Need Gibson & Barnes Expedition owners advice.

TCS · Post by **TCS** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 2:25 pm

I am considering getting a G & B in dark seal goat, and would like to know what you think about this jacket. Is it screen accurate? Is it well made? Your input would be appreciated. Thanks.

bobjones · Post by **bobjones** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 2:32 pm

I have had a goatskin dark seal for one month, and you should read my opinion here:

viewtopic.php?p=483619#483619

IMHO, you can't do better for both SA and quality. Even my mother tried it on last night and was impressed! The feel and smell of the hide is incredible, and while it cannot really be considered a winter-weight jacket by itself, looks like it could withstand just about any kind of pounding.

mark seven · Post by **mark seven** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:18 pm

I love the GB goat,they're tough as nails and just get better with age!

Zinedar · Post by **Zinedar** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:35 pm

I've owned a G&B Expedition in dark seal goat for over a year, and I'm very happy with it. Screen accuracy and quality of workmanship are excellent, and the goatskin is tough as nails.

moviematt1989 · Post by **moviematt1989** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:44 pm

Okay,

This is going to sound very noobish, but I seriously have always wondered this. Gibson & Barnes is labeled nowhere on the site so why is it called that? Isn't it simply Flightsuits Co. or w/e??

Matt

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 3:45 pm

They're one and the same. They were 'FS' first, but they tag their jackets G&B, and both link to the same website, which is marked FlightSuits.

Regards! Michaelson

Tollan · Post by **Tollan** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 4:28 pm

A superb jacket in all respects!! I got another this year and I LOVE it! The Goat hide they have at the moment is really exceptional... almost like lamb but soooo much more durable.

norton · Post by **norton** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 5:57 pm

I got mine earlier this year. I don't know about screen accurate but I love the jacket. Its beautifully made of great materials. I choose G&B because they had tall sizes and I liked the fact that you could order by jacket size, not just small-medium-large, etc.

Their customer service is great, they called to make sure I received the jacket and to make sure I was happy with it.

Buy it from them, you can't go wrong.

TCS · Post by **TCS** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 8:07 pm

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.

Indiana_Jonesing · Post by **Indiana_Jonesing** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 10:18 am

TCS,

I concur with the other posters -- the quality of this jacket is outstanding. I've owned my G&B goat for over 5 years now, and it's stood the test of time. And while the details regarding pocket placement and overall measurements are right on the money, I don't think the jacket is as screen accurate as touted in this thread.

The goat is tough for sure, but the LEATHER doesn't look or drape anything like the screen-used jacket. To me, what makes Indy’s jacket HIS jacket aren't the exact measurements of the pockets, or whether or not the yoke is a half inch higher than the film’s version. Yes, these things are important, but relative. If you’re slightly better than ballpark in the measurements department, it’s all about the way the jacket ages and drapes that sets it in a class of its own. My goatskin is broken in as much as one could hope, but when I look at it in the mirror, or in photos, it just doesn’t say “Indiana Jones” like some of the Wested versions I've seen here. The sheen of goat, and the leather's tolerance to natural distressing separate it from the way a lambskin weathers and drapes.

I love my G&B, but after five years of wearing it, photographing it, viewing other members' jackets, and comparing it to the film version, it just doesn't embody the spirit of the film jacket like I feel it should.

If drape/color/sheen isn't as important as pocket placement and durability, go for the G&B. You'll have it forever and be more than pleased. But if screen-accuracy is of the utmost of importance to you, I'd consider something else. I wish I could speak for the G&B lamb, but I've never seen one in person. Still, I'm told that jacket, while it may drape more like the film used version, doesn't weather the same. It isn't vegetable tanned, and I believe that's the difference.

If G&B made the Expedition with Peter's authentic brown lambskin, I'd have the perfect jacket. Wishful thinking.

I hope this helps to provide some perspective. Take it for what it’s worth.

Best Regards,
-Jonesing

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 12:39 pm

Indiana_Jonesing wrote:TCS,

I concur with the other posters -- the quality of this jacket is outstanding. I've owned my G&B goat for over 5 years now, and it's stood the test of time. And while the details regarding pocket placement and overall measurements are right on the money, I don't think the jacket is as screen accurate as touted in this thread.

The goat is tough for sure, but the LEATHER doesn't look or drape anything like the screen-used jacket. To me, what makes Indy’s jacket HIS jacket aren't the exact measurements of the pockets, or whether or not the yoke is a half inch higher than the film’s version. Yes, these things are important, but relative. If you’re slightly better than ballpark in the measurements department, it’s all about the way the jacket ages and drapes that sets it in a class of its own. My goatskin is broken in as much as one could hope, but when I look at it in the mirror, or in photos, it just doesn’t say “Indiana Jones” like some of the Wested versions I've seen here. The sheen of goat, and the leather's tolerance to natural distressing separate it from the way a lambskin weathers and drapes.

I love my G&B, but after five years of wearing it, photographing it, viewing other members' jackets, and comparing it to the film version, it just doesn't embody the spirit of the film jacket like I feel it should.

If drape/color/sheen isn't as important as pocket placement and durability, go for the G&B. You'll have it forever and be more than pleased. But if screen-accuracy is of the utmost of importance to you, I'd consider something else. I wish I could speak for the G&B lamb, but I've never seen one in person. Still, I'm told that jacket, while it may drape more like the film used version, doesn't weather the same. It isn't vegetable tanned, and I believe that's the difference.

If G&B made the Expedition with Peter's authentic brown lambskin, I'd have the perfect jacket. Wishful thinking.

I hope this helps to provide some perspective. Take it for what it’s worth.

Best Regards,
-Jonesing

a very educated post and nice breakdown jonesing......g&b's leather is definitely not my first choice for an addition to my jacket family....but i'm still veeeeeery interested in handling an expo. primarily because everyone loves their's so much. the nail in the coffin, however, is that i know g&b took some liberties with the design to make it more practical....which i don't like.

if the hero jacket had one sleeve's lining missing, that's what i want.....don't add it in cuz it'll make it a better jacket. there's tonnes of other jackets that i would buy first if i want resilience and practicallity.

Tollan · Post by **Tollan** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 1:16 pm

wellll.... I'd agree and disagree. I used to have a 5 year old goat Expo and the goat they have now is TOTALLY different... it's almost like lamb. Very thin, light and soft!

Indiana_Jonesing · Post by **Indiana_Jonesing** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 4:11 pm

And that puts a whole different paint job on it, Tollan. Like I said, I only have the "old" goat (purchased in the summer of 2003). It's broken in, but it's like "breaking in" a tank . . . How beat up does a tank really get?

I could live with the uncharacteristic drape by itself. After all, this jacket is a gem. But the fact that it's not vegetable tanned, and thus doesn't really weather (intense sandpaper treatments aside), is the nail in the coffin for ME. My jacket still looks brand new in many respects. Plain and simple: Indy's jacket is scratched, scuffed, and discolored. I'm five years in with this sucker and NOTHING in the way of discoloration/natural distressing.

It's an ideal piece if you're looking for durability, or a representation of Indy's jacket that's fairly on-the-mark when it comes to measurements. It just doesn't "look" enough like the screen used jacket -- especially under harsh lights/flashes, to be the jacket of choice for me. And I’m not even one of the more detail critical fans on this board.

If anyone's got information pertaining to the lambskin G&B offering, or pictures of the new goat offering, I'd love to hear about/see them.

Best Regards,
-Jonesing

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:06 pm

I’ll concur that G&B really doesn’t source its leather with the “average” Indiana Jones fan in mind. An average Indiana Jones fan wants his leather to break-in and show wear fast. They like a jacket that if you stare at it a little hard, some of the dye comes off. That in itself is a bit of a contradiction (“Man how’d you get your jacket to look so beat up? I watched a few hours of TV every night for a few weeks”). For the most part I would say that G&B sells to a broader base of people. There are obvious exceptions to this rule of course. My buffalo jacket has all kinds of character. But the average fan will dismiss it because it’s russet.

Now with all that being said, you can simply wash your jacket in cold water with no soap if you want it to look more “screen accurate”. Here’s a chrome-tanned goatskin prototype that has been through the wash and had a little acetone to boot (which is not really necessary). It's also about one size too big for me.

I also concur that their current batch of goatskin is so soft & drapes so well that I decided to forget about lambskin. There was no point to it. Cheers

This picture’s not worth much. I’ll see what I can do about some better ones showing the drape of the new goat.

PS I'm not meaning to put a negative spin on Indiana_Jonesing's opinion. It's valid.

I just wanted to counter that there are ways to make a G&B jacket look more distressed. It can be hard to do through natural wear.

CM · Post by CM » Thu Oct 09, 2008 4:42 am

Hey Rundquist,

I want to say thanks for your earlier G&B posts. The info you supplied and the pics made me go out a order one. It's my best leather jacket (I've owned many) and the best Indy I've seen. And I can't think of a better leather than goat - light and strong. It's almost impossible to find goat skin jackets here in Aust.

Cheers

bobjones · Post by **bobjones** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:37 am

Indiana_Jonesing wrote:If anyone's got information pertaining to the lambskin G&B offering, or pictures of the new goat offering, I'd love to hear about/see them.

Best Regards,
-Jonesing

Call them for a sample of the dark and regular seal goat, and the dark seal lamb. The lamb is wonderful, but as said before the goat is so lightweight that it makes much more sense to go with it.

And Rundquist, do you really think that that jacket is too big? It seems to be a tiny bit big on the torso, but the sleeve length already looks a bit short...

MFC · Post by **MFC** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 5:33 pm

Rundquist,

That jacket looks fantastic. I was just about to order from Wested, but now I may go with the G&B.

-Matt

Indiana G · Post by **Indiana G** » Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:39 pm

i agree rundquist.....i'm almost a g&b believer cuz of that one ;-)

crismans · Post by **crismans** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 9:48 am

How heavy is the g and b? Is it more a fall/spring or winter jacket? I'm sure that this has been covered ad nauseum but I thought it would be okay to ask again here.

Post by **Michaelson** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 9:52 am

The G&G goatskin is a good 3 season jacket.

Regards! Michaelson

Bowie · Post by **Bowie** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 11:34 am

Indiana G wrote:i agree rundquist.....i'm almost a g&b believer cuz of that one ;-)

I almost fell outta my chair after reading that one G! We'll make a believe out of you yet

Bowie · Post by **Bowie** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 11:39 am

MFC wrote:Rundquist,

That jacket looks fantastic. I was just about to order from Wested, but now I may go with the G&B.

-Matt

Matt

Spend the extra money and go with G&B, you will not regret it!

whipcracker · Post by **whipcracker** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 12:34 pm

Why not a Magnoli, it's not much more than a G&B, after you include the shipping? He's got a thick goat skin that is G&B worthy and you get it custom tailored, and he can do a heavier wool snap in lining for when it's really cold. There you have a four season jacket. That's what I am thinking, after I raise the funds by selling some other jackets (hint hint).

sebas · Post by **sebas** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 12:42 pm

Is it just me or do those pocket flaps look huge..?

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 12:47 pm

sebas wrote:Is it just me or do those pocket flaps look huge..?

Read my actual post. It's a prototype! Cheers

sebas · Post by **sebas** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 1:00 pm

I have read your post. I'm aware it's a prototype. I'm just pointing out something that jumps out to me based on your pics...

coronado3 · Post by **coronado3** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 1:25 pm

Those pocket flaps actually look like the perfect version of the flaps on the LC jacket.

Alkali Jones · Post by **Alkali Jones** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 5:16 pm

Hey Rundquist,

Is the jacket you're wearing the prototype? I ask because the back arm seam meets the yoke. Indy's yoke was an inch or so higher than the back arm seam. What does G&B do today? Do those seams meet, or is the yoke higher? Thanks.

Dan S

Rundquist · Post by **Rundquist** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 5:48 pm

sebas wrote:I have read your post. I'm aware it's a prototype. I'm just pointing out something that jumps out to me based on your pics...

OK.

Alkali Jones wrote:Hey Rundquist,

Is the jacket you're wearing the prototype? I ask because the back arm seam meets the yoke. Indy's yoke was an inch or so higher than the back arm seam. What does G&B do today? Do those seams meet, or is the yoke higher? Thanks.

Dan S

This jacket is one of the prototypes. There were quite a few. This one was actually purchased originally by board member Koreana Jones. My original prototype was a deerskin Expedition originally owned by Paterson (for a few seconds). I always hesitate to show this particular jacket. Even though it’s a prime example of what can be done to an Expedition in the weathering department, it is a prototype and I always have to field questions over the details of this thing. The long and short of it is that this a prototype. It shouldn’t be used to measure anything except how you can weather an Expedition. Cheers

PS-

Actually, I think board member TheMechanic’s Expo is a prime example of what can be done, and it's current. Cheers

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t ... expedition

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t ... hlight=g+b

Tollan · Post by **Tollan** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 7:29 pm

yeah... he did a great job of breaking his jacket in with and washing machine and a tumble dryer! No sand paper needed. He had another post a while back with some great pictures of him wearing the broken in/distressed jacket. Just great.

MFC · Post by **MFC** » Fri Oct 10, 2008 9:14 pm

Rundquist,

Those pictures did it. I ordered an Expedition last night.

-Matt

Alkali Jones · Post by **Alkali Jones** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 12:15 pm

Hey Rundquist,

Ok, prototype. Would a current jacket have the yoke seam meet the back arm seam? Or would the yoke be higher than the back arm seam? An inch or so higher I believe is correct for an Indy jacket.

Dan S

crismans · Post by **crismans** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 1:31 pm

I'm not Rundquist but I play him on forums. ;-) Here's a pick of The Mechanics jacket:

The arm seam comes in below the yoke seam.

coronado3 · Post by **coronado3** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 1:34 pm

Man, I'm going to have to bag the wested idea and go with a G&B aren't I?

I wish they were about $100 cheaper!