One Year Into a Wested Horsehide Raiders

[Road Warrior]

Picked up this Wested Raiders in horsehide last July. I have a number of other leather jackets, so this one was put into the rotation and worn a fair amount, although not as much as my Aero's. I finally took the time to take some photos to show how it's breaking in. Here's a few observations....

1) The finish doesn't seem to distress much at all. Like almost nothing. I'm not going to use alcohol, acetone, a knife, sandpaper, or any other fake distressing techniques, which on this hide would probably really look bad. No need for Pecard's or anything else at this time, either.
2) I have worn it in the rain a few times, and it got really soaked a couple of of those times. That really brought out a lot of grain, but I couldn't get the lighting right in the photos to really show it as it looks in person.
3) I think the lining (cotton body and nylon sleeves) are going to wear out long before the hide. I wish they used higher quality materials there.
4) This may sound crazy on this site, but I have no idea how to tell a Raiders from a TOD to an LC to a CS. None. I just like vintage style jackets.
5) I also have no idea if this is "screen accurate", or even close. I also think that screen accuracy is as elusive as Bigfoot.
6) I have big hands, so the pocket warmers are pretty much useless. I know how the debate rages about pocket size, shape, placement, flaps, blah, blah, blah here. They all look pretty much the same to me.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this jacket. You can't touch a custom made horsehide jacket for anything close to what Wested gets. It's light enough for mild weather, yet just heavy enough when it gets a little cold. I wish the finish distressed like my FQHH Aero, but the break-in took about 1/10th the time, so there's always a trade-off.

Here's some pictures.... (Sorry about some of the spots due to the flash, I guess)

[Michaelson]

Looks like it's broken in quite well.

Could you possibly reduce the size of your photos, though?

Flash spots? Those look like 'orbs' to me!

Regards!Michaelson

[crismans]

Wested's HH is really nice. Whatever faults I might have with mine, the hide is definitely not one of them. Like your jacket shows, it only gets better with time.

[Mississippi Jones]

Great jacket!

[indy89]

Flash spots? Those look like 'orbs' to me!

It's just dust


Nice lookin' jacket!

[Michaelson]

They say that a lot on 'Ghost Hunters' too.

Regards! Michaelson

[Louisiana Jones]

Nice looking jacket. My first Wested was HH (ultra thin HH compared to other brands) and yeah it had a finish that wouldn't distress quickly. I ended up selling it due to fit issues and went with the novapelle which was actually heavier.

Again nice jacket.. keep on letting it distress naturally.. it'll look great in another few years!

LJ

[Holt]

Here is my Horsehide Last crusade.It is one year old this month.

This is the he one with the high level of SA. Its not 100% SA but its very close. The closest one to the film, yet.

My next will be more SA, hopefully .... I think it will be dark goat.....

I must say, the pattern ( not details ) wested use's today is so much closer to the original film jacket I have yet to see from any other jacket maker.... but thats just my opinion....



The Leather is one of the best skins I have ever felt. Its now comfortable and pretty much broken in. It can in some more Im sure... The skin is so soft and such a rich feel when touching it. It has begunn to distress at the cuffs and stormflap edge. some on the pcockets and on the collar.



]

[crismans]

That collar appears to be dead on.

[Yojimbo Jones]

Man those pockets are high!

[Holt]

yep. just like these. pretty high too...

[Raskolnikov]

That's a great jacket, Holt. Really, really cool. Now I see what you mean when you tell us distressing is not everything in the LC jacket. I'm sure it looks great with a MOTB cardigan.

I like very much yours too, Road Warrior. Wested HH seems to be a very good choice.

Congrats.

[Holt]

Thanx. yes the distressing is just a detail, the jacket is just as cool with out it.

cant wait to see how this one looks after some REAL wear.

[Yojimbo Jones]

Holt, man, IMO the distressing is the KEY to the LC look!

[Holt]

yep. I know what you mean. as much as I love the distressing of the LC jacket, I wouldnt want it on my jacket and to go out in public with it, even though it is cool. People could tell its fake... and I have converted to the school of michaelson of natural wear and tear.

Its like, the dust on the raiders fedora is key to raiders, but would you want to go out in public with a dusty and distressed feodra?

[RCSignals]

I don't know about that. The dust on a Fedora depends on the scene, Distressing on the LC jacket is integral to it. Even though the distressing is 'odd' and even a little unnatural looking, it's the jacket.
You'll never live long enough to get the same effect 'naturally'

I think you are giving the public too much credit thinking they'd tell anything about it

[Yojimbo Jones]

I think it comes down to the quality of the distressing job, unnatural looking or not. To a certain degree, you can equate a "cool" leather jacket with jeans or dirty sneakers - no-one walks around with an undistressed pair of jeans (well, not many). But I digress...

It's so common, if it's done well, no-one would bat an eyelid at a distressed LC jacket. Otherwise they may think you're Fonzie!

[Raskolnikov]

Oh God! I knew that something was wrong with my jeans

[Yojimbo Jones]

[Michaelson]

I think it comes down to the quality of the distressing job, unnatural looking or not. To a certain degree, you can equate a "cool" leather jacket with jeans or dirty sneakers - no-one walks around with an undistressed pair of jeans (well, not many). But I digress...

I guess it's all in where you live, I suppose.

As an example, last winter I wore my chrome tanned dark brown G&B goatskin Expedition to work (non-distressed of course), and received several positive comments from professors and staff.

A couple days later I decided to rotate jackets and wore my CS TN cowhide that I received non-distressed, but as anyone who owns a TN knows, it takes VERY little time for these jackets to develope natural distressing with regular use, and I had the first two people I met in the hall ask me where I got that worn out old jacket? They liked my other one better!

After I explained the provenance, they liked the TN better.....but....win some, lose some.

Regards! Michaelson

[Road Warrior]

At the risk of offending and/or hurting the feelings of some.....

I just don't GET the whole distressing thing unless you have a good reason for going someplace in full costume. Granted, some distressing jobs look pretty good, but like most things, less is more. From what I've seen in photos, Tony Nowak looks like he does a good job, and it looks good because he doesn't go overboard (in addition to his years of experience making leather jackets.) The people who try to make their jacket look the the one Harrison Ford wore in Last Crusade are usually the ones who do go overboard, the results of which are often not only unrealistic up close, but almost laughable in some cases. I mean, it's just not possible to put YEARS of severe wear on a jacket over the period of a few evenings and expect it to look realistic. Grain, wear and character in a leather jacket develop over time, not due to acetone, a pocket knife, and sandpaper. Some things can't be rushed, like fine wine, good scotch, and true craftsmanship.

Let me be clear -- I could care less what people do with their jackets. But a bad or overdone distressing job is likely to generate as many behind the back comments (like a guy wearing a bad toupee) as any other comment. You're probably not fooling anyone.

[rbinko2001]

Im still also a big proponent of the "natural distressing" idea. It adds character to a jacket when it ages naturally, not artificially.

[RCSignals]

Im still also a big proponent of the "natural distressing" idea. It adds character to a jacket when it ages naturally, not artificially.

I think in most instances except the LC jacket. The way it was distressed, which doesn't really even represent anything that would be gained naturally, is that jacket.

There's nothing like good natural distressing, and some of teh comments Michaelson received about his 'old' jacket may have actually been in admiration.
I've seen some naturally distressed old jackets though that were absolutely horrible.
Anyway, if your grandchildren will be inclined to admire old leather jackets, they are the ones who will be enjoying the natural distressing yours might achieve.

[Michaelson]

There's nothing like good natural distressing, and some of teh comments Michaelson received about his 'old' jacket may have actually been in admiration.

No, they weren't. Goodwill was mentioned a couple of times....

That said, they also knew I could have cared less WHAT they thought, and they never commented on the jacket after that.

Away from work, the jacket is never commented on one way or the other...or even noticed for that matter, so like I said, it ALL depends on where you are at any given time as to how it will be received.

Regards! Michaelson

[RCSignals]

There's nothing like good natural distressing, and some of teh comments Michaelson received about his 'old' jacket may have actually been in admiration.

No, they weren't. Goodwill was mentioned a couple of times....

That said, they also knew I could have cared less WHAT they thought, and they never commented on the jacket after that.

Away from work, the jacket is never commented on one way or the other...or even noticed for that matter, so like I said, it ALL depends on where you are at any given time as to how it will be received.

Regards! Michaelson

Yeah they were really just jealous


I never get comment on a jacket really unless it's something about a nice leather jacket. But a Fedora usually gets either a compliment or a 'Dr Jones' comment, doesn't matter if it's an Indy type Fedora or not. You'd think there were no Fedora's, especially brown ones, before the Raiders movie.

[Raskolnikov]

I like natural distressing too. It simply seems a little bit odd watching someone trying to age his shinny new jacket with sandpaper. You could tell him ‘Hey man, are you nuts or what?’ But the LC jackets have a rugged worn finish that, although unnatural, looks sooo muuuchhh cool… Yeahh… And that’s when the problem begins and you find yourself with the sandpaper in your hand :‘Man I’m really nuts… Er… Just a little bit more here’.
Then someday you are watching astonished, somewhere in this forum, Tony Nowaks version of the LC Jacket and all the while thinking unconsciously ‘Iwantone, Iwantone, Iwantone’.

And then, after all, those pics Holt has sent us have the power to bring you back to sanity, and you feel save and cured: ‘Wow, there is no need to distress my LC jacket at all. Holt's jacket looks cool enough… Hey honey, where is that money we saved lately: I have decided to buy a new jacket! And the best of all is that you won’t get angry anymore, because there will be no sand paper this time.’ And while you are telling her those wise and truthful words you remember, just for a moment, a moment of sudden weakness, the jacket you saw the other day... Yeahh man... The one with the incredible and unique TN distressing (‘IwantoneIwantoneIwantone’).

So, what was my point?
Well…
Ehh …

Nevermind

[Ranger36]