As a point of reference, I own a dark brown lamb Wested made ca. summer 2002. I also used to own an Expedition in seal chrome goat.
What led me to the lamb Expedition is what I didn't like about the goat. I bought that jacket in 2003, right around the time the Expedition debuted. Back then, most of those on the forum who were going with the Expedition were highly enthusiastic about the seal chrome goat. (I think this is the reason there has been lots of info about goat Expeditions here, but not so much on the lamb.) That's why I went with the goat. It was a fine jacket, but I never really warmed up to it. The leather was much stiffer than the Wested lamb (no surprise), and it never draped very well to my eye. (This was after months of wear, crumpling up the jacket, etc., in an effort to loosen it up.) Plus, the color of the seal chrome goat was just too light to be a good Indy jacket, IMO.
What was right about the goat Expedition is true of the lamb: it is constructed with obvious skill, care, and precision. The "mil-spec" heritage shines through. Having said that, here's my overall impression of the lamb Expedition:
THE GOOD: The aforementioned quality leaps immediately to mind. My Wested has some "wandering" stitch lines, and one of the handwarmer pockets had to be resewn a few years ago. The Expedition has no such quality issues.
The jacket fits great right out of the box. I am pretty much an off-the-rack 40 long, and the jacket is spot on. It drapes very, very well, and I can see it conforming to my body without too much wear. It also hangs a little off the neck and onto the shoulders, which I like, much as in this picture:
The leather itself is impressive -- soft, with a wonderful grain, and more body and substance than my Wested. If you didn't know the original Indy jacket was lamb, you'd think it was far too luxurious for such a jacket. But the drape is just perfect for the Indy look, IMO, and the jacket is by no means fragile. It's not as tough as the goat, certainly, but I think it looks better as an Indy jacket. (If you actually want to beat the @#$% out of it like Indy did, the goat is no doubt a better choice.)
THE BAD: When I say "bad," I mean "imperfect." There's nothing truly "bad" about this jacket. With that in mind, the color is a little too dark. I still prefer it to the seal chrome goat, but it's nearly black, and could be a little richer or warmer brown tone.
I asked for a nickel zip if possible, but it came with brass. No biggie, I understand it's stock, but I'd prefer the nickel. My Wested has a heavier gauge zip, and I think that's preferable.
The big way in which the Expedition does not exceed the Wested is the collar and patch pockets. The double layer leather plus interface (fabric used between two layers of leather) really thickens these parts of the jacket up, impairing the drape of the body where the pockets are and stiffening the collar. I think this will lessen with wear, but it is noticeable. Also, the patch pockets are truly that -- they are sewn right onto the body of the jacket, so that the interior is leather. On my Wested, the patch pocket is cut into the body of the jacket, so that there is one fewer layer of leather (softening the drape), as well as a slightly larger, fabric-lined handwarmer pocket. I think the Wested wins on this point, though the G&B is probably stronger based on this method of construction.
Finally, while I've seen pics that appear to show this to be screen accurate on at least some jackets, the collar does NOT go to the center of the storm flap. It ends where the storm flap begins. I know this is a bone of contention for some of you, and that some Expeditions appear to be constructed differently. This isn't a big deal to me, but it is a detail worth noting.
THE UGLY: Nothing to report here. The Expedition is an awesome jacket right out of the box. If you are a standard size and don't want to worry about specifying a bunch of details in your Wested order, consider the G&B. I'll probably be wearing it a lot more than the Wested from here on out.
I'll try to get some pictures up later.
) as opposed to being a distressed/mottled color - wouldn't care for that.
Best wishes,
