Most Screen Accurate Raiders Jacket Today

[PilgrimTrail]

Greetings to the club! I'm putting together my Indy Cosplay and attempting to find a very screen accurate Raiders of the Lost Ark Jacket. Seems like there is a lot to think about and many good options. It seems some of the patterns out there aren't that close to The original however. Any recommendations? Which do you think are the best available today? I like the dark coloring of the original movie. Thanks guys!

[Mulceber]

The two favorites at the moment seem to be the Steel & Jones Cazadora '36 in Ribby Merino Sheepskin (http://steele-jones.com.ar/en/chaquetas.htm), and the Bill Kelso Relic Hunter in Striated Lamb (http://billkelsomfg.com). Magnoli's WL Raiders jacket has a lot of fans too (http://www.magnoliclothiers.com/adventu ... p-731.html).

Personally, I chose BK and I’d do it again (and again...), but if dark is the color you want, S&J and Magnoli are probably more up your alley, as the BK jacket is a decidedly warm medium-to-dark brown. BK argues, based on a lot of screen grabs and behind the scenes photos, that the original Raiders jacket actually was this color, and I believe them (we see the jacket in dimly-lit rooms for most of the movie, the photos provided are convincing, and the owner of BK has an expert knowledge of leather), but if dark brown is the color that you like, it's the color that you like.

[xmasters]

Bill Kelso Relic Hunter would get my vote, and Steel & Jones Cazadora 36 also very good.

You said most accurate jacket, so that means most accurate leather too. Striated lamb.

[Mulceber]

Bill Kelso Relic Hunter would get my vote, and Steel & Jones Cazadora 36 also very good.

You said most accurate jacket, so that means most accurate leather too. Striated lamb.

I agree - the one caveat I'd offer is that PilgrimTrail should figure out what he wants out of this. One of the best things the Indygear hobby has taught me is that what you think you see on screen often has more to do with what you "feel" about the scene/character than it does with what's actually on screen. I've heard stories of a lot of people back in the early '90s who were convinced Indy wore a big, bulky black leather jacket and were crestfallen when they bought their first Wested and discovered it was a flimsy, light weight, brown leather jacket.

I think it's worth doing some reading here on the board to figure out whether you want the jacket you fell in love with, or the jacket that was actually on screen. It's also worth asking the durability question - what are you going to be using this jacket for? Daily casual wear? Outdoor adventure? If the latter, a lambskin jacket, especially a really expensive one, might not be a good idea. We are NOT talking about a durable leather here...

All this is a round-about way of saying that screen-accuracy is all well and good, but be sure you're aware of the pitfalls.

[Indiana Jeff]

Definitely take time to read, read, read. The most SA jackets are cut with unusual pattern of the original jacket. It does not fit like a "regular" jacket. Similar to Mulceber's comment, many members here have sought exactly screen accuracy to be disappointed with how the jacket fits and looks in the real world.

Another consideration is your build. The jacket looks the way is does on HF because it was made for him. Unless you have the same build he did in ROLA, even sized correctly the jacket won't look the same on you as it does on screen.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[PilgrimTrail]

These are great tips! Thank you, Guys!

I heard that Steele and Jones are using a horse hide chocolate leather now... Has anyone seen it in person?

I do like their pattern with the short cut. Do you know if BK is the same type of pattern? I also heard that Wested doesn't use the original pattern. I wonder if its the same with the Magnolia?

I definitely want as close as possible... I have a similar build to HF.. I have long arms... lol.

[Mulceber]

Yeah, Wested doesn't have the original pattern anymore. Back when they made the jacket, they had no reason to think that making reproductions would be a lucrative business, so I don't think they kept very good records. In terms of whose pattern is most SA, it's probably BK - they took their pattern directly from a copy that another jacket maker (now deceased) with Hollywood connections had made of a screen-used jacket. The patterns that Magnoli and S&J use are probably almost identical to that used by BK - by this point all of the people in the Indy jacket game have had plenty of time to learn to make a really solid reproduction, by trial and error if nothing else.

Re: horsehide, I haven't seen S&J's, but I've heard great things about their jackets, so I'm sure it's nice. BK and Wested offer Horsehide as well - in fact, I think Magnoli is the only one of the major jacket producers that doesn't offer horsehide, though for all I know he could add that as an option at any time. BK in particular has some REALLY nice horsehide that's meant to replicate vintage leather.

[xmasters]

Wested's Hero jacket is also from the same Nowak Raiders jacket, but they don't do the correct striated leather and the jacket doesn't have the correct buckles or strap length, but for the price it's fairly decent.

The Kelso Relic Hunter does the three known versions of the jacket and correct leather, so winner IMO.

The S&J in horsehide looks good, but you'll want to ask them to distress it a bit or it will look far too shiny and new.

I'm less familiar with the magnoli jacket, but it's a contender I think.

But per as the advice above, go to the websites for these jackets and study them hard. Read the info. Study the jackets and decide what you want.

[PilgrimTrail]

Great information! Thank you so much!
It looks like there are 3 different versions of the Relic Hunter... South America, Cairo and Prototype...Does anyone have photos of the differences?

[Jeremiah]

My vote for Raiders is BK.
LC, looks like S&J are the way to go but if you want the same type of hide as used on the original, you would still go with BK. As far as SA, I think SA has more to do with the material and hardware and shape of collar, pocket flaps and similar fittings. Not so sure about the rest. You can have the most SA fedora and wear it and its going to look different on you than it did on Ford, but its still SA because of how its made. (felt, ribbon and color)

[Mulceber]

Wested's Hero jacket is also from the same Nowak Raiders jacket, but they don't do the correct striated leather and the jacket doesn't have the correct buckles or strap length, but for the price it's fairly decent.

Ah, didn't know that - thanks for the correction. Seems like they also went overboard on the off-the-shoulder effect, but that would make sense, given the other mistakes they made.

Great information! Thank you so much!
It looks like there are 3 different versions of the Relic Hunter... South America, Cairo and Prototype...Does anyone have photos of the differences?

I only have the Cairo, which seems to be the favorite - it's definitely the one that got the most screen time (Well of Souls, Plane fight, truck chase). Here's some pictures of the the distinguishing features: http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?p=900980#p900980

If you browse through the 25 pages of the BK thread, you'll definitely see pictures of all three, and people usually identify which one they bought. If you are leaning toward a Relic Hunter I'd recommend reading that whole thread anyway. That way you'll go in with eyes open about what you're buying, any issues people have had, etc., and I can almost guarantee that way you won't have the "I didn't know I was ordering THIS" reaction when you receive your jacket.

[PilgrimTrail]

Awesome. Thanks so much for the tips!

[distantpeople]

Some recent photos of an S&J Raiders jacket (weathered) here: http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... &start=250" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Kladdagh]

S&J makes a stunning jacket ... Like this ...

[Major]

Oh man, just when I hadn't planned on a new Raiders jacket.....

[AttyOzzy]

I received my new S&J Raiders approximately two weeks ago. It is the chocolate thin horsehide. I am so very pleased with it. I will send photos soon - but I wanted to add that the joy of working with S&J is not only the product (which is fantastic)
but also their customer service.

Diego is great and goes to great lengths to make sure the jacket is YOURS and fits YOU, not HF or a stuntman, while still making the most screen accurate jacket I own (and I have quite a few from different vendors).

I had made an error on one of my measurements and Diego was very kind and patient to correct MY error.

I cannot say enough about these guys. I will get photos up soon.

AO

[CatManDoo88]

So does S&J only do horsehide now? Is the ribby merino or other lambskin no longer an option? Some of these posts make it sound like horsehide is the only option now. Thanks for any clarity.

[Indiego Jones]

So does S&J only do horsehide now? Is the ribby merino or other lambskin no longer an option? Some of these posts make it sound like horsehide is the only option now. Thanks for any clarity.

Hi,
Diego here, @S&J

Since the year 2012, we had 4 "Ribby Merino Sheepskin" batches.
Everyone really nice, and unique.

1st batch, was our "Uruguay" one (named because came from that country)
IMO, the closer we got to the original skin, on the movie jacket. We did about 25 jackets.

2nd batch, was an opportunity. Great skins, great price: http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=64108" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

3rd batch, was a small one, in rich chocolate brown shade. Perfect grain. Soft touch.
Only 4 jackets made.
2 examples:
http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?p=887111#p887111" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?p=887916#p887916" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

4th batch, was the BEAUTIFUL "Flying Wing Fight" jacket.
We did about 20 jackets. Just an amazing leather. http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?p=892569#p892569" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Now we offer our jackets in "Chocolate Premium Horsehide"
We offer this horsehide skin in two thickness:

Standard = 0.7 to 0.9mm (Perfect for Last Crusade. Very good for Raiders)
Thin = 0.5 to 0.7mm (this version drapes, feels and weighs like lambskin, but with the strength of horsehide. Perfect for ToD and Raiders)


Our Premium Horsehide skins are soft and pliable with the most distinctive and subtle grain. They are vegetable and chromium tanned to a perfect chocolate color which distresses beautifully to a light brown.
It is the very best skin we have seen in the last 7 years. And we've seen A LOT.
It's also the best for softness, touch, color, weight and drape. IT’S NOT comparable to other vendors' horsehides, which are stiff and heavy.

Kind regards.-