Need help with Wested LC/CS jacket!

indiana bob · Post by **indiana bob** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 9:42 pm

I'm new here, but I have been scanning this forum for a while trying to glean info about a Wested LC/CS jacket. I've been thinking about getting one for about a month, and I've thought of some questions to ask you guys:

1) I'm a size 38 chest, does that mean I should buy a size 38 jacket?

2) I'm 6 feet tall and weigh 175 pounds, should I get a 38 long?

3) Is the goat leather good for year-round wear (is it tougher than lamb)? Will it match the actual LC jacket's color (or be close)?

4) Is it alright to wear the goat in rain/snow? How will it react to getting wet?

5) Wested's ordering page is a little confusing... how do I make sure that I'm ordering an OTR jacket?

Sorry I keep adding and removing questions, but I'm just trying to be thorough. This will be my first-ever leather jacket, so if you guys have any advice or pointers, please feel free to share. Thanks for your help!

crismans · Post by **crismans** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:18 pm

Okay, I'm certainly not an expert but let me see if I can be of help on some of these questions. I'll let those more in the know get the other ones (and correct me, no doubt

).

1) The leather used on the actual LC jacket was lamb but many members here swear by the OTR washed goat as a great choice for this jacket. I've just ordered one of these myself.

2) I believe you should order your actual chest size. The standard cut Westeds have 4 extra inches built in for layering of clothes and so on.

3) Check out the Indy jacket page (you can get to it from Wested's home page). It has a sizing chart that can help you with this.

4) If you're going off the rack, then you don't have a choice as to whether or not you get these. I don't believe the OTR LC jacket has gussets. I don't know about the X box stitching but I don't think that would be SA for a Last Crusade jacket

5) Again, if you're going off the rack, your limited in your leather choices. I'd go with goat. It has a great drape plus is very tough.

6) A lot of the OTR are outsourced (meaning made in another country) but Peter inspects each one and I haven't heard any problems with quality.

7) There are tons of threads here that deal with this better than I ever could.

8 ) I think OTR's ship out pretty quick. RaiderS got his 4 days after ordering.

9) If you want to be screen accurate, the LC jacket (and CS for that matter) has D rings.

10) Natural distressing is just the distressing your jacket gets from being worn. Artificial distressing is using alcohol, sandpaper, etc. to get that worn look on a new jacket. I'm a fan of natural distressing myself (although I have distressed a Todd's custom before).

indiana bob · Post by **indiana bob** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:25 pm

crismans wrote:Okay, I'm certainly not an expert but let me see if I can be of help on some of these questions. I'll let those more in the know get the other ones (and correct me, no doubt ).

1) The leather used on the actual LC jacket was lamb but many members here swear by the OTR washed goat as a great choice for this jacket. I've just ordered one of these myself.

2) I believe you should order your actual chest size. The standard cut Westeds have 4 extra inches built in for layering of clothes and so on.

3) Check out the Indy jacket page (you can get to it from Wested's home page). It has a sizing chart that can help you with this.

4) If you're going off the rack, then you don't have a choice as to whether or not you get these. I don't believe the OTR LC jacket has gussets. I don't know about the X box stitching but I don't think that would be SA for a Last Crusade jacket

5) Again, if you're going off the rack, your limited in your leather choices. I'd go with goat. It has a great drape plus is very tough.

6) A lot of the OTR are outsourced (meaning made in another country) but Peter inspects each one and I haven't heard any problems with quality.

7) There are tons of threads here that deal with this better than I ever could.

I think OTR's ship out pretty quick. RaiderS got his 4 days after ordering.

9) If you want to be screen accurate, the LC jacket (and CS for that matter) has D rings.

Thank you very much! This has cleared some things up for me (but more advice is quite acceptable!).

indiana bob · Post by **indiana bob** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:33 pm

crismans wrote: 10) Natural distressing is just the distressing your jacket gets from being worn. Artificial distressing is using alcohol, sandpaper, etc. to get that worn look on a new jacket. I'm a fan of natural distressing myself (although I have distressed a Todd's custom before).

Okay, that makes things easier. I'm way too scared to try anything with chemicals, so natural distressing it is!

Kevin Anderson · Post by **Kevin Anderson** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:42 pm

I'm not so sure about ordering actual by actual chest size...
I measure a loose 39", and went with a 42R (two in fact, so far) and can zip them up comfortably, but I'm sure a 40R, which would be closer to my actual size, would be too tight. And LC is a 'baggy' fit, at least compared to Raiders. Just my two cents.

jacksdad · Post by **jacksdad** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:55 am

I'm a 44 short and and I got an otr 44 reg,it fits great the only thing I needed to do was have the sleeves shortened,due to my short arms.Otherwise it fit great and I could layer too. I t dosn't look baggy,but I got he raiders cut,I perfer goat skin because of it's durability,but that's just me. hope this helps and good luck.

indiana bob · Post by **indiana bob** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 10:06 am

jacksdad wrote:I'm a 44 short and and I got an otr 44 reg,it fits great the only thing I needed to do was have the sleeves shortened,due to my short arms.Otherwise it fit great and I could layer too. I t dosn't look baggy,but I got he raiders cut,I perfer goat skin because of it's durability,but that's just me. hope this helps and good luck.

Thanks, I think I'll try my size, and if it's not right I can always send it back for adjustments.

FLATHEAD · Post by **FLATHEAD** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:32 pm

Thanks, I think I'll try my size, and if it's not right I can always send it back for adjustments

If you order the wrong size, they can't "make adjustments" to it to make
it bigger.

If you order the wrong size, and have to go bigger, then they will have to
make you a totally new jacket.

The only simple things that can be adjusted are things like the sleeve
length (if there is enough material folded under to create the cuff) and
the length of the side straps.

Any other adjustments are not really easy to do, and will usually mean
a new jacket must be made.

Even moving the pockets around will need a new jacket made, because
if you move them, then the old stitch holes will remain where the pocket
was at originally.

Three things you have to take into consideration here is your age,
how you like your jackets to fit, and what you are going to be wearing under
the jacket most of the time.

As we age, we get fatter. That is a fact of life. A jacket that "just fits"
today may not fit in a year if you gain any weight at all. Make sure
you take that into consideration before you order.

Second, determine how you like your jackets to fit. Do you like a snug
military style fit, or do you like a looser, more modern fit?

And third, what are you going to be wearing under the jacket. Do you
intend to wear it in colder weather, where you would be wearing layers
such as sweaters/sweatshirts with tee-shirts under them? Or are you
going to wear the jacket in warmer weather, where you are going to just
be wearing a single layer like a polo shirt or single tee-shirt?

My advise to you is to take a jacket that you already own, and that you
like how it fits you, and take a few measurements from it, so you can
order the right size Wested the first time.

Take your current jacket that you like the fit of, zip it up, and lay it flat
on your bed, with the zipper facing up.

Measure it from under one armpit to the other across the chest. Take this number, and
double it. This is your jackets total chest measurement. Write this number down.

Measure one sleeve starting from where the shoulder seam meets the sleeve,
down the outside of the sleeve, all the way down to the very end of the cuff.
Write that number down. this is your jackets sleeve length.

Now flip the jacket over, and measure it from where the collar seam
meets the back panel, all the way down the center of the back panel
to the very bottom hem of the jacket. Write that number down. This is
the total back length.

All size Regular Wested Indy jackets measure 4 inches bigger in the chest
than the tagged size. This 4 inches is normally called "movement room.

So, if you wanted a size 38 Regular Wested, it will have a total chest measurement of 42 inches.
If you wanted a size 40 Regular Wested, it will have a total chest measurement
of 44 inches, and so on up the size range.

Compare the total chest measurement from the jacket you already have
with whatever size Regular Wested comes closest to how you like your
jacket to fit in the chest.

And then, compare the sleeve length, and back length to what Wested
has posted about each of the size Regular jackets, and see which one
comes closest to what you need.

Once you determine which size comes closest to what you are looking
for, you can either get an OTR jacket, or you can get a custom jacket
were you can add an inch here or there to get it to fit you the way you want.

By zeroing in on what YOU want and what YOU need, you can get a perfect
fitting Wested the first time.

Flathead

indiana bob · Post by **indiana bob** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:28 pm

Thanks Flathead. That will help me a lot. I think I will go with a 40R to give me a little wiggle room.