you are my size and your Large jacket looks great open but a little big zipped up. Bigrex, your Medium jacket looks huge on you (and you are smaller than me). How do you guys not scream?

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:09 am

Spend the cash on a nice custom Wested or G&B Expedition. You will
be MUCH happier in the end.

Flathead

Not necessarily. They screw up too.

I agree. That jacket is WAY WAY to big on you, my friend. Definitely needs to go back. I hope you kept all the tags.

Regards! Michaelson

FLATHEAD · Post by **FLATHEAD** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:30 am

Not necessarily. They screw up too.

Oh, they do indeed, but I suggested those vendors because he
is sending the jacket back to Wings for a refund, and he is not going to get
a replacement from them because they can't seem to send the right
jacket to him, even though he has beeng trying for over a month.

Flathead

Kokopelli · Post by **Kokopelli** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 12:33 pm

Great Googly-Moogly!! BigRex- you could probably crawl inside one of those pockets! Is this how big their pockets are???

Weston · Post by **Weston** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 1:18 pm

gmarthe wrote:Weston, you are my size and your Large jacket looks great open but a little big zipped up. Bigrex, your Medium jacket looks huge on you (and you are smaller than me). How do you guys not scream?

gmarthe, I wouldn't want mine any smaller, you can see the leather straining from the shoulders to the zipper. It' just right for me. If I had to punch a Nazi or a cannibal cultist, I wouldn't want my swing to come up short because my jacket was too tight!

bigrex, It's obviously way too big. I guess what I was asking, though none too well, was about the leather you wanted versus the leather you recieved. And the pockets, is that what all the Wings Indy jackets are looking like these days? Mines a signature series with the much smaller pockets.

We've tried to help you here gmarthe, but after those pics from bigrex I can understand your confusion. I guess you will be better off going to Wings directly with your sizing concerns, be specific, and hope for the best.

Good luck!

Weston

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 5:31 pm

Weston,

Fair question, it's because it's not what I ordered. I ordered a VIP cowhide, they made the exchange and did get the size right this time (relatively speaking), but not the type of jacket. It's been over a month and who can guarantee they will eventually get it right. I'm getting my money back if I can. Originally, I did order a large distressed cowhide, but when it arrived in the mail and the sizing was way off, I requested it be swapped out for a medium VIP cowhide. I wrote in bold all over the returned box along with the authorization number to exchange for VIP Cowhide and underlined it all for good measure. I guess no one caught on. Sorry, this is not a rant I'm just trying to answer questions here and give my point of view regarding what happened. Sometimes things don't go perfectly.

Weston wrote:Hey bigrex, why are you sending that back? I don't want to derail this thread, but is it because of the leather type, or is it something else?

Weston

Thanks for the advice everyone. This is the second time it's going back, actually the back feels a bit tight when I try to put it on (even though my shoulders aren't that wide). but the cut and length is really big. You should have seen the large I originally got in the mail. I mentioned my size and requested they send what matched those specs even though I ordered the large. I bet they didn't even look over my attached message. When getting an authorization no. to return the package it specified it must be done via e-mail. Well, I sent an e-mail and waited a week, no response, so I called and it was news to them. So, over the phone I received the authorization code for the return and now I have the second pre-distressed jacket which I guess I'll return. I think the size might not be too bad if I had the sleeves raised and put it in the washer and then attempted to quick dry the jacket, but I'm not going to experiment to find out...and the pockets are big, yes, much bigger than my todd's jacket, by memory I would roughly guesstimate 7x8". Boy, the Todd's large must be equivalent to XS in US Wings terms.

I think I'll wait for the new cow member specified version to come out. Maybe I'll get a better start on that order than this time around (very funny dr. jones)

UPDATE: I measured the jacket pockets 7 1/8" by 9"

rrhanselka · Post by **rrhanselka** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:49 pm

UH OH!!!!!
I just ordered a Limited Edition Cowhide jacket from USW. I communicated with Sgt. Hack, himself. I gave him my measurements and he allowed I needed a Large. Now I'm not so sure. I'm a 42R, 5'8" with a 42" chest and 34" waist. Sure hope I can exchange it if it's not the right size. What say you, Michaelson, knower of things.

Many Thanks
Randoman

Nebraska Brad · Post by **Nebraska Brad** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:05 pm

rrhanselka

I am 42R 5'10" 32" and a US Wings large was huge on me. Still waiting for my refund

-Nebraska

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:10 pm

Nebraska Brad wrote:rrhanselka

I am 42R 5'10" 32" and a US Wings large was huge on me. Still waiting for my refund

-Nebraska

One thing I will say, I talked with their customer service and they stated the sleeves are purposefully made oversized in length in order to allow someone to tailor sleeves to their specific liking. They claimed they were designed to hang to the first knuckle. I wonder if US wings has altered their design or sizing in say the last four years or so to increasingly cater to the supersized diet? I know they always have been a looser cut.

Nebraska Brad,

Maybe I should try for the swap again and then try to sell if the order is wrong once again. How long have you been waiting, if I may ask?

gmarthe · Post by **gmarthe** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:13 pm

OK, way to make me worried! I'm a 40R, 6'0" , 42" chest and 31"waist and I got a Large also. The Girl I placed my order with on the phone didn't even ask my measurements-just what size I wanted. Wonder if I can call them tomorrow and discuss making a change? I trust your opinion Weston and I think your jacket looks good. Why dont you guys (rrhanselka and Nebraska Brad) post photos of yourself so I can compare?

Weston · Post by **Weston** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:25 pm

I can't add much here. I think I was really lucky to get my Wings jacket when I did, although the picture on theire website looks just like mine. I was very lucky to get just the right size too. I will always say that a bit big is better than a bit small, and a jacket that fits precisely right when you first get it will be too small in a year. I thought my jacket was too big when I first got it, but now, 4 years later, I'm glad I got the size I did.

Weston

gmarthe · Post by **gmarthe** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:30 pm

In your pictures It looks great I must admit. Did it really shrink? I'm going with cowhide now - do the hides shrink differently? Michaelson? Know ye of these things?

Nebraska Brad · Post by **Nebraska Brad** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:35 pm

Hey Rex

I have been waiting for almost 3 weeks after they have received the jacket. I was told that it would take a couple of weeks to process so I will call them on it Monday.

-Nebraska

Weston · Post by **Weston** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:11 pm

Stand by gmarthe. I'm going to post an old pic of me in this jacket, and compare it to a recent pic so you will have a better idea of what I'm talking about.

Weston

rrhanselka · Post by **rrhanselka** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:14 pm

So Sorry! I can't help. I've ordered the Special Edition which won't be available for awhile. I'm wondering if I need to change to a medium?

What say you, Michaelson, knower of things.

randoman

Weston · Post by **Weston** » Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:54 pm

Alrighty then, here we go! My lousy picture program kept binding up my computer. Here's a pic of my daughter and I at the zoo, the jacket was less than a year old and still like new, it had never been washed and hardly had any creases in it. Notice how long it looks in the body, and otherwise bulky:

Now, after 4 years, a few trips through the wash and lots and lots of wear, it looks and fits like this:

[/img]

And, lest there be any doubt as to the size here, a shot of the tag:

gmarthe, that is the best I can do. These jackets do end up smaller over time. I should make it clear that the jacket only has changed size. My heroic metabolism will not allow me to put on weight no matter what. I'm exactly the same size as I was 4 years ago. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you want to see any other pics of the jacket and I'll be happy to help.

Weston[/img]

bigrex · Post by **bigrex** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:09 am

I just noticed US Wings has a kid's sizes Indy jacket that will be available. The XL size looks like it corresponds to about a size 27 waist. Too small since I'm a 32 waist, but who knows it may fit better than the medium men's sizes.

Looks like I need to make a trip over to Ohio if I want to make sure I'm ordering the right size.

gmarthe · Post by **gmarthe** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:23 am

Weston, THANKS SO MUCH for all the help, I really do appreciate it. I can definitely see what you mean - especially in the sleeves. Now my only dilemma is I started this thread with a Goatskin and I have decided on Vintage cow. I don't believe I can wash it without seriously damaging it. So I believe the size I get is the size it stays. Is there, say, a "knower of things" (hint hint) that can help me out?

FLATHEAD · Post by **FLATHEAD** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:35 am

OK, way to make me worried! I'm a 40R, 6'0" , 42" chest and 31"waist and I got a Large also.

It may be too big on you.

A size large Wings Indy jacket has an armpit to armpit measurement
of about 25 to 25.5 inches.

That makes it 50 to 51 inches total around the chest.

If you have a 42 inch chest, then you will have over 8 inches of room in
a size large, and you may end up swimming in it.

A size medium Wings Indy jacket has an armpit to armpit measurement
of about 23 to 23.5 inches, which makes it 46 to 47 inches total around the chest.

That would give you about 4 inches of room, which is a solid military
fit.

Its these sizing problems that make fitting in a Wings jacket a problem
for ALOT of people. There are no inbetween, real sizes.

Since they only sell their jackets in XS, S, M, L, XL ext their jackets are
made on the bigger end of each size, and there is a 4 inch difference
in the chest as you go up each size

If you get a Wested or a G&B for example, you can order your exact
size, such as a 38, 40, 42, 44, 46 ext, and the difference in the chest
is only 2 inches as you go up each size.

Thats why its tough to get a Wings jacket to fit people, and why we
keep reading about people sending the jackets back all the time for a different
size.

Also, as stated before, their "customer service" is really not that. They
are nice people there, but they are there to sell jackets, and they don't
really know alot about the products they sell like the Wested and G&B people
do.

The best thing to do about getting a jacket from Wings that fits you is
to call them, and ask the person on the phone to go and actually measure
a jacket for you, to see if a certain size will fit you.

Be persistant, don't raise your voice, and do NOT take no for an answer.

Afterall, its YOUR money, and having to pay to ship the jacket back and
forth more than once can add up really fast.

Flathead

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:28 am

I totally agree, the folks at Wings are soooo nice on the phone. But their sizing, and particularly in the smaller end of the range seem to be 'generous'.

The calling up and asking them to measure a few key dimensions is be the best bet.

gmarthe · Post by **gmarthe** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:25 pm

I was supposed to get an e-mail confirmation today but it hasn't come yet.

Nebraska Brad · Post by **Nebraska Brad** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:43 pm

gmarthe

Sorry but I returned mine before I took any pics. Weston's looks great after the mileage and washings. It was just too big everywhere for me. Another thing that bothered me was that the front showed a very obvious seam from the leather facing on the zipper. It really affected the drape.

-Nebraska

gmarthe · Post by **gmarthe** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:21 pm

Thanks anway Nebraska. I am going to call tomorrow and change it to a medium I think. Your jacket size is a little bigger than mine (40R) and if It was big on you I would probably encounter the same thing. The only thing I'm worried about is whichever size I order if it's wrong and the jacket is "Limited" that I won't be able to exchange it for the right size because they'll all be gone.

Arca Perdida · Post by **Arca Perdida** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:46 pm

gmarthe wrote:The only thing I'm worried about is whichever size I order if it's wrong and the jacket is "Limited" that I won't be able to exchange it for the right size because they'll all be gone.

That's been one of the main reasons I haven't decided to get one yet. I would if I knew it would fit me right, but also wonder if it didn't whether I'd be stuck with it. I guess there's always eBay, right?
I have one of their lambskin mediums (import) and the fit is good. Slightly baggy in the body and the sleeves, but just right in length. But my understanding is that the import measurements weren't consistent with the USA ones of the same size, so I'm afraid mine won't be a good way to gage my correct size.
Of course one should always call and have them read a jacket's measurements for you over the phone. Less guessing that way. But what if they don't have the jackets in stock yet?

gmarthe · Post by **gmarthe** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:09 pm

Since they aren't shipping until the 15th I doubt they have them ready yet. Maybe they could get the measurements off of a regular vintage cowhide? Arca- what are your measurements?

JC1972 · Post by **JC1972** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:22 pm

gmarthe wrote:Thanks anway Nebraska. I am going to call tomorrow and change it to a medium I think. Your jacket size is a little bigger than mine (40R) and if It was big on you I would probably encounter the same thing. The only thing I'm worried about is whichever size I order if it's wrong and the jacket is "Limited" that I won't be able to exchange it for the right size because they'll all be gone.

I don't know what your credit card situation is like, but if I was unsure and really wanted one; I'd get one of both sizes. Yes you'll pay more for shipping & perhaps you could sell the other here, on ebay or the other Indy site. Then you won't have to pay for return shipping. Just a thought.

Arca Perdida · Post by **Arca Perdida** » Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:34 am

gmarthe wrote:Since they aren't shipping until the 15th I doubt they have them ready yet. Maybe they could get the measurements off of a regular vintage cowhide? Arca- what are your measurements?

6'1.5", 165lbs

michaeljcr · Post by **michaeljcr** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 4:42 pm

Hi everyone, I've just seen this thread after ordering one of the limited edition jackets in an XXL and I'm now having fits of paranoia as to the size. I've got a Wested Raiders 48" Regular and it's fine over a t-shirts/shirt when open and somewhat snug when fastened. I wear a 48" Regular in a suit jacket, but I really wanted a jacket I could wear in colder weather with a jumper/sweater and still feel comfortable. My sizes are as follows:

Height: 5' 11.5"
Chest Size: 48" Regular
Waist: 40"
Shirt Size: 18
Weight: 245 (I'm broad in the chest and wide in the belly!)

I want a jacket with some room, but I'm not looking to turn it into a tent, so any help would be appreciated as I may still have time to change the size.

M.