First jacket advice

[parsa]

Hey guys and gals.

I hope you can help me out with choosing a first Indy jacket.
Based on research here, I'm pretty sure I'll probably order the Authentic Goat from Wested.
Here is some information:
-- I live in southern California, so winter is not usually any kind of factor. It hardly ever rains in San Diego County. So, I probably will need a fairly light coat. Otherwise I will only wear it when I go out of town to a cold location, or on the rare cold day here. Living here, if I get really cold somewhere, I'll probably need a parka anyway.
-- I would like to wear it quite a bit, not just on Halloween.
-- I won't baby it. It will get some abuse. Think...er... let's see... Indiana Jones.
I might even do stuff like this in it:




So, I probably won't need to artificially distress it! (Although I teach physics and chemistry, so chemicals are no problem.)

Is there going to be much difference between a Raiders cut to fit me and a TOD cut to fit? Any pictures of a Wested Goat TOD?

I'm a fairly big guy... I have a good fitting 46R jacket, but the belly on me is probably a 48 right now, at least until I get out and start exercising more during the summer break. How will that affect my order? Should I add an inch to the length in the front or will Wested know what to do if I give more measurements?

Thanks in advance.

Parsa

[IndianaGuybrush]

I took my measurements myself, then had them taken by a tailor, then gave them to wested along with the description of how the tailor measured me. I just happened to be lucky enough to have the jacket come out almost perfect. I also asked for it to be a looser fitting jacket, as I wanted to be able to wear heavy shirts under it (alas, living in the NE, it's a requirement).

The lightest leather Wested offers is their lambskin. This jacket is light. It seriously feels like a windbreaker when you hold it in your hand. The only problem might be that it's their easiest leather to damage too. It will distress (read: rip) pretty easily, especially if you spend a lot of your time scrambling belly down on rocky scree. On one hand that might be a good thing, as you'll get some seriously awesome natural distressing on your jacket. On the other it could be a bad thing, when you walk by a nail sticking out of a wall and hear <rrrrrrrRRRRIIIIP> as you walk by.

The goat is heavier than the lamb, I'd say I can comfortably wear my goat to about 70 degrees, but after that it gets a little warm (which is not to say i won't wear it.... I just suffer for the sake of style ). I think the lamb would be fine for the higher temp range. The goat is also nearly indestructible, and will not naturally distress quickly... in fact, it's difficult to artificially distress the goat. Again, two sides to this. 1 Your jacket will look fresh out of the box for a loooooong time. 2 Your jacket will look fresh out of the box for a loooooong time. Depending on who you ask this is a good or a bad thing.

My first Wested was(is) an authentic raiders goat. I went with goat because I figured I'd be beating the heck out of the jacket. When I travelled this is what I wanted to travel in, when I went for day hikes in nice weather it's what I wanted to wear. I do not regret getting the goat in the least, but now I definitely know my next jacket will be a lamb. I've handled the jacket and I love the softness of the leather. It's also light and it looks dressier, perfect for a night out on a cool spring/summer night. I also plan on getting it in a smaller size, because I want a tighter fit. Since it's a light jacket I won't be wearing anythign heavier than an Indy shirt under it, so it can be a little more form fitting. And before you get the idea I'm a dainty teacup (little chance of that since you saw my pic on the 'Keppler Coloration' page) My goat was a 48R with dropped shoulder holes and a roomy cut and my lamb will most likely be a 46L without the dropped shoulder holes... as for the rest i'm going to Wested in the next few weeks and hope to get measured by the staff there personally (yipeee!). I'm psyched for it and I know I'll be happy when I finally get it.

I hope this helped you out parsa

[Swindiana]

You'll find a few shots of an auth. ToD goat here:
http://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic ... 2&start=50

I had 2 inches added to the overall length just as a matter of preference. I'm pretty tall and not too big a guy and didn't feel I needed the front to be any longer than the back for that matter. I did add a little more room around the neck since the first jacket was a bit snug around that area. I also asked for some room to wear an extra sweater under it so that I can use it the whole year around. It would probably fit even better if it was tighter, but then there wouldn't be any room to have more leayers under it and I couldn't wear it in the winter. I like the goat a lot but I would probably pick lamb if I was to wear it in California during summer. On the other hand I'd go with goat if I knew it was about to get some natural distressing of heavier sorts.
Decisions, decisions... You are not alone having a hard time to decide what to go for. Then again you will probably want more than one jacket once you have started on your first. I hope you'll like whatever you decide on!

Regards,
Swindiana

[prettybigguy]

Parsa,
Unless you are absolutly sold on getting a Wested, You ought to look into getting a Gibson & Barnes (Flightsuits) Expediition. I own a Seal Chrome Goatskin Expo and I LOVE it! G&B are located near San Diego and they will custom make you a jacket so you won't have to worry about getting the correct measurements to England.
Mods: I'm not trying to re-ignite the Jacket Wars here, I'm just offering a new guy a possibly more convenient alternative since he lives in SoCal.

[Indiana Gus]

In this topic there are some pics of my auth. goat ToD jacket. It's a size 40 though... but fits my perfect I took the measurements myself. Wested can do a great job with the measurements of chest size, height and sleeve length. They don't need much more than that.

http://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7785

[parsa]

For anything other than a night out at a restaurant, I'll need the goat. Everything in the chaparral and desert of San Diego County has spines and stickers. The pictures of me above were taken while geocaching. I often end up with many inexplicable scratches on my own hide. However, although I heal, the coat won't. It's one thing to have authentic abrasions and dirt, it's another to have rips and tears.
I made a kid leather satchel of the Daniel Boone type (complete with fringe) while I was in Kenya. The thing is still in excellent condition, and not one of the thin pieces of fringe has broken off. That wouldn't be true if it was cow leather. I'm pretty sold on the qualities of goat. I thought it was interesting that the Flightsuits jackets use Baluchistani goat leather.

I live just 40 minutes from the Flightsuits showroom, so it would be dumb not to check it out. Maybe I can bargain down the price on the Flightsuits coat if I walk in there. I'll get one if I like it and can get a good price. I know they are good from all the positive comments here. I may still order a Wested Raiders lamb for authenticity and to use as a dress jacket.

Parsa

[SHARPETOYS]

As PrettyBigGuy Posted
Unless you are absolutly sold on getting a Wested, You ought to look into getting a Gibson & Barnes (Flightsuits) Expediition. I own a Seal Chrome Goatskin Expo and I LOVE it! G&B are located near San Diego and they will custom make you a jacket so you won't have to worry about getting the correct measurements to England.
Mods: I'm not trying to re-ignite the Jacket Wars here, I'm just offering a new guy a possibly more convenient alternative since he lives in SoCal.



I would run right over to Flightsuits. Read all of the threads about fittings and how many jackets are sent back to be corrected. I ordered mine over the phone and it was perfect and still is. Alot of work from people here went into helping Flightsuits make this jacket.

[Belloqsi_Blues]

Mmmmm, I was finally getting around to ordering my first Wested jacket after a great deal of research. These postings were enlightening regarding the goat versus lamb.

Is the lamb really that fragile? Will it survive every day use or is it just for special occasions? I thought it might be tougher, since it is original to the movies (although I am sure they had crates of them in case Ford ripped one).

Your opinions would be appreciated.

[Bufflehead Jones]

Depends on what you plan to do with it. For going to a movie or the mall or out at night, the lamb is fine. As soon as you start heading towards some dense woods, you should look at the authentic goat.

[Renderking Fisk]

I didn't say this before Parsa... welcome to the madness.

Face facts here... eventually you're going to get one over the course of time if you stick around these characters too long. You're doing what we all do... you're talking yourself into getting more then just one. Not all at once, mind you.

Right now, I would go for the Lambstouch Cowhide... only cause you can wear it in warmer weather. Then... as it gets cooler go for the goat.