After years of hand-wringing: my first Wested!

[nickgignac]

I haven't posted here in years, but I thought I'd share a pic of my very first Wested jacket.
ROTLA goatskin size 38. It's snug in all the right places. I'm just a bit disappointed in the low armholes.

[Cajunkraut]

Looks great, Nick.

Tellya what, if Chris Pratt does end up making the cut for an Indy re-launch, you'll be his doppelganger!

[Charybdis]

well DHL says they're going to deliver my jacket tomorrow. It's a Wested Raiders of the Lost Ark goatskin in size 44. By the way what do you mean about low arm holes?

[nickgignac]

I get a flying-squirrel effect when I lift my arms away from the body. If the armpits were sewn a bit higher, this wouldn't be the case.

[Gorak]

I really like Wested Jackets no matter what style....dispite the quirks of some. Hard to see the fit but the color looks great on you!

[Charybdis]

OK, I get it now. I know what you are saying about the armholes.

[Texan Scott]

That's a nice jacket there, It looks good, just need to break in that goatskin. Find some pecard or lexol and that will help the skin to relax and fit better, help with the break in process.

An Indy jacket is not an Indy right out of the package, it becomes one.

The best way to determine if the armholes are cut too wide or not is to zip the jacket, at least partially, and then stand in front of the mirror. Raise your arms from side to side, and note at what point the torso of the jacket begins to ride up.

Trust me, there is a stark contrast in the arm hole diameters between the LC jackets and RoLA. You should have much more mobility with the RoLA. If the diameter of the arms were grossly relaxed you would see vertical pleating of the leather in the sleeves once they were by your side. Although sleeves are not arm holes, they are connected, such that if the arm hole diameter is wide the sleeves will be too. I'm not seeing that. Not too tight and not too loose. Make it an Indy jacket, haha!

That's my story and I'm sticking with it...

[Charybdis]

Woo hoo! DHL box in my living room right now! Sorry did not mean to hijack your thread but I did not really want to start another one just for this. I am wearing the jacket now and I love it! The goatskin feels great with just the right weight. I will try to get pics soon!

[nickgignac]

Hijack away by all means! Post a pic if you like!

[Texan Scott]

he meant to do it! Indy's evil twin...

New package in the hooose! That's what I'm talkin' abooot!

[IndyBrit]

You guys are going to love the way Wested goat breaks in and gains grain. It takes a few years to get there but it is worth it. A spell in the shower with some pecards once the jacket has dried kickstarts the process.. otherwise plently of daily wear.

[Charybdis]

OK, as promised...Wested goat!

[youngjedi71]

I get a flying-squirrel effect when I lift my arms away from the body. If the armpits were sewn a bit higher, this wouldn't be the case.

this is something i noticed as well with mine..didnt know it was a real issue,just thought i was being a little picky..BUT its kind of stupid how its made..of course if they raise the seams where they should be the sleeves would need to be like 4" longer..couple things im not happy with but thats life i guess..i wear it daily and getting my moneys worth out of it..Just wondering..IF you were to have one custom made what would you tell them at wested to address the issue? and how in the world would they fit it to you?? not buying another one but i wonder this..

[nickgignac]

I get a flying-squirrel effect when I lift my arms away from the body. If the armpits were sewn a bit higher, this wouldn't be the case.

this is something i noticed as well with mine..didnt know it was a real issue,just thought i was being a little picky..BUT its kind of stupid how its made..of course if they raise the seams where they should be the sleeves would need to be like 4" longer..couple things im not happy with but thats life i guess..i wear it daily and getting my moneys worth out of it..Just wondering..IF you were to have one custom made what would you tell them at wested to address the issue? and how in the world would they fit it to you?? not buying another one but i wonder this..

I suppose they might need an extra measurement. Waist to armpit for example.

[Texan Scott]

Both really nice looking jackets. Make them yours.

[Forrest For the Trees]

Wear it as much as you can. It will break in nicely. As to the armholes, well, there's a give and take. Higher arm holes can be a little less comfortable, as they make the chest feel like a tighter fit. The Indy jacket works better as a more relaxed fit. Enjoy it.

[Charybdis]

Great. I like the jacket so much that now I want another one in lamb! Will this never end?

[Forrest For the Trees]

Great. I like the jacket so much that now I want another one in lamb! Will this never end?

It will end if you let it! Don't go down that rabbit hole if you can avoid it. Take it from someone who has owned at one time or another 9 different Indy jackets in the same number of years. Be happy with the one you have. My problem is that most of my jackets never look all that lived in because I keep switching from one to the other. You want to be able to just grab and go with your jacket, not have to stall deciding on which one to wear.

From the pictures, the fit looks spot on. Goatskin is a great combination of toughness and light weight. Just wear the heck out of it and it will look better and better. Don't obsess over color, pocket flap shapes, side strap hardware, yoke size, zippers, or any of that other stuff. Life's too short. Just enjoy it.

[Kt Templar]

Both of you look like you got really good fits straight off. Break em in and enjoy em.

Yes, your other half will look at you as if you have become deranged, but when sitting watching tv take it and scrunch the leather in your hands, it will get softer and softer and the underlying grain will pop.

[youngjedi71]

Great. I like the jacket so much that now I want another one in lamb! Will this never end?

It will end if you let it! Don't go down that rabbit hole if you can avoid it. Take it from someone who has owned at one time or another 9 different Indy jackets in the same number of years. Be happy with the one you have. My problem is that most of my jackets never look all that lived in because I keep switching from one to the other. You want to be able to just grab and go with your jacket, not have to stall deciding on which one to wear.

From the pictures, the fit looks spot on. Goatskin is a great combination of toughness and light weight. Just wear the heck out of it and it will look better and better. Don't obsess over color, pocket flap shapes, side strap hardware, yoke size, zippers, or any of that other stuff. Life's too short. Just enjoy it.

that is why i bought otr..other than a few things its perfect..i dont care about all the small details..I just wanted a good looking leather jacket that looks like an Indy jacket..I got it..

[Charybdis]

Ditto!

[Michaelson]

Take it from someone who has owned at one time or another 9 different Indy jackets in the same number of years.

Only 9?





Agreed. Wear it. Break it in naturally. Enjoy it.

Regard! Michaelson

[Texan Scott]

And its not for nothing but details matter in reproducing the jacket everyone saw and loved in Raiders. As a retailer goes through different iterations of the jacket, it is common for some of the details to wonder astray. At that point, someone has to say....wait a minute, but this is what the original was, let's get back to the basics... otherwise why not just buy an A-2 knockoff and call it good. That doesn't happen, however. Details matter in reproducing an Indy jacket that was historically accurate to film....not someone else's preconceived ideas of the jacket, not what I think I saw, but what it actually was. This is what I have campaigned for, and continue to do so. Don't disrespect the process and the research others have done in that regard. There is a purpose for it beyond simple aesthetics.

[Michaelson]

That said, Tex, don't ignore the line of thought that as 'accurate' as the jacket should be to the original design, that particular design just isn't comfortable for real world use. NO one actually enjoys wearing a jacket designed to slide back off your shoulders. Some like the design to still be 'SA', and yet comfortable and wearable.

That work has been ongoing as well since this hobby began, so there are two lines of pursuit that are equal in my eyes.

Regards! Michaelson

[Texan Scott]

I was responding to FftT comments from the perspective that at a glance, it may look like others are obsessive about the details, but the line of thinking goes beyond aesthetics. Everyone has to decide where they want to be with it. We are fortunate in that there are a variety of choices in all price ranges today.

[Michaelson]

This is what I have campaigned for, and continue to do so. Don't disrespect the process and the research others have done in that regard. There is a purpose for it beyond simple aesthetics.

I was responding to your comment.

Regards! M

[Forrest For the Trees]

Hey, I'm guilty for being obsessive over the details too, no doubt. I own a Kelso now because of it, and it is bar none, my favorite jacket. But, I also think there's something to be said for just enjoying what you have. If pursuit of the ideal Indy jacket is your aim, by all means, go down that road. But when I see a member who just picked up a new jacket that looks flippin' perfect on him, then my advice is to just wear the heck out of it and try to resist the temptation to look for the next even better thing. Easier said than done!

[Charybdis]

I hear ya. I have been wearing the heck out of it! Ha! Especially since now that I have ordered the AB I do not have any funds left...!

[Charybdis]

One final note on my jacket purchased. I just got a bill from DHL in the mail today for $22! So it looks like I did have to pay the overseas post after all.

[youngjedi71]

One final note on my jacket purchased. I just got a bill from DHL in the mail today for $22! So it looks like I did have to pay the overseas post after all.

yep..i had to pay like 23 or 24$$ when UPS delivered mine..makes me unhappy for sure.

[Kt Templar]

This is a fee for clearing customs. Never nice to get but $20 odd is very low.

I have received $100+ customs bills buying jackets from the US.