Wested's HERO jacket...

tomek9210 · Post by **tomek9210** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:27 pm

That goat is amazing. It slides off shoulders and it has that perfect look of short back and longer front. SL is not that bad tough.

One question Pagey- what is your exact chest size?

Holt · Post by **Holt** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:20 pm

It's a shame people judge the skin at first glance or impression and don't give it chance before they send it away again. jmo

the SL may be stiff at first since this skin is vegetable tanned but after a while it goes pretty limp.

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 4:53 pm

To be honest, I may end up keeping it. I've worn it now for 5 days straight - even slept in it once - and I'm really growing to like it. Not really as a Raiders jacket, just as a tough jacket. Can't imagine it ever going limp though!

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 4:54 pm

People with think I'm just saying this but the SL really reminds me of the puffy floatiness of the Raiders jackets, ie when Sallah grabs his shoulders in the Imam's house and during the spinning around of the flying wing fight. The natural colour and variances in tone and texture give it a real flying wing vibe without a lot of additional distressing.

Plus the little bit of extra length looks good on you.

CRB · Post by **CRB** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 5:43 pm

whiskyman wrote:To be honest, I may end up keeping it. I've worn it now for 5 days straight - even slept in it once - and I'm really growing to like it. Not really as a Raiders jacket, just as a tough jacket. Can't imagine it ever going limp though!

A 10 second soaking and a coat of neatsfoot oil !

Mine's a different jacket now ...

Indiana Croft · Post by **Indiana Croft** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:32 pm

Ya know whiskyman, if I had the cash right now I'd buy one of these, I loved the vid, that jacket with a little tlc and breaking it in would be one awsome jacket.

Croft

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 3:12 am

CRB wrote:
whiskyman wrote:To be honest, I may end up keeping it. I've worn it now for 5 days straight - even slept in it once - and I'm really growing to like it. Not really as a Raiders jacket, just as a tough jacket. Can't imagine it ever going limp though!
A 10 second soaking and a coat of neatsfoot oil !
Mine's a different jacket now ...

Don't know about neatsfoot oil - but I gave it a short douse under the shower. It soaked through to the lining in seconds and took ages to dry. Then it was square one again with it being stiff as a board. Two days of wear later it looks like it does in the video. I tried applying some Pecards but that doesn't seem to want to soak in.

Indiana Croft · Post by **Indiana Croft** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 5:45 pm

Try the dryer method with no heat.

Just let go for a while.
Croft

kwad · Post by **kwad** » Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:57 pm

whiskyman wrote:
CRB wrote:
whiskyman wrote: I tried applying some Pecards but that doesn't seem to want to soak in.

If you haven't already, try the lotion type Pecards. I find it soaks in to lamb much better than the gel does. The gel always just kind of sits on the surface until I wipe it off.

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Sun Apr 08, 2012 5:53 pm

I've been wearing this jacket none stop - indoors and outdoors and it's really grown on me! The leather is developing wonderfully. it's really unlike any hide I've ever had!

Holt · Post by **Holt** » Sun Apr 08, 2012 6:42 pm

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 4:13 am

I know, I know!!

CRB · Post by **CRB** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 5:05 am

I must admit it sounds like you are going through the same cycle I did. At fitst I thought 'oh no'. Then I treated and wore it and now I'm thinking 'this is pretty cool' ! I wont say its my be all and end all jacket (is there such a thing with Indy jackets?) but it certainly ticks a lot of my boxes.

Zoltar · Post by **Zoltar** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 4:35 am

Whiskyman
How's your thought's compared with your goat now? my goat Hero was inspired by yours and constructed from the same batch of hide. I'm also finding mine long in the arms short in the body (such a copycat) and thinking of an SL as a predecessor.
ZOLTAR

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 5:33 am

I can't wear the goat anymore. Firstly it is simply too short on me, and secondly compared to the SL it looks and feels more like a fashion jacket. It's strange, the SL feels more like MY jacket after 1 week than the goat after one year. And the goat still looks the same as when it was new, even though I wore it throughout the year in all kinds of weather. The SL is a very different cup of tea.

Zoltar · Post by **Zoltar** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:04 am

You've sold it to me

, the way my goats going I could wear it for another 25 years without a scratch. I even retrieved my kid's football from the biggest brambel infested bushes without a mark last week!
Oh and the whips still going strong

ZOLTAR

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 1:04 pm

Glad you're enjoying your whip! But don't get the SL on my account - it's perhaps an acquired taste. Plus I think the difficulty in finding large enough pieces of hide for the back panels is what led to my jacket having a lower yoke seam. I could care less about that now as the jacket is so great in so many other ways, but it's something to consider maybe. Or maybe my jacket just has a lower seam by accident.
Anyway, decided to take new pics!

Gorak · Post by **Gorak** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 2:20 pm

Judging by those pics the yoke looks fine but I know exactly what you were reffering to as my Hero is so awesome cool cept for that darn yoke dip. But I like it so much that I choose to ignore it!
Great looking jacket!

Ravenswood · Post by **Ravenswood** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 6:15 am

Gorak, you took the words right out of my mouth. I got the yoke dip thing happening as well. But I'm so enthused with the rest of the jacket (I too, modified it with extra length in the body) that I just wrote that off, in a sense.
The back ends up looking a bit "off" for want of a better expression, but, fmeh. The jacket is fabulous, and is the best Raiders jacket I have had the pleasure to own........thus far

Yours looks AWESOME, Pagey. Awesome vid, too. I'm sure I'll be making another one soon, to show off how broken in it is. Perhaps in full gear!

my authentic brown lambskin

Zoltar · Post by **Zoltar** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 8:17 am

Fallen off the wagon again

shrunken lambskin ordered

,
Well it is my first Indy jacket since Christmas

kwad · Post by **kwad** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 3:15 pm

Quick question....What is a "yoke dip"

Zoltar wrote:Fallen off the wagon again shrunken lambskin ordered ,
Well it is my first Indy jacket since Christmas

Zoltar, glad to see that you are pacing yourself.

Ravenswood · Post by **Ravenswood** » Wed Apr 11, 2012 4:56 pm

kwad wrote:Quick question....What is a "yoke dip"

The "yoke dip" refers to the yoke being pushed further down the back, such that the top seams fall off the shoulders, as demonstrated in my picture.
I surmise this is to facilitate a longer back, as opposed to just making a longer back panel.

Zoltar · Post by **Zoltar** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 8:21 am

Check out my 'Hero' update here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=55375
Here's a sneak peek
ZOLTAR

Gorak · Post by **Gorak** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:52 am

I think that we can all agree that the yoke is very thin....every aspect of every pic from Raiders proves it. I seem to rememeber that it was stated Wested makes their yokes a bit bigger on purpose as they didn`t want to deviate from their pattern. That is the only reason I have ever seen on the subject. Oddly enough, I have a Wested that I bought off of Tomek that has a thin screen accurate yoke...better than anything I have ever seen, even my Nowak. I believe it was one of his outsourced though and that may have been why the pattern deviation was okay. And Tomek is a long tall fellow so dropping the yoke on a taller customer may not be the reason.
It may just end up being one of those "That is what I personally see" things but it does stand out amongst my jackets. And I recall that my Flightsuits also had the same thin yoke. So I wonder how to get the yoke trimmed on a Wested? I`m imagining a Wested Hero in the thin lambtouch cowhide with that thin high yoke.....yowsa!
oh yeah, and Zoltar, your jacket looks great! hard to believe it is that old...loks brand new!

tomek9210 · Post by **tomek9210** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:41 am

Could you tell us Hector, how wide is the yoke at center on that jacket?

I'm trying to order a Hero since good week and the lack of communication drives me crazy. First I've sent numerous mails to both Gemma and Peter regarding some changes in pattern. I asked if they could do longer and wider collar, bigger pockets, longer sleeves. Peter replied that it can be done. I was very happy. I've sent an email with my whole order specs to confirm that. Gemma replied that it can't be done.
Geez...

Few emails later she wrote back that they can do bigger pockets and longer sleeves but other specs can't be done (slimmer yoke and wider/longer collar). Anyway I thought I would give it a try. I tried to order it and pay via paypal but they order failed. I immediately wrote to them. No reply. So I tried to order it and select bank transfer as payment. It succeded. I asked if I could pay via paypal though. I explained the whole situation. And what? Gemma wrote back - order again and select paypal as a payment. I'm soo *****.

I wrote to Todd about custom jackets, but they aren't doing them at the moment

ReturningSon · Post by **ReturningSon** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:44 am

another shining example of Wested's fantastic customer service.

Kevin Anderson · Post by **Kevin Anderson** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:28 pm

Wested are old-fashioned. Nothing wrong with that, I see now, several orders later. To be able to walk right into 'The Barn' and speak to Peter would be awesome,
and the only way to get a good jacket from them, in my opinion. It's how Spielberg and Co. did it 30 years ago after all. No Paypal back then.

Gorak · Post by **Gorak** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 12:33 pm

I`ll get the exact yoke measurements when I get home. I just bought an almost new male torso mannequin at Goodwill for $20 and all my jackets are getting a ride so I can take some pics and compare for myself.

Ravenswood- I forgot to point out that I really like the way your jacket looks. Good angle shot. I was showing my wife how the vent was opening up and how I really like when the Indy Jackets do that and her only response was," yeah, all your jackets do that." And I said,"Not really" to which she replied," Love, that is a little too close to his backside for you to be paying soo much attention."

I would like to point out that I have owned 8 Westeds. Three were bought directly from Wested via their website and the rest were from various members here. I really like Wested. Their size 38 fits me perfectly. It sits and feels right regardless of leather or style. And the three that I purchased directly? Never had a problem with service or communications. I know it exist and there are many threads that go back and forth on this issue but I have nothing but good experiences with Wested and would really like for this thread not to fall into one of those types of threads. I love seeing everyones jackets, new or old, and very frequently go back through all the old post from the beggining just to see pics and read everyones opinions and ideas.

kwad · Post by **kwad** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:42 pm

Ravenswood wrote:
kwad wrote:Quick question....What is a "yoke dip"

The "yoke dip" refers to the yoke being pushed further down the back, such that the top seams fall off the shoulders, as demonstrated in my picture.
I surmise this is to facilitate a longer back, as opposed to just making a longer back panel.

OK, gotcha.

The yoke on yours does appear to be a bit more set back, but, had you not pointed it out I would not have noticed it. Seriously, that jacket absolutely rocks on you.

Zoltar · Post by **Zoltar** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 8:05 am

Just opened my Shrunken Lamb, it seem different from some of the others, got a suspicion I may have been sent Crispe instead what do you reckon?

Tibor · Post by **Tibor** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 8:30 am

Nope, that's the shrunken lamb. The crispe is much more pronounced with a very dramatic grain and no smooth areas.

By the way, I particularly like yours... nice balance of texture. Not too over the top, but definitely grainy. Excellent!

Zoltar · Post by **Zoltar** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 8:57 am

I like it too, very soft like you expect from lamb and the grains fantastic.
Not at all like Whiskyman's and others descriptions and pictures of quite dry and wrinkled, thats why I'm suspicious

Ian · Post by **Ian** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:05 am

Zoltar wrote:I like it too, very soft like you expect from lamb and the grains fantastic.
Not at all like Whiskyman's and others descriptions and pictures of quite dry and wrinkled, thats why I'm suspicious

Even if it is though, it looks awesome...

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:33 am

That's definitely the shrunk lamb.

Crispe looks more like this with less shine (the samples I've seen had a matt finish):

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:36 am

Looks good to me. Would help to see the whole jacket though. On my jacket, different pieces are stiffer or softer than others. The colour varies too. And after daily wear, especially cycling to work, it is really picking up some natural distressing!

Zoltar · Post by **Zoltar** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:48 am

This is quite an even authentic brown, yours looks darker on your Pictures.

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:53 am

Mine's also generally a kind of authentic brown, albeit a richer version (to my eyes), with colour variations.
This is a fairly accurate pic of the colour

Ravenswood · Post by **Ravenswood** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 5:18 pm

kwad wrote:The yoke on yours does appear to be a bit more set back, but, had you not pointed it out I would not have noticed it. Seriously, that jacket absolutely rocks on you.

A belated THANKS Kwad! I'm really impressed with this particular jacket. I think I successfully "oversized" it, if only by an inch, effectively. It's quite comfy, and on the cold-cold days of winter, that little extra back length goes a long, long way $\:D/$
Thanks again!
Ravenswood

Ravenswood · Post by **Ravenswood** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 5:37 pm

OH! And thanks Gorak! I really do like the side-vents, the way they are now.
And the thing about how low the jacket goes over the back, well.....I get compliments on that too!

ReturningSon · Post by **ReturningSon** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:49 am

[quote="whiskyman"]Glad you're enjoying your whip! But don't get the SL on my account - it's perhaps an acquired taste. Plus I think the difficulty in finding large enough pieces of hide for the back panels is what led to my jacket having a lower yoke seam. I could care less about that now as the jacket is so great in so many other ways, but it's something to consider maybe. Or maybe my jacket just has a lower seam by accident.
Anyway, decided to take new pics!

quote]

I've finally figured out what this really is! WAXED COTTON.

like this

I knew when I first say this "leather" it reminded me of something else. I've only just figured it out. Sorry, i just think the leather looks so "unnatural".. The authentic brown lambskin looks way better.

CRB · Post by **CRB** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 2:36 pm

Handling it in real life, it's nothing at all like waxed cotton.

I've since put mine through some works - have applied sandpaper and water, I'm just experimenting on it really ! its looking quite different these days, I shall have to take some photos.

ReturningSon · Post by **ReturningSon** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 3:12 pm

yes, please do!

MS Jones · Post by **MS Jones** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 3:12 pm

ReturningSon wrote:I've finally figured out what this really is! WAXED COTTON.

like this

Nope. It's oilskin. It IS cotton canvas duck, but is treated with an oil mix instead of dipped in wax. It's supposed to weather like the waxed cotton but wear and feel softer. Awesome stuff, either way. The Aussies seldom make mistakes when it comes to outdoor gear. Cheers.

Sent from my ZT ICS using Tapatalk 2

ReturningSon · Post by **ReturningSon** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 3:15 pm

no, i just meant the look and texture of the leather...

MS Jones · Post by **MS Jones** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 3:22 pm

ReturningSon wrote:no, i just meant the look and texture of the leather...

Oh, apologies. I misunderstood what you were saying. Oilskin is still awesome stuff, though. I'm trying to find a "close enough" jacket in oilskin right now, as I'm not a big fan of leather.

Sent from my ZT ICS using Tapatalk 2

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 3:26 pm

*BURN THE HERETIC!!!!*

Joking aside, if you can source some oilskin I'm sure one of the makers here who do customs would make it into an Indy for you.

I bought an waxed cotton jacket a little while ago and couldn't get on with the oily residue. So it's kinda horse for courses I guess.

whiskyman · Post by **whiskyman** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 3:32 pm

This leather is absolutely nothing like waxed cotton.

MS Jones · Post by **MS Jones** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 3:40 pm

Kt Templar wrote:*BURN THE HERETIC!!!!*

Joking aside, if you can source some oilskin I'm sure one of the makers here who do customs would make it into an Indy for you.

I bought an waxed cotton jacket a little while ago and couldn't get on with the oily residue. So it's kinda horse for courses I guess.

Allow me to explain; I live in South Mississippi, and even in the winter the humidity here is awful. I do own a leather jacket, though not an Indy jacket, but I seldom wear it because it is like being wrapped in latex, as I said, even in the winter. I'm what you would call a "practical Indy," meaning that I use things that are readily available and screen reminiscent, although not screen accurate. With that said, PLEASE DON'T BURN ME!!

Cheers

Kt Templar · Post by **Kt Templar** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 4:02 pm

I WAS just kidding.

We'll keep you in the cage with the vegans.

MS Jones · Post by **MS Jones** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 4:14 pm

Kt Templar wrote:I WAS just kidding.

We'll keep you in the cage with the vegans.

For the sake of vegans everywhere, please don't do that. When you come back, they will be gone, because i'll EAT THEM!!

Cheers.