Update Regarding My Todd's

[kozmoedave]

I had a post (Just Got a Todd's) back in September. Just wanted to give my thoughts a couple months in...

If you read the original thread, I was feeling iffy at first because I wasn't sure of the fit. This really came down to the fact that this is my first Indy jacket and I wasn't used to the way they're cut. This includes chest, shoulders, and overall length, for me. After getting some of your impressions based on the pics I posted and the fact that it was spang out of the box, I kept it, and have worn it nearly every day since. It turns out I did get the right size for me and have worn it with sweaters several times on colder days. So far, in a little over two months, it's had the sun beating down on it, it's been through the rain, snow, and sleet, wildly varying temperatures (ah, Michigan), thrown on the floor or wherever it was convenient, hung up nicely, crumpled, balled, draped, and folded. And it's just fine.

Now, I obviously don't baby the thing, but I'm not artificially distressing it or, in my opinion, abusing it, either. I treat it pretty much like I would any other informal-wear. It's a jacket, ya know? But this isn't just my first Indy jacket, it's also my first lambskin jacket. It's already distressing in some pretty great ways, naturally. I first noticed it on the inside of the storm flap a couple weeks in, and now it's at the elbows, seams, a little around the pockets, and the collar. In a year or two, I think this thing will have some serious vibe.

One last thing: I USE the pockets. All of them, pretty much all the time. They're not stuffed to the brim, but they're serving a real purpose for me.

This was my first Indy gear-related purchase, and I'm extremely satisfied. (Since I was a kid, the jacket has always been on-par with the hat to me. He was never "The man with the hat," he was the man with the hat AND the coolest jacket ever.)

So, anyway, a lot of this will come as no surprise to most here, I'm sure. But if someone comes along considering a Todd's, maybe this info will be useful.

[bookman60]

Thank's for the update, how about picture's?

[kozmoedave]

[kozmoedave]

Apologies for the size of the pics, and they don't really do it justice...

[kozmoedave]

[Cajunkraut]

Beautiful jacket, Kozmo.

For those who an OTR jacket works for, I think the Coyle's Hero is the most underrated for accuracy, quality and value. When Peter Botwright once described Todd's as a rip-off of Wested's, I read it as a compliment!

[kozmoedave]

Yep, imitation is the sincerest, and all that. Being a "rip-off" is really kind of the point, isn't it? (Avoiding the negative connotations; no one is actually being "ripped off" here.) It is a copy, and honestly, I was able to purchase this when I did because of its price. I wanted an Indy jacket before fall really hit and couldn't really swing a Wested. But I'll tell you this, it makes me want a Wested even more. If anything, not only do I feel like Todd's didn't take my business from Peter, it solidified my decision to give business to him.

[Cajunkraut]

As a COW member once stated: as long as Raiders jacket clones have been around, coupled with the nebulous history of if or when certain manufacturer(s) had screen-used examples or patterns to reproduce it, it's safe to say that there's no legitimate rip-off to point a finger at.

I shied (more like ran) away from Wested for more than one reason. After Peter made his comment, it confirmed my satisfaction with the Coyle's jacket so much so that I bought a second.

[kozmoedave]

That's an interesting statement to me. I've considered doing the same, for a few reasons, whether I end up getting a Wested or not. Not trying to stir up a hornet's nest, and I know everybody here has preferences, but do you prefer Todd's over Wested?

I love this jacket and really only want another because I want something in a tougher skin.

[Cajunkraut]

Bought the second only because the price was right for a backup, and one never knows how import clothing will evolve in fit and specs from run to run. It looks like Todd has kept the jacket QC consistent since I got into the hobby just a few years ago though.

I've never owned a Wested, but others may be able to chime in with a comparison. In the meantime, here are some older threads that may answer some questions:

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... d+todd%27s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... d+todd%27s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... d+todd%27s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... d+todd%27s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... d+todd%27s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... d+todd%27s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... d+todd%27s" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yours is a common progression of jacket preferences. Check out the Gibson & Barnes Expedition in goat for your more durable "every day" Raiders jacket. I love mine.

[r.deckard]

Todd's standard is the best Indy jacket I've owned in comparison to Wested.

[kozmoedave]

r.deckard, what other jackets have you owned or tried? How do you think they compare in different ways? Do you prefer the Todd's to the Wested?

Thanks for your input!

If Todd made this sucker in goat, I might get one of those and call it a day.

[Cajunkraut]

If Todd made this sucker in goat, I might get one of those and call it a day.

Wested will make the Hero in goat:

http://www.wested.com/special-raiders-h ... -512-p.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Or check out the G&B I mentioned:

http://www.gibson-barnes.com/prod-29398 ... ition.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Then call it a day.

[kozmoedave]

Yep, I've been eying that very thing...

[r.deckard]

I've owned Westeds in lamb, lambtouch cowhide, predistressed cow, and regular cowhide. I've owned them in Raiders, Last Crusade, and Temple of Doom. I still own the TOD. In my opinion Todd's leather really captures the way the jacket looks in Raiders and I love the fit. It just "looks right", ya know what I mean?

[kozmoedave]

I do, indeed. And, at first, I was REALLY considering an OTR Wested. But after owning this one, there are too many things that would bother me about it, I think. If I do go Wested, I think it'll have to be a Hero. The thing with this Todd's is that it fits about as well as any jacket could, off the rack, for me. That's why I wish he offered it in something like goat, or even cowhide, so I could have a tougher version of the same thing. And Todd's price can't be beat.

Maybe I should just get four or five of these to last me forever.

[CM]

I remember Todds being designed precisely because Westeds were so inaccurate. It was only after the Nowak copy of a screen used jacket came out that Wested improved and probably copied a SA pattern.

[Jacques]

I've had my Todd's/Coyles for well over a year, and I appreciate the way it wears. I had an issue that I've posted here before where I had to have it "refinished" (my daughter stuck a sticker on it, ripping the color off a portion of the jacket), so I had to start over again letting it naturally get distressed. My wish as some have said is that they made a tougher version of the same jacket. But beyond that, I enjoy wearing it!