Wested's HERO jacket...

Mr. T · Post by **Mr. T** » Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:39 am

Gorak, you can change the name of that first picture to "Greased Lightning."

Indiana Croft · Post by **Indiana Croft** » Fri Feb 24, 2012 4:13 pm

Or, Thank you, thank you very much.

Gorak, your the one who helped me to pull the trigger, your jacket is lookin awsome, me I can't wait fot alittle more of the warmer weather. Can't wai to start wearing mine again.
Oh and Mulceber, I have the same T, love the mash up between Indy an Han, specaily since the same actor played both parts.

Croft

Mulceber · Post by **Mulceber** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 12:50 pm

Mulceber- Yours looks great too. Love your collar. Did you work it in or was it just like that?

Nope - the only manipulation it's gotten is me stuffing it into a locker every day at work. Otherwise, just regular wear.

Oh and Mulceber, I have the same T, love the mash up between Indy an Han, specaily since the same actor played both parts.

I know, it's great, isn't it? As soon as I saw it, I knew it was an insta-buy. -M

tomek9210 · Post by **tomek9210** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 8:55 am

I'm going to give Hero jacket a try, but I don't know which leather to choose. Does anyone have dark brown lambskin and seal brown lamb and could take a photo of them? Anyone knows if wested still has dark brown goat?
Is the storm flap (with collarstand) as long as the back (without collarstand)?

Tibor · Post by **Tibor** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:13 pm

I have a hero in seal brown lamb and one in dark brown lamb. They are VERY close in color. The dark brown is just slightly darker, with a slight bit more red in the color (still dark brown though). The dark brown lamb is buttery soft and drapes better than anything else. The dark brown lamb is also a little thinner than the seal brown. Both are beautiful.

My recollection is that the front and back are close to the same length but I'll have to measure when I'm home.

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:32 pm

My dark brown goat was the first Hero ever made in that hide (actually it was old stock hide)
It's breaking in nicely after nearly a year. Good thing about the goat is, it drapes very well (if not as much as lamb) but feels tough as nails. I don't worry at all about getting it snagged on anything.

tomek9210 · Post by **tomek9210** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:02 pm

Thanks Tibor, picture and measurements will be highly appreciated

Could you also measure the yoke?

Forrest For the Trees · Wed Feb 29, 2012 8:15 pm

Well, I'm getting pretty inspired to order one of these. I can't decide between seal goatskin or the shrunken lamb. And the prices just went up!

I also can't decide on the back length. 23 inches seems super short, but the way these are cut, the front would also be 23 inches, which is plenty long. Any advice on leathers or lengths? I'm a 38/40, 5'10".

Tibor · Post by **Tibor** » Wed Feb 29, 2012 9:39 pm

tomek9210 wrote:Thanks Tibor, picture and measurements will be highly appreciated Could you also measure the yoke?

Hi Tomek,

The stormflap with collarstand is 24 inches and the back without collarstand is 24.5 inches. The yoke is 3.5 inches at the sleeve and 5.5 inches in the center of the back.

The Seal Brown lambskin is on the left and the Dark Brown lambskin is on the right. As for the color, it is a bit exaggerated in the indoor flash. To the naked eye the dark brown is just a really deep dark brown - very warm tone. It looks too red in the flash, but it's too late for me to get outdoor pics.

Whipartist · Post by **Whipartist** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 12:49 am

I think this is my first post on COW, unless I had an account years ago? I can't remember. Anyway, I've been around the Indy gear scene for many years as a whipmaker and nonslip holster maker.

I just ordered the Wested Hero jacket in shrunken lamb. It's my birthday present from my wife. I can't believe I stumbled upon it just as he got the shrunken lamb back in stock. I was obsessing for 3 days before I showed her and she says, "why don't you order it." My jaw drops. A lot of money for us.

I actually wore a Wested at my wedding 6 years ago, and I've loved wearing it ever since, but this hero jacket looks just so much nicer in the fit and I love the look of the shrunken lamb in vegetable tanned leather as opposed to chrome tanned. I can't wait until it's finished and arrives. My (almost) 3 year old son has gotten me back into the movies recently and it's a lot of fun watching them through his eyes. I first saw Raiders around 1982 or so when I barely older than him and living in Washington, not far from Morgan. I had no idea the whipmaker was local to me. He's getting a Shortround bullwhip for his birthday next month, after tons of practicing with a soft rope training whip.

Benjamin Scott

tomek9210 · Post by **tomek9210** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:24 am

Welcome on COW Benjamin!
Don't forget to post pics of that beauty, please

BTW, look around the whip section sometimes. I love your bullwhips!

JC1972 · Post by **JC1972** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 1:50 am

Is the standard Hero the only Hero in dark brown? I'm looking for lambskin only. Thanks!

Quindy · Post by **Quindy** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 5:30 am

My new Hero in Seal Brown Softgoat should arrive today. So it took 10 days from ordering to delivery. Pretty fast, eh?

Now, I only hope it fits nicely. *fingerscrossed*

Post by **Michaelson** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:59 am

That's the way Wested used to always be regarding turn around. Glad to hear they're back in the saddle on delivery times!

Looking forward to seeing your jacket!

Regard! Michaelson

ProfessorHenryWJonesJr · Thu Mar 01, 2012 11:05 am

Just an FYI, I have been in recent contact with Gemma at Wested Leather. Concerning the soft seal brown goatskin availability for the "Hero" jacket along with any custom jacket, Gemma stated the goatskin is limited. Therefore, Wested cannot offer that leather for any custom jacket if you wear size 48 and up.

If someone has heard otherwise, please inform us of so.

tomek9210 · Post by **tomek9210** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:23 pm

Could anyone that has 38 hero measure the length of the collar? How long back should I take if I'm 6ft 3" ?

Whipartist · Post by **Whipartist** » Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:47 pm

tomek,

Thanks for the welcome. I'm excited for the jacket to come. I ordered around 9-10 days ago or so but. I'll have to figure out how to post pictures on this forum once it comes.

Ben

MARQ · Post by **MARQ** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:38 am

Tibor...those jackets look so thin..colour and the leather texture/grain, soooo smooth. If they´re LIGHT weight too,my Wested will be replaced in the near future.It´s not even closely starting to resemble those two.

Tibor · Post by **Tibor** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 11:13 am

So yes, they are fairly thin, though I'd say the dark Brown is thinner than the seal brown. Now that said, I am more and more convinced that the original jackets WERE thin for Raiders. I'm also more and more convinced that they started out relatively fine in grain and develop more grain due to wear and weathering. While they look smooth in the flash, they have each got some fairly grainy areas that don't show in the photo.

Honestly, to get "the look" I think you need a fairly thin hide like Wested's or Todd's for the drape. I can't speak for G&B or Wings or Magnoli lamb as I haven't had those... (I had Wings striated lamb but didn't care for it - quite a bit heavier).

Now a different concern is real world ruggedness. If you want leather to protect you, you'll lose some of the drapey, flowing look of Raiders. The middle ground would be the goatskin, but even that doesn't quite drape the same (though kudos to Whiskeyman's- very nice)

Wested's Seal Brown lambskin Hero is the best match to my eye, and with some consistent wear, captures the vibe better than any other

Gorak · Post by **Gorak** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:53 pm

My opinion is that the Raiders jacket HAS to be thin....very thin....like Todd`s old standard jacket. I never understood why people would get so bothered by its thinness when it is so completely obvious just watching the film. I get it if you really want a practical jacket that kinda looks like Indy`s but your gonna have to sacrifice screen accuracy. That is why I could never get behind the US wings Straited Lamb. Even in pics, it just looked too thick. It was a beautiful jacket and looked great on everyone of you guys but still looked bulky....not second skin which the Raiders jacket in the movie definitely appears as.
The US Wings NZ Lamb has great color and is super thin.
I`ve heard Magnoli makes some super thin leathers.
Todd of course.
Wested`s dark lamb definitely feels like second skin and the Authentic lamb, in my opinion, is just a tad weightier than the dark brown lamb but really nails the look of the film jacket in terms of texture.

sorry, just ranting...had a few moments to kill and I love this thread!

Quindy · Post by **Quindy** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 9:30 pm

So, I got my jacket after more than two years of making my decisions like where to order, what leather I want and which measurements I should take etc. and...

*drum roll*

... it's THE leather jacket I always dreamed of. Fits like a second skin. Very thin and light, but still with a tough and durable impression to last for many adventures. The quality is without any flaws and I want my whole appartment smell like this leather now.

Outstanding work of Peter and Wested Leather! Also, thank you to you guys here at COW for helping me with almost every of the mentioned decisions above!

(After this pic I tightened the side straps more, now it really has the look)

Seal Brown Soft Goat
Size 42
Sleeves 26"
Back Length 25.5"

Forrest For the Trees · Sun Mar 04, 2012 12:35 am

Looks great. Fit is spot on. The back length looks just right. How tall are you?

Quindy · Post by **Quindy** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 4:56 am

I'm ~6"1.

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 8:21 am

Suits you perfectly wonderful looking jacket.

I've been wearing in a lightweight dark brown cowhide the last few months. It has a nice drape without the weight and stiffness of full thickness cow. It crinkles really nicely too. Love it!

Finally got a couple of pics. Light is still rubbish as it's overcast and rainy today.

tomek9210 · Post by **tomek9210** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 8:25 am

How would you compare it to dark brown lambskin? How wide is the yoke on this one?

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 8:32 am

tomek9210 wrote:How would you compare it to dark brown lambskin? How wide is the yoke on this one?

I think this may be darker than the dark brown lamb. It's almost charcoal in real life.

The yoke on this jacket at it's deepest is 13 cm. Just over 5". Mine is quite a short jacket so it might look proportionally deeper than normal.

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 8:41 am

Nice looking leather!

tomek9210 · Post by **tomek9210** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 8:41 am

Darker and thicker, right? How long and how wide is the collar?

Holt · Post by **Holt** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 9:00 am

This is the flat colored cowhide right kt?

very nice looking jacket anyway

Mitch LaRue · Post by **Mitch LaRue** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 9:14 am

Geeez...
GORGEOUS jackets, fellas! It's interesting to see how they differ, but they both sure do look great.

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:43 am

Holt wrote:This is the flat colored cowhide right kt?

very nice looking jacket anyway

Cheers, I think it's the leather he's been calling 'soft seal cowhide'.

Tibor · Post by **Tibor** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 1:40 pm

That is sooo nice, KT. Could you compare the finished jacket weight to Wested's Seal Brown Lambskin? It looks like it would weigh a ton, but you describe it as much lighter than full weight cowhide. Sounds like a great combination of qualities.

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 3:22 pm

Tibor wrote:That is sooo nice, KT. Could you compare the finished jacket weight to Wested's Seal Brown Lambskin? It looks like it would weigh a ton, but you describe it as much lighter than full weight cowhide. Sounds like a great combination of qualities.

It's actually only slightly heavier than a lambskin jacket. I'll see if I can borrow some luggage scales.

CM · Post by CM » Mon Mar 05, 2012 6:20 pm

These Westeds are the best I have seen. Lovely things.

Whipartist · Post by **Whipartist** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 11:31 pm

KT Templar,

Wow that's a gorgeous jacket!!!

Oildale Jones · Post by **Oildale Jones** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 12:58 am

Whipartist wrote:My (almost) 3 year old son has gotten me back into the movies recently and it's a lot of fun watching them through his eyes. I first saw Raiders around 1982 or so when I barely older than him and living in Washington, not far from Morgan. I had no idea the whipmaker was local to me. He's getting a Shortround bullwhip for his birthday next month, after tons of practicing with a soft rope training whip.

Benjamin Scott

That's great. My 4-year-old has done the same for me. He has a cheap costume whip but I'm about to buy him a real (small) one. My wife's gonna kill me.

All this Hero talk has me champing at the bit to order mine. I'm sort of overwhelmed by the options, but my biggest fear is, what if it doesn't fit perfectly?

St. Dumas · Post by **St. Dumas** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 10:59 am

Hey, KT. I really like the look of that soft seal cowhide. Did you make any special requests on your jacket?

SD

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Tue Mar 06, 2012 11:05 am

St. Dumas wrote:Hey, KT. I really like the look of that soft seal cowhide. Did you make any special requests on your jacket?

SD

I gave him a pair of simple buckles I'd painted black. Size 38, my arm length, all cotton insides. That's it.

KT.

EDIT: Tibor: Lambskin 2.4lb, this light cow 2.6lb. It's lightweight!

Whipartist · Post by **Whipartist** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 2:42 pm

My order status has been updated to "Dispatched". I can't wait. I'll send a review when it arrives.

Ben

Tibor · Post by **Tibor** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 2:59 pm

Kt Templar wrote:
St. Dumas wrote:Hey, KT. I really like the look of that soft seal cowhide. Did you make any special requests on your jacket?

SD
I gave him a pair of simple buckles I'd painted black. Size 38, my arm length, all cotton insides. That's it.

KT.

EDIT: Tibor: Lambskin 2.4lb, this light cow 2.6lb. It's lightweight!

Thanks Kt. That's awesome. I've got a shrunken lamb on the way, but may have to try this out. Looks outstanding and seems to drape really well. This might be the perfect balance for folks in warmer climates who still want some toughness and abrasion resistance. I have to say though, the current seal brown lamb has been pretty sturdy in almost steady wear.

Have you had a chance to compare the new "lambtouch" hide to this lightweight cowhide? If so, any impressions?... Which is heavier? grainier? darker? Which drapes better?

CRB · Post by **CRB** » Fri Mar 09, 2012 5:11 pm

I received my shrunken lamb from Wested (from the latest new batch). I'm not sure how I feel about it, I was expecting to love it straight out of the bag, but I dont. The leather is nothing like lamb that I have had before, much much tougher and not soft to touch at all, much more like a thin goat. Maybe this is a good thing, not sure yet. It's going to take some wearing in I think.

Forrest For the Trees · Fri Mar 09, 2012 6:55 pm

CRB wrote:I received my shrunken lamb from Wested (from the latest new batch). I'm not sure how I feel about it, I was expecting to love it straight out of the bag, but I dont. The leather is nothing like lamb that I have had before, much much tougher and not soft to touch at all, much more like a thin goat. Maybe this is a good thing, not sure yet. It's going to take some wearing in I think.

I've been really curious about this batch of shrunken lambskin. Please post pictures when you get a chance. This hobby can drive you crazy by buying things that you can't see or try-on in person.

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 3:44 am

Would also be very interested in some pics - especially outdoors in natural light.

CRB · Post by **CRB** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 4:17 am

These were taken fresh out of the box, with flash (dark day here). The leather is darker in normal light but not as dark as the dark lambskin.

Kevin Anderson · Post by **Kevin Anderson** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 4:23 am

I love the colour!

CRB · Post by **CRB** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 4:32 am

The colour's not bad, I've since given it a soaking and treated it with neatsfoot oil which has darkened it slightly but it's still not dry yet.
My main dissapointment with it is the actual leather itself, I was expecting a soft and supple lamb with nice striations and texture. What I got was thin goat. In some parts the leather is pretty stiff and almost like a very thin cardboard ! It's very very similar to Todds Bantu Wind jacket from before. That was a tough lamb too. On the upside, once I finish messing around with it, I expect it will last me a long long time as it really does feel very tough.

JC1972 · Post by **JC1972** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 8:33 am

CRB, I'd like to see the pics with it a little darker. The leather looks really nice, maybe its the flash but it looks kinda light in color; for my tastes anyway.

CRB · Post by **CRB** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 8:37 am

No problem, I reckon the jacket should be dry on Monday when I can start wearing it in, and boy will it take some wearing in. Tough, tough, tough !

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 10:53 am

Looks more like the one on the website rather than the one jnickteam(?) posted which looked rather like washed goat. Looking forward to more pics. Does this hide mark easily?

Forrest For the Trees · Sat Mar 10, 2012 12:14 pm

Wow. I really love the look of that leather. Very different batch of leather than jnicktem's jacket.