Raider's Jacket - making some decisions as to who I should order from

[Indiana JakeJ]

I am about to purchase a Raiders Jacket. Naturally, I would like it to be as screen accurate as possible. Some everyday wear functionality wouldn't hurt either. I already owned 5 Indy jackets, and I'd like to get it down to just one or two.

Here's the Jackets in the running:

Wested Hero Raiders Jacket Bill Kelso Relic Hunter Raiders Jacket Steele and Jones Cazadora 36 Raiders jacket

It looks like lambskin is the way to go, but which lamb hide? Shrunken?

I tried reading the HERO Raiders fit vs. the Standard or Street Raiders fit description. Not sure which way to go here. Last time I bought a custom spec'd 46 Raiders off the rack size with no special measurements. That was a number of years ago. Naturally, I'd like to get something that fits me like it should. What should I look for here when it comes to the hero pattern?

The current Wested side adjuster buckles offered now look a little off to me. I think they used something better that was two black rectangles per side strap when I ordered mine some time ago.

I got leather facings inside next to the zippers on the Wested. Not sure if I want to go without them as i get the impression that lining will get caught in the zipper. Any thoughts here?

The Bill Kelso Jackets look great, the Lamb hide looks nice, there is a different pattern for 3 or 4 different versions of screen used jackets. I can't quite make up my mind on the version, but the Debora N small pocket version is not going to work. No leather zipper facings? Your input here is appreciated as far as patterns and other specs of this jacket - pro's and cons.

The Steele and Jones Cazadora 36 jackets confuse me a bit. They list 3 different styles of Raiders jacket. When I pressed them for more details they said that all 3 styles use the same patterns? For what it's worth, that does not line up with the Kelso description of their different versions. Can anyone elaborate here on the differences they notice on the different versions? Is it basically a different hide selection to create the proper look of the three different jackets? If you had the custom canvas trial jacket made, how did that work out? What do you think of having leather facings inside at the zipper on these models?

The lead times on Wested I assume will be the fastest? Kelso and S&J might take a bit longer? If you have had recent experience ordering please elaborate.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to share your knowledge here.

Cheers! Indiana Jake

[bearbeast]

I can only contribute for the Wested jackets: I have a Raiders in shrunken lamb and the leather is really easy to damage:

The inner pocket had the leather rip at the sewing.

The loop to hang the coat ripped the leather collar.

The snap at the pocket ripped the leather it was attached to.

The threads didn't break, it was always the leather itself.

I have three other jackets in horsehide, goat and lamb. All three are really nice, and the lamb hide seems to be more resilient than shrunken lamb (at least so far).

As for ordering, Wested is always quite fast: 1-3 weeks.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Bear

[Charybdis]

Dont be too fast to go with lambskin. I have a Wested goat and that thing is my go to jacket. Havent had a single problem with it in years.

[bearbeast]

Dont be too fast to go with lambskin. I have a Wested goat and that thing is my go to jacket. Havent had a single problem with it in years.

Agreed, so far the goat is my favourite. Love the lamb for it's lightness, but the goat is a great middle ground.

[Illinois_Jones]

That has ALWAYS been my advice: go with goat. Especially if durability is a major concern, which it usually is given the price of these items, and you're worried about the weight of horse or bovine.

Unfortunately, my go-to BK goat Relic Hunter no longer seems to be an option for others. No clue if they'll bring it back, but Wested's goat is very good and certainly a good price alternative.

Now if only S&J offered goat I'd be all over that, too.

[Michaelson]

Agreed with goat access, but have found S&J’s light horse hide tied with goat in terms of weight and durability. If you can’t source the light horse hide, definitely go with a goatskin, regardless of maker.

Regards! Michaelson

[Dr. Jones, Jr.]

I am lucky enough to have picked up an S&J '36 a couple years ago and it is gorgeous. I got mine in lambskin and have had no durability issues whatsoever, despite being a fairly active individual. Can't speak highly enough of them. I have also owned Westeds and while I think they're a great company, I definitely would recommend S&J over them if you have the money to do so.

[SFGiant]

Wested's washed lambskin looks the most accurate to me. I want something really lightweight myself.

[IJJTM]

From my understanding by people who have owned all 3, Kelso seems to be the favorite by a mile with their grainy lamb or whatever they call it.

[Mark Raats]

I have owned Wings, Wested, Magnoli and S&J and all of them are excellent jackets.

The most disappointing was my Wested because while it was a stunning jacket, it didn't fit as it should so I sold it on.
Wings are great Indy 'style' jackets, tough as nails but far from accurate. I still have three of them
Magnoli is a sensational jacket and impeccably made. Easily a great option and definitely a true Indy jacket. I still own one of them.
S&J are for me the best jackets ever offered and I own 2 of them. I have had the opportunity to see the original jackets in the Ranch archives many times and for me, the S&J capture not only the essence of the original jackets, they are about as accurate as they can possibly be.

Whatever your choice it will all come down to your personal experience with each vendor and your own very subjective opinion with regards what the jacket should look like and how you want it to look on you.

Best of luck with your adventure.
MARK

[Indiana JakeJ]

Thanks guys. I'm leaning towards the S&J. I just can't figure out which Raiders version to get. I don't need the heavy grainy lambskin striations, but some texture would be good. I'm avoiding the Raiders jacket that has the smaller pockets. What have you noticed about each different Raiders jacket from S&J?

Thanks

[Thunderspy]

I have a Wested, and it's a lovely thing and great value, and I think every Indy fan who wants an Indy jacket probably should and will own a Wested at some point as they are more or less 'the real thing' - and it's not often that the authentic choice is also the most affordable and quickest/easiest to buy!
But my BK Relic Hunter in striated lamb is on another level: it's just so beautiful in terms of the leather (the suggestions of goat on this page sound like they're probably wise: although I've had zero problems with it I guess it feels like you might be able to rip it if you really snagged it hard on something sharp) and the cut just feels perfect to me - it simply looks like the jacket from Raiders to my eye. I think it's just a beautiful piece of work. And the striations are in just the right spot too. Seeing the BK onscreen in the BBC documentary series 'Rogue Warriors' is what really sold it to me: the leather just looked so beautiful (the presenter Ben MacIntyre wears one through most of his pieces to camera).




I did however order it just before the pandemic hit though and it took a whopping ten months to be delivered because of the problems they and many other companies experienced at the time, and during that BK gave out quite a lot of radio silence, which made it a very tense and quite unpleasant wait. So as a product I endorse it very highly indeed, but as a company on a customer service level, I couldn't endorse them at all! But of course do be aware that I had a fairly unique experience of them because 2020 was so fraught and I would expect ordering to go much more smoothly now.

[SFGiant]

I have a Wested, and it's a lovely thing and great value, and I think every Indy fan who wants an Indy jacket probably should and will own a Wested at some point as they are more or less 'the real thing' - and it's not often that the authentic choice is also the most affordable and quickest/easiest to buy!
But my BK Relic Hunter in striated lamb is on another level: it's just so beautiful in terms of the leather (the suggestions of goat on this page sound like they're probably wise: although I've had zero problems with it I guess it feels like you might be able to rip it if you really snagged it hard on something sharp) and the cut just feels perfect to me - it simply looks like the jacket from Raiders to my eye. I think it's just a beautiful piece of work. And the striations are in just the right spot too. Seeing the BK onscreen in the BBC documentary series 'Rogue Warriors' is what really sold it to me: the leather just looked so beautiful (the presenter Ben MacIntyre wears one through most of his pieces to camera).




I did however order it just before the pandemic hit though and it took a whopping ten months to be delivered because of the problems they and many other companies experienced at the time, and during that BK gave out quite a lot of radio silence, which made it a very tense and quite unpleasant wait. So as a product I endorse it very highly indeed, but as a company on a customer service level, I couldn't endorse them at all! But of course do be aware that I had a fairly unique experience of them because 2020 was so fraught and I would expect ordering to go much more smoothly now.

I checked out their website - it looks amazing and super authentic. Is that the most screen accurate jacket?

[Thunderspy]

I couldn’t say as I’ve never seen a S&J. It’s certainly got to be one of the most accurate you can get.

[SFGiant]

I couldn’t say as I’ve never seen a S&J. It’s certainly got to be one of the most accurate you can get.

Hmm I was referring to the BK Relic Hunter

https://billkelsomfg.com/shop/product/r ... ic-hunter/

[Thunderspy]

I couldn’t say as I’ve never seen a S&J. It’s certainly got to be one of the most accurate you can get.

Hmm I was referring to the BK Relic Hunter

https://billkelsomfg.com/shop/product/r ... ic-hunter/

Yeah that's what I mean: I think the BK is amazing but I've never been able to compare one to a S&J, which many people also say are great. So I couldn't say which of the two is best.

[Illinois_Jones]

Well for years the RH was basically the most "screen accurate" version that was readily available. Now it's likely S&J, especially after the kerfuffle about the buckles and stuff has been settled. The G&B is an amazing jacket, albeit no longer made, but was too over-engineered for screen accuracy. The Wested Hero back while Peter was alive had developed into a sort of caricature as he tried to appease everyone with different ideas about the jacket, but now the Hero has been quietly adjusted to be almost like a more budget-friendly RH with a quicker turnaround -- I have no proof, but I could swear Wested got a hold of RH or S&J jackets and amended their Hero pattern slightly to retain the Raiders features people want while being easier to fit since the old Hero was its own adventure to dial in a fit.

Now the main differences you'll find between BK and S&J are customer service, customizability, and leather offerings. S&J is far and away easier to deal with than BK, and Diego is way more amenable to customization while BK resists it. And of course leathers. Their striated lambs are basically the same, but if you wanted something different then you have to pick what you're looking for. BK *used to* offer an awesome goatskin, which was also significantly cheaper than the lamb and more durable (my BK of preference). They still have the Maltese goat, which is good but more expensive. But if you want cow or horse, better to go S&J. BK's horse and cow are made for WW2 A-2 replicas, ie, way too heavy for an Indy jacket. They'll last until the end of time and take an unbelievable patina, but feel like a straightjacket if you're not an experienced leather wearer and familiar with the break in. plus BK's leather is expensive. S&J's horse and cow hides are more purpose-built for Indy jackets.

So choose, but choose wisely.