What a leather jacket is supposed to be.

[Weston]

Lambskin is out, if you want your jacket to go much longer than 10 years. Don’t get me wrong. If the jacket sits in your closet most of the time and only comes out for special occasions, it will last much longer than that. But this post is about hard wear. The point is that it doesn’t matter how well made the rest of the jacket is if the leather itself is not up for the challenge.

well see, i like to spend time outdoors, camping and whatnot, and therefore my clothing needs to be durable enough to survive the inevitable scrapes, falls, snags, etc. that come with outdoor activity. Make that daily, and it needs to be pretty tough so you don't look like TOD Indy after one camping trip.

I'm not doing stunt work, I'm just doing fairly normal stuff, stuff that, apparently, lambskin just isn't up to handling. Not even once.

This ones 10 year old. It's been on many a camp trip, been soaked all the way through, rolled down hills, packed fire wood, etc. This jacket has never been treated with conditioner. The satin lining is long, long gone, but the leather looks and feels like it can go for years, wear out a few more linings. I hesitate to condition it because I really like the way it looks now.

I do have other jackets, a cowhide and a goatskin, so now my jackets get cycled through or selected based on temperature and duty. But this one has been my favorite, and was my main jacket for years until I got my Wings goatskin. What I love about the lambskin is the look and feel, the lightweight, the fact that you can wear it in warmer weather, the dramatic way it moves. I just bought another lambskin jacket, and I hope I have as much success with it as I have had with this one.



[/img]

Maybe I've just been phenomenally lucky with my lambskin jacket, maybe the hides Wested was using in 1997 fell from the planet Krypton, I don't know. Maybe there is a difference in the quality of the hides you guys got in your jackets. #@$% happens sometimes. I know that on this one the left sleeve feels thicker than the right sleeve and the right sleeve shows more wear, so there might be a consistency problem alright.

I don't agree that a lambskin jacket cannot last and isn't worth using for more than posing for pictures. I am not discounting the undisputed durability of goatskin, I sure do like mine! We all have strong opinions based on our personal experience. There are just my opinions based on jackets I've owned.

Weston

[PLATON]

I think that the leather jacket should be an armor of 5mm thickness that when I wear will look like ROBOCOP (TM) and then I feel comfortable to go to any adventure.

[Darth Indiana]

well, it depends on what you mean by "camping" Weston. When I say camping, i don't mean 'pre-cleared site with a coleman stove and eight-pack of franks' camping. I only do that if my family is with me. I like a more 'removed', if you will, kind of camping. 'Drive to the park, then hike a mile and a half into the woods, and if i'm feeling adventurous, leave the tent in my pack and build a lean-to,' is more what i mean. That means chopping and hauling firewood, clearing debris from my chosen camp area, etc.
I also like to hike, and I don't care where you got your lamb jacket, if you slip down a muddy hill and get snagged on a rock, that jacket's history. My old cowhide(finally found out the leather type) A-2 got a small hole in it that way. If i'd been wearing lamb, I would've probably needed a new jacket.
You know, actual adventure-type stuff.
If you've been doing that kind of stuff and your lambskin still looks like in the picture, either it's not really lamb, or, as you said, that particular animal arrived in a capsule from Krypton.

[gmarthe]

So what Darth means is when he goes camping (you know professional camping- not like us amateurs) he sweeps his campground with his jacket, uses it for a firewood carry and then makes a shelter out of it. What's wrong with all of you "babying your jacket" (says the man with no jacket ). I for one plan on using my jacket as a beach towel and a doormat and if it doesn't last 50 years there will be #### to pay!

[Rundquist]

I’ll reiterate that lambskin is fine for lounging around, maybe listening to music and smoking a cigar. With a little care (some leather dressing every couple of years) and that kind of use, lambskin can probably last 20 plus years. Beyond light use though, you’re taking a chance with lambskin. Here’s an example I heard about.

A Midwest police force had some jackets made up in lambskin, even after the manufacturer recommended goatskin. A few months later the same police force was back buying goatskin jackets after the lambskin jackets got trashed after a few scuffles in the field.

Again, lambskin is ok for some people. Just never let it be said that you weren’t warned about its durability.

[Rundquist]

I think that the leather jacket should be an armor of 5mm thickness that when I wear will look like ROBOCOP (TM) and then I feel comfortable to go to any adventure.

Platon, you need to remember that your personal needs and experience are not always representative of all the people on this board.

[Darth Indiana]

So what Darth means is when he goes camping (you know professional camping- not like us amateurs) he sweeps his campground with his jacket, uses it for a firewood carry and then makes a shelter out of it. What's wrong with all of you "babying your jacket" (says the man with no jacket ). I for one plan on using my jacket as a beach towel and a doormat and if it doesn't last 50 years there will be #### to pay!

lol.

[Rundquist]

Whipwariors post:

viewtopic.php?p=400190#400190

perfectly illustrates the point that I was trying to make about lambskin. Lambskin is very "here today, gone tomorrow". In one instant your jacket can be dead. Cheers

[PLATON]

I'll light up my cigar then...

[Rundquist]

I'll light up my cigar then...

Lambskin is elegant for sure. I've enjoyed owning them. Lambskin is also OK for many peoples' individual needs. The point is that lambskin shouldn't be thought of on the same lines as other leathers. People that don't have experience with different hides can be disappointed in lambskin's performance, if not properly warned.

[Minnesota Jones]

That's also why a lot of movie jackets are Lambskin, they distress easy. When you put sandpaper and acetone on a jacket, you're damaging it. It's easier to distress/damage a lambskin over goat because the leather isn't as good. It can be nice, but it's not as durable as goat. Also, aren't lambs little non-adult (fully grown) sheep? They're not grown up yet, stands to reason their "hides" aren't fully up to an adult goat's specs either.

[whipwarrior]

My only gripe is that the satin lining has already started to fail. I have a sizeable hole toward the bottom of the back.

That is my only pet peeve about Wested. I really wish they'd make the linings from thicker material. On my recently-deceased LC, there were large holes in the lining where I clip my keyring to my belt loop, and the lining around the inner sleeve cuff was almost halfway open, almost like the material dry rotted away from the leather. I was actually considering sending it back to Wested for a new liner before my little accident. I remember reading here that one guy actually bought a roll of dacron fabric and sent it to Wested, and they used the supplied material in his jacket. This may be the way to go if you're looking for a more durable liner material.

[gi_canuck]

SO, does any jacket-maker still produce a kangaroo hide Indy jacket?

Not that I know of.... there are however a lot of biker leather jacket manufacturers who make leather jackets in Kangaroo hide... I haven't seen an Indy Style Kangaroo hide since the discontinued U.S. Wing version... I've had the U.S. Wings one since last september and yes, you can tell this hide is freaking tough... Definitely heavier than lamb for sure... but not as heavy as cow or horse hide.... I like pretty much everything about this jacket except for the huge arm circumference and the color... The coat has this reddish tint that's painted on black kangaroo hide (which is kind of weird) Some parts of the jacket is currently losing that reddish tint and starting to reveal the original black color underneath... It's hard to tell from the distance, but you can tell up close... It did make the jacket a bit darker though... with the red getting mixed with fine grainy black around it... Gives it a simulated brown look now.... Not that nice distressed look of the lamb though, but then again, I didn't really buy this jacket for the looks anyway. Yeah with a little care (Pecard?) I think it'll last 20 years... Heck, who knows, it might even become a family heirloom or something...haha. SA or not, this is definitely a unique one of a kind jacket... If Peter ever made an Indy Jacket in Kangaroo, I'd snatch it up right away.... no hesitation for me.

[Rundquist]

I was talking to board member "Dr. J" yesterday and he confirmed that there is going to be an Indiana Jones 5. Indy goes back to wearing lambskin. The movie is going to be called "Indiana Jones and the Door Knob of Doom".

[whipwarrior]

touché!

[PADDY]

This is a 1940's inspired Dubow A-2 as worn by crew members of the USAAF and is made by RMNZ (Real McCoy New Zealand). In a brown seal overspray onto a tan base, the base is starting to come through on areas of wear to make this a nice looking vintagesque jacket harkening back to the 40's. Made in HH it has an original squadron patch and NOS Talon zip (so an unused original zip of that period). Very well made and always gets good comments! This has a vintage jacket feel for me that Indy would not turn his nose up at if he had to wear it!

[Cavalcade]

Beautiful jacket, I get misty eyed just looking at it.