What Satifisfies? What piece of Gear really "finishes it?"

[DarenHenryW]

Just so everyone knows, I teach high school in the SF Bay Area, and I own a house. But somehow, as I'm still single (though recently engaged) I've managed to have a fair of amount of play money to buy fun things with. In addition to being a serious gearhead like so many of you out there, I am also a semi-professional musician. I teach drum lessons and play in a couple of bands and I own SEVEN drumsets. But I'm looking to sell one to help pay for the engagement ring I just bought for my fiancee, and I'm selling some of my extraneous Indy gear as well.

But the bottom line is, the well is about to run dry on all of my "Indy" spending. Okay, most of it. That is, as soon as I can square away a couple of upcoming purchases, I'm gonna give it a rest. But that's the problem, I really am some sort of an addict because I'm always finding a reason why I need some other piece of gear.

But then, I'm able to rationalize it because I actually have been able to wrangle this whole costume/whip-cracking thing into an employment opportunity. I've been hired and am training to work kids' parties. Most of the time I probably won't even be dressed as Indy (though when I do, I will get to do whip stuff and play "adventure" games); most of the time I will be dressed as some sort of cowboy, possibly a pirate, and I'm expected to perform simple magic tricks, play games, tell stories, paint faces, and make balloon animals. And how did I get this gig? Because I have an excellent Indy outfit and I'm pretty good with a whip.

So do I have a lot of money? No. I actually have a lot of credit card debt and it's 50% because of my Indy gear addiction. But, with a bit of will-power I know I can tone it down (and I really do have EVERYTHING I need), and a bit of hard work I know I can make all of this (or some of it) actually pay off.

I'm proud to say that the last Penman hat I bought was paid for with money I earned doing an "Indy" appearance at a corporate event. I made $300! Hopefully a few more of those gigs over the course of a year and some kids' parties and I'll be able to pay for what I have and start rationalizing (which means financing) any future purchases of whips, hats, boots, etc.)

But really, here's what I still want:

1. A really GOOD Raiders hero hat, which I'm getting from John Penman
2. An SOC hat, this one from Fedoraiders (I think between these, I'll have the Raiders hat covered, which I feel my current HJ isn't doing very well.)
3. Another pair of Aldens (those 403's really look SA and cool to me, unlike my 405's which have that reddish color, which bothers me)

After that, my Indy/Raiders get up is COMPLETE! I have awesome whips, an excellent Nowak jacket, excellent shirt/pants, an authentic and accurate MKVII, good holsters, belts, whip-holders. I just want a better looking pair of boots, and the hat(s) needs to be as SA as possible.

Oh sure, I'm gonna buy whips from time to time (NOT "SA" Indy ones, though, since I have about 5!), and I'd like to get more hats from John (NOT Indy hats), and I really do want to get a couple of suits from Magnoli (YES, Indy suits), and one day I'll get the Wyoming cardigan and scarf to have a MOTB outfit, and eventually I'll get a pair of Dr. Jones spectacles, etc. . . .

But for right now, I just want these two hats and that pair of boots. Even though, yes I have a pair of Aldens, and yes I have a couple of Indy hats. But as I told my roommates, I've come THIS far . . . I can't stop until I'm properly satisfied.

But will I ever be satisfied? . . . Well, that's the tough question, isn't it?

What do you fellas think? What satisfies you?

DHW

[whipwarrior]

Aside from having the whole outfit, the one piece that I absolutely cannot live without is my leather jacket. I've worn Wested exclusively since I got my first one back in 1998, and for me it is the essential gear item to have (especially my Wested CS custom that was spec-perfect to all of my requests).

[RaidersBash]

The Bapty, or comparable 4" revolver in a decent caliber. I would prefer something like a .357 magnum S&W model 13-2 to mate to my .357 Winchester Carbine for my back country, pack trip/hunt trips

[kiltie]

I'm not the world's biggest gearhead, per se. Interestingly, since joining this site however, I've gone from having some pretty darn good Raiders kit* to trading most of that out for some really hyper accurate KotCS gear**. At the end of the day, keeping it strictly Indy, if I had to say what my favorite bit of gear is, I'd have to go with my Adventurebilt USA KotCS, closely followed by the AB Raiders. The two are nipped at the heels by my jacket, but that CS hat cannot be beaten for sheer authenticity ( for obvious reasons ) and construction, and simply because I'm a "hat guy". I have to put that last bit in there because Tony's jacket is equally authentic and the craftsmanship is certainly on par with AB's standards. Most of the rest of the gear you can futz with forever, looking for that thing ( you now... that thing ) and never be satisfied. With Tony's CS jacket and the AB CS hats, you're getting the realest real deal. But the hat, man... I'm a hat guy... it's the main reason I'm here***.


*Wested Raiders jacket
Christys' Adventurer and AB Raiders
Keppler gun rig with Todd's holster
....and so on - all gone now...

**Tony Nowak CS
AB CS
Wade's CS gun rig and WG
...and so on...

***Although I'm still on the lookout for THE CS whip ( got two GREAT whips already - one from Gus and one from Stenhouse, but you know - the whip...

[DarenHenryW]

I'm not the world's biggest gearhead, per se. Interestingly, since joining this site however, I've gone from having some pretty darn good Raiders kit* to trading most of that out for some really hyper accurate KotCS gear**. At the end of the day, keeping it strictly Indy, if I had to say what my favorite bit of gear is, I'd have to go with my Adventurebilt USA KotCS, closely followed by the AB Raiders. The two are nipped at the heels by my jacket, but that CS hat cannot be beaten for sheer authenticity ( for obvious reasons ) and construction, and simply because I'm a "hat guy". I have to put that last bit in there because Tony's jacket is equally authentic and the craftsmanship is certainly on par with AB's standards. Most of the rest of the gear you can futz with forever, looking for that thing ( you now... that thing ) and never be satisfied. With Tony's CS jacket and the AB CS hats, you're getting the realest real deal. But the hat, man... I'm a hat guy... it's the main reason I'm here***.


*Wested Raiders jacket
Christys' Adventurer and AB Raiders
Keppler gun rig with Todd's holster
....and so on - all gone now...

**Tony Nowak CS
AB CS
Wade's CS gun rig and WG
...and so on...

***Although I'm still on the lookout for THE CS whip ( got two GREAT whips already - one from Gus and one from Stenhouse, but you know - the whip...

Yeah, I know what you mean about the the thing. I'm glad to say that I have the whip (a CS whip from Terry Jacka) and the jacket (a CS jacket from Tony Nowak). If you have Aldens, then by all measures you have the boots, which I do, (except now I want the 403, as I said). I've considered ordering an AB hat so that I can say I have the hat, but I have to say that I feel pretty happy about the hats I'm getting from John Penman. My understanding is that they are made from the same beaver felts as Steve's, and since John is shaping the Henrys, I consider him part of the AB family; his work is as authentic as I need as far as I'm concerned.

But the real problem is getting all the Raiders gear. I mean, its just not as easy as getting all the CS gear. We can all (if we have the money) get the CS outfit, more or less, because these artisans are right out there. But how does one truly feel that their "Raiders" outfit is complete and/or SA? I got an HJ (thinking it was the hat, but it just wasn't. I ordered an "Authentic Lambskin Raiders" from Wested, and now I'm selling it (replaced it with a Nowak 747 Raiders and I'm much happier--wearing as we speak as a matter of fact). I've got three whips from three different whipmakers, all whom have filled a piece of the hole in my heart for a SA Raiders whip. And they've all done their part, but not one of those men is David Morgan. Yet that doesn't bother me. I know David is generally retired, and the whips he makes now don't resemble the Raiders whip. If I did order a new Morgan, it would be made by an apprentice, so I'm more than happy to get my whips from Strain, Del Carpio and Nolan, et al.

Not sure what my point is except I will just say that I haven't yet got the Raiders hat I want. But getting a gray Raiders and brown LC from John Penman makes me pretty certain he'll have no problem hooking me up with the Raiders hat I seek. But I want that Fedoraiders SOC too. Heck, HF didn't wear only one hat in that film, so why shouldn't I have a couple of hats to scratch my itch?

DHW

[Texan Scott]

A few items that I was very satisfied with were the NH shirt, Todd's bag and strap, G&B Expedition in lamb and both the Penman and Fed IV. Of the hats I have received, these two really take a bash well, and just have the look. The Exp. is quite possibly the most comfortable jacket I own.

[Luke Warmwater]

A real, functionable WG.

[RaidersBash]

Not sure what my point is except I will just say that I haven't yet got the Raiders hat I want. But getting a gray Raiders and brown LC from John Penman makes me pretty certain he'll have no problem hooking me up with the Raiders hat I seek. But I want that Fedoraiders SOC too. Heck, HF didn't wear only one hat in that film, so why shouldn't I have a couple of hats to scratch my itch?

DHW

Yeah..."THE" hat is a hard one to find...there are many that are close and very nice hats to boot, but "THE" hat is a tough one...I'm still searching for that grail myself...but I think I found it...I just have to wait a bit longer...

[TheExit148]

From me, for my Raiders gear, which is all of what I have more or less, will be a pair of AB Alden boots. Once I have those, case closed on Raiders I hope. Unless I decide to pick up a Rabbit AB Raiders hat, or a new Raiders whip with the darker ring knot. The boots are priority for me though.

[Digger4Glory]

Too much is never enough my friend. As long as you take care of your loved ones and be wary of the pitfalls of credit cards, your golden. Hey twenty years ago, I had no clue as to who made what and where to get it. Now I'm finally getting the coolest wardrobe and gear that I ever saw on film. Its our version of the fortune and glory moment when we acquire that hard to come by item. Ahh the rush!

[MadKidJedi]

For me, in order of importance (makers notwithstanding, but if they have the look, okay):

1. The Whip (hands down... number ONE)
2. The Hat
3. The Jacket

I don't even know the maker of my whip, and to me, it's perfect, 'cause it looks like the Raiders whip. My current best hat is a Todd's Downtowner, and only because I haven't had a full-time job in over a year (durned economy). My jacket is also a Todd's and it does the job well-enough, too. When I'm dressed in it, people know who I'm supposed to be. When it's hanging on a wall, people know what it's from... As long as you are happy with it, and it's a recognizable piece of the Indy lexicon, I say, it's all good.

As long as you are happy with what YOU have (and it sounds like a quite nice selection), revel in your happiness. This hobby/these films all bring out the Indy in each of us. Our gear brings us closer to that. If it brings you as much joy as my "close-enough" stuff does me, it is indeed "all good".

(..and, yeah... when the economy improves in my wallet, I'm buying all kindsa Penmans, Adventurebilts, hopefully one of Fedoraraiders SOCs, a Wested, a Strain and much more... gimme time, fellas and ladies...)

[Max Chance]

The jacket, no doubt. (Wings vintage).

http://www.uswings.com/aviatn.asp#IJVIN

The jacket says just enough without blaring out "Hey everyone... I'm trying to look like Indy." It looks great with jeans or even dress pants.

I almost never wear the full outfit except for special occasions, but it's nice to wear the boots (Aldens, et al.), the shirt, pants, etc., with other non-Indy clothing, or Indy-inspired, 30-40's goods. (This seems to be a common thread amongst COW members.

i also like carrying my blank Indy journal I use for notes and phone numbers. I crack-up when people say, "Hey, that looks familiar." (:

Max