Trust me you'll spend countless hours trying to find the answer to your dilemma. I just got both of my Westeds this year so I feel I can help you out quickly and save you some time. The screen accurate jacket is authentic lambskin, it looks awesome and feels soft as velvet and drapes over your body like its painted on, problem is if you plan on going on any adventures with it lambskin is the weakest of the leathers and has a tendency to rip fairly easily. The strongest leather wested offers is Goat it's very durable and ready for any adventure you can dish up. It is quite a bit stiffer than the lambskin and doesn't have the feel, but it still looks great and you aren't constantly worring about getting it caught on a branch. If you want it for display or just occasional cosplay type stuff, or even just to own the screen accurate jacket go lambskin. If you want a jacket Indy would've worn to take the beating it does in the films go Goat. The cowhides all fall inbetween these two, a little less durable, but softer. Of course you could just do what I did and get the auth. goat and the auth. lambskin.
Lindy
I would also take into consideration where you live. Since you're a Jersey boy, lambskin probably wouldn't be warm enough. Cowhide is heavier and would keep you warmer. They have regular cowhide, and the predistressed cowhide(which has the worn look).
I have goat and a pre-distressed cowhide. I recently ordered authentic lamb. I prefer the pre-d cowhide. It has a great look to it. It took me sanding down my goat to get the shine of it and I had worn it 8 months. i can't comment on the lamb because I don't have it yet. I don't plan on taking on any adventures, it is more of a early fall, spring don't get to rough with it jacket. Still my jacket of choice is the pre-d cowhide.
I can concur with Indian Texas Girl. I live in Jersey too, and I have both
the Authentic lambsking, and a predistressed cowhide from U.S. Wings.
I had the predistressed from Wested once, but I did not like it. The
whole jacket was so evenly distressed all over, that it almost looked
like suede. I don't know if this is still the case, but mine was like this.
It was a nice jacket, but looked too much like those 80's acid washed
leather jackets.
But, I will say that the lamb is good to about 50 degrees with a regular
shirt under it. Its good to about 40 or 45 degrees with a sweater or
sweatshirt. Below that , and its not enough jacket to keep you warm.
The cowhide on the otherhand, will keep you warm down to above
freezing if you have on a sweater or sweatshirt with a tee shirt on under
them.
Below that, and you need a regular winter coat. Me, I perfer to wear
my shearling jackets when it gets down in the 30's.
I have the authentic lambskin Wested and love it. It can take a beating too It's not like the thing is made of tissue paper. However once the spring/summer rolls around I plan on going camping and such, the authetic goat will be worth looking into. Right now I understand Wested has a hold on all goat jackets.
To have year round functionality, you almost *require* both a lambskin and a cow/goat jacket. In New Jersey it gets very hot and also very very cold. Winter 2003 was freezing.
While Peter (Wested) is awaiting a new shipment of authentic goatskin, he did post that the dark brown goatskin is available. I've a dark brown goatskin, and I'm pretty happy with it.