Wested Legacy series announced

[Indiana Strones]

Ok thank you guys!

[whiskyman]

Maybe it's the lighting, but the LC looks terrific, while the Raiders looks disapointing, in terms of the leather and distressing.

[Kt Templar]

Maybe it's the lighting, but the LC looks terrific, while the Raiders looks disapointing, in terms of the leather and distressing.

The daytime shots of the LC are even better. (what we laughingly call daylight here in winter!).

[whiskyman]

That confirms it - LC looks great! Raiders..well...can't say I like the look of that leather- doesn't seem to have the Raiders vibe that other earlier Wested's have had.

[Thee]

That confirms it - LC looks great! Raiders..well...can't say I like the look of that leather- doesn't seem to have the Raiders vibe that other earlier Wested's have had.

IMO shrunken lamb is a much better choice for a raiders jacket than their legacy skin.

[Kt Templar]

That confirms it - LC looks great! Raiders..well...can't say I like the look of that leather- doesn't seem to have the Raiders vibe that other earlier Wested's have had.

I like the colour, I like the weight, and I like the finish. But it is too smooth, it needs a bit of ribby character.

[bantufo]

That confirms it - LC looks great! Raiders..well...can't say I like the look of that leather- doesn't seem to have the Raiders vibe that other earlier Wested's have had.

I like the colour, I like the weight, and I like the finish. But it is too smooth, it needs a bit of ribby character.

Would love to see this pattern on their old Authentic Brown Lamb. Have always loved that particular skin from Wested. Is that still the same, only now called brown lambskin?

[Indiana Strones]

Authentic brown lamb was too grayish/ greenish to my eyes

[Kokopelli]

KT Templar- can you post some more pics? Those are beautiful, and I want to see the back, sides…more!

[Kt Templar]

KT Templar- can you post some more pics? Those are beautiful, and I want to see the back, sides…more!

You asked so nicely, how could I refuse.

I don't have any side shots, but heres a back.

[Captain D]

Simply amazing - after seeing these distressed jackets, it's tempting to put in an order for one, lol...

[Indiana Croft]

Very nice and your distressing looks spot on and very natural looking.
Makes me think about getting one, but I have to wait or the Misses looks at me, like another jacket, LOL.

Wear it in good health, it came out great.

Croft

[marker2037]

My Legacy Last Crusade came in recently. Here's a progress shot midway through the front on the distress job I'm giving it. This lambskin has a rather lifeless topcoat new, but underneath is where the magic tones hide to get that desired look. Wested did real good in finding this leather as it lends itself to easy scuffs and distressing and the weight, cut, and drape is spot on for LC. All done with a scotchbrite pad so far.

[SixfootJedi]

Congratulations!
It’s a beautiful leather and so different from my 17 year old Wested.
Such a fantastic drape to it and I’m sure it will only improve with age!
Wear it well (both on you and with the scotch-brite)!


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[CM]

The annoying thing Wested keep getting wrong with these LC jackets are the darn pockets. The pocket flap is considerably wider than the pocket in the screen used version. It looks kind of odd looking having the flap cut to the same width as the pocket itself.

[Indiana Jeff]

Marker, the jacket looks great. I can tell because your pictures are too large per site rules.

Not to exceed 640x480 pixels

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[marker2037]

Marker, the jacket looks great. I can tell because your pictures are too large per site rules.

Not to exceed 640x480 pixels

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Thanks Jeff! I love breaking rules

[Thunderspy]

I like the lovely big pictures! That looks a really nice leather: it's already graining up nicely at the edges. It doesn't even have that new-leather sheen: or have you taken that off?

[marker2037]

I like the lovely big pictures! That looks a really nice leather: it's already graining up nicely at the edges. It doesn't even have that new-leather sheen: or have you taken that off?

It never really had a "sheen" new. It's a pretty flat topcoat which makes it perfect for the weathering.

[baddates1]

As seen in another thread, I'm contemplating selling my G&B Expedition Raiders in goatskin, in favor of a new Raiders jacket.

I'm considering the Legacy Raiders, but I do have some questions: 1. How's the custom fit feel? 2. The lambskin. Is it soft? I love my LC Crusade jacket in goat, but it's so buttery soft it almost doesn't feel like a jacket. What I love about my G&B goat is that it isn't soft, it's thick and heavy duty. Is the lamb anything like that?

Now if not the Legacy, what would be other people's suggestions?

[Illinois_Jones]

As seen in another thread, I'm contemplating selling my G&B Expedition Raiders in goatskin, in favor of a new Raiders jacket.

I'm considering the Legacy Raiders, but I do have some questions: 1. How's the custom fit feel? 2. The lambskin. Is it soft? I love my LC Crusade jacket in goat, but it's so buttery soft it almost doesn't feel like a jacket. What I love about my G&B goat is that it isn't soft, it's thick and heavy duty. Is the lamb anything like that?

Now if not the Legacy, what would be other people's suggestions?

Well it's lamb, so it won't ever be as durable as G&B's goat and TBH, you'd be hard pressed to find anything else that is without going VERY expensive. The Legacy is a thicker lamb, but it is still lamb.
What generation is your LC goat? If it's pre 2018 or so then it's likely their previous supplier; their newer goat is darker and, to me at least, more rugged in look and feel. You could go for a heavier skin like the horse or cow, but they'll still never be at the level of G&B's goat.
The other option is to hit up Diego at S&J. I don't know that they deal in goat or ever have, but their horsehide is fantastic and they have cowhide options as well.
And there's always BK's goat offerings -- not necessarily at G&B's level durability wise, but very good. But BK has gotten a little weird to deal with lately.

[baddates1]

As seen in another thread, I'm contemplating selling my G&B Expedition Raiders in goatskin, in favor of a new Raiders jacket.

I'm considering the Legacy Raiders, but I do have some questions: 1. How's the custom fit feel? 2. The lambskin. Is it soft? I love my LC Crusade jacket in goat, but it's so buttery soft it almost doesn't feel like a jacket. What I love about my G&B goat is that it isn't soft, it's thick and heavy duty. Is the lamb anything like that?

Now if not the Legacy, what would be other people's suggestions?

Well it's lamb, so it won't ever be as durable as G&B's goat and TBH, you'd be hard pressed to find anything else that is without going VERY expensive. The Legacy is a thicker lamb, but it is still lamb.
What generation is your LC goat? If it's pre 2018 or so then it's likely their previous supplier; their newer goat is darker and, to me at least, more rugged in look and feel. You could go for a heavier skin like the horse or cow, but they'll still never be at the level of G&B's goat.
The other option is to hit up Diego at S&J. I don't know that they deal in goat or ever have, but their horsehide is fantastic and they have cowhide options as well.
And there's always BK's goat offerings -- not necessarily at G&B's level durability wise, but very good. But BK has gotten a little weird to deal with lately.

Well if it's a thicker lamb, I'd be up for that. Is it really soft though?

Also, my LC goat is 2020, so I'm not sure what batch they're using now. The best way I can describe it is that it's not as stiff as a Cooper goat A-2. It's got a stretchy, flexible quality that's amazing, I just personally prefer something stiffer for my uses.

[Illinois_Jones]

Well it's not soft like one usually would think of lamb, especially something like a department store jacket. The finish is not exactly shiny, it's more matte and the feel has sort of a tack to it. It's made for distressing quickly, like having normal rubbing show fairly easily.

But the thing about G&B's goat is that it's made for military jackets. USW has some that is comparable but the fit not so much. BK also has high quality goat but it's not necessarily G&B's focus on toughness, but my goat Relic Hunter is fantastic. I've never had an issue with Wested's goat over the years and it's my preferred skin from them. In short, you really can't compare G&B's Expedition to the other jackets on the market, especially since it's not made anymore and was the one design that specifically focused on durability. You'll get similar quality from other places in that regard, but it won't necessarily be by default.

[xmasters]

We also need to remember tha the Raiders legacy leather is not the same as the Legacy LC leather. The Raiders legacy leather is a darker chocolate brown, with a slight shine. The LC legacy leather has a lighter almost faded look to it by comparison and it's softer but doesn't look it. I've no way of measuring the thickness of the leather, but they feel different too.

I like the color and drape of the legacy Raiders and it has the correct undertone for distressing. The surface is a bit smooth though. Ie it doesn't have the look of striated or shrunken lamb.

So if you're looking for something more goatlike in your Raiders jacket, you may have to look elsewhere.

[baddates1]

Ah good points. At this rate, I'm not exactly looking for goatskin as much as I am trying to get something robust like the G&B. I might consider a Wested Custom Cowhide, or the Steele and Jones. I'll need more research.

I say cowhide because based on my original Cooper's Disneyland Indy jacket, it's nice and thick while also keeping a nice sheen.

[SFGiant]

I think the Raiders Legacy leather looks good color wise. (Or is it considered too dark?) But am I wrong or wouldn’t washed lamb look more accurate with its texture and striations?

Also, what does the inside of the jacket look like? Are there any other patches like on the Hero?

[marker2037]

I think the washed lamb is always a good alternative. It's pretty robust for lamb.

[LawranceOfArabia]

Distressed my legacy Raiders jacket - what do ya’ll think? Looking for some feedback.

[twistedotter]

To my eyes, it looks great. Care to share your weathering technique?

[LawranceOfArabia]

Hey, thanks. The technique is little, often and varied. I was patient with it. Initially I took a simple scouring sponge (those yellow ones with a green abrasive side) and hit the raised bits like seams, pocket poppers, buckles etc. Then I wore it and every opportunity I had I would rub up against rough walls so the scratches are patches that align to the body get highlighted. Then a bit of extra rubbing in the spots with handfuls of sand and other abrasive elements. Wasn’t afraid to wear it in light showers and dry naturally etc.

It was a combination of all these elements done over time in small amounts. Took12+ months in total.

Final tip: I rubbed it in a big bowl of dirt before taking the photos, I found this really accentuated the weathering. Brush this all off and it’s still good for not so weathered look.

[Indiana Croft]

Niceley done. I love how you took your time and used the rough surface of say the random brick wall to rub against. Done the same.
Wear that one in great health.

Croft

[SFGiant]

Alright after a lot of agonizing and measuring I think I'm going to order.

I'm 5'6", but my inseam is 28" or so...so short legs. In other words I have the torso length of someone who is 5'8.

My chest measures 45". My US Wings with similar cut in size large fits just fine. I WILL be losing a lot of weight over the course of one or two years (no option to not lose it). I was thinking of going with

Chest: 44 (I really don't want a loose jacket especially since I'm never going to zip it up)
Sleeve: 23
Back: 24

The lower part of my neck, where I assume the hero cut rests, to the top of a back pocket is around 24.5-25". I really don't want a short jacket but I don't want it to look stupid long. My US Wings jacket has 26" sleeves and are waaaay too long. In dress shirts I'm a 33/34 sleeve.

Does this seem all ok?

Also, is the Legacy leather thin and lightweight? My US Wings is I believe sheepskin and it is a beast. Soft but thick leather and SO heavy.

[Kt Templar]

Be careful with the sleeves, they sound a little short to me, best double check. You can live with slightly long sleeves, but you'll hate slightly short ones. Measure from the tip of your shoulder to the joint past where your fingers join your hand.

The Legacy LC leather is buttery soft and lightweight, it's probably the lightest feeling leather that Wested do.

[SFGiant]

Well my us wings’ sleeves are 26” from the very top of the seem, and it hangs off the shoulders like the hero does. It’s at LEAST 3” too long

[SFGiant]

Be careful with the sleeves, they sound a little short to me, best double check. You can live with slightly long sleeves, but you'll hate slightly short ones. Measure from the tip of your shoulder to the joint past where your fingers join your hand.

The Legacy LC leather is buttery soft and lightweight, it's probably the lightest feeling leather that Wested do.

Okey doke I had my mom measure from the very top of my shoulder to where my thumb begins. I’m around 25.5”. I figured subtract 2”? So maybe 23.5”?

[Kt Templar]

I wouldn't subtract anything. If they come out too long, wear them a bit and see if the arms ride up a bit with wear and wrinkling, then get them altered locally. You can get sleeves shortened, but it's almost impossible to get them lengthened.

[SFGiant]

I wouldn't subtract anything. If they come out too long, wear them a bit and see if the arms ride up a bit with wear and wrinkling, then get them altered locally. You can get sleeves shortened, but it's almost impossible to get them lengthened.

I went through a couple of threads. Some of the people got 23 or 23.5 and they still look sooo long

[Thunderspy]

I tend to think leather jackets don't look too bad being long in the sleeve. I guess it's because of motorcycle jackets. Better to be too long than too short.

[Illinois_Jones]

Well long sleeves are the easiest thing to get fixed by a local tailor. But anything shorter than 23" and you're going into youth sizes, not to mention looking awkward with the armhole size, etc. Besides, the sleeves on a Raiders are meant to be fairly long so it bunches at the elbows. That length is often achieved via long, drooping shoulders as well -- a feature generally not found on USW jackets. A 44 Hero is going to have something like 7" shoulders, possibly longer, meaning 23" sleeves are going to be more like 24-25" sleeves on a regular jacket. It all varies on the wearer and the broadness of their shoulder and back etc.

My honest advice would be if you're that concerned about it, upload photos of yourself wearing the USW and give as accurate measurements as you can since we don't know which model USW it is, and we can give you advice from there based on what it is you're looking for. The Hero fit is unique and people often don't know until they've experienced it, and odds are HIGH that you'll be disappointed in your first one. It's a trial and error thing and almost all of us have gone through it.

The other piece of advice I would have is to truly consider getting a standard Wested Raiders jacket first instead of the Hero. It's more easy to dial in good measurements since it's made to fit more like a normal jacket, especially if your size is not the usual OTR sizing and you always have trouble getting things that fit such as being a size large chest but small arms, etc. Then you can go from there. Maybe you'll love it and you'll be satiated, or maybe it can be a beater jacket, or maybe once you've gotten a good idea of your measurements in a standard you'll be better able to get a Hero since in my experience the measurement adjustment from the standard to the Hero is fairly straightforward and you can sell it on ebay and put it toward a Hero. Ultimately the thing about the Indy jacket is that it kind of takes experience to find what you're truly looking for. It's kind of like you don't really know until you know.

[SFGiant]

Well long sleeves are the easiest thing to get fixed by a local tailor. But anything shorter than 23" and you're going into youth sizes, not to mention looking awkward with the armhole size, etc. Besides, the sleeves on a Raiders are meant to be fairly long so it bunches at the elbows. That length is often achieved via long, drooping shoulders as well -- a feature generally not found on USW jackets. A 44 Hero is going to have something like 7" shoulders, possibly longer, meaning 23" sleeves are going to be more like 24-25" sleeves on a regular jacket. It all varies on the wearer and the broadness of their shoulder and back etc.

My honest advice would be if you're that concerned about it, upload photos of yourself wearing the USW and give as accurate measurements as you can since we don't know which model USW it is, and we can give you advice from there based on what it is you're looking for. The Hero fit is unique and people often don't know until they've experienced it, and odds are HIGH that you'll be disappointed in your first one. It's a trial and error thing and almost all of us have gone through it.

The other piece of advice I would have is to truly consider getting a standard Wested Raiders jacket first instead of the Hero. It's more easy to dial in good measurements since it's made to fit more like a normal jacket, especially if your size is not the usual OTR sizing and you always have trouble getting things that fit such as being a size large chest but small arms, etc. Then you can go from there. Maybe you'll love it and you'll be satiated, or maybe it can be a beater jacket, or maybe once you've gotten a good idea of your measurements in a standard you'll be better able to get a Hero since in my experience the measurement adjustment from the standard to the Hero is fairly straightforward and you can sell it on ebay and put it toward a Hero. Ultimately the thing about the Indy jacket is that it kind of takes experience to find what you're truly looking for. It's kind of like you don't really know until you know.

Oh good idea! I took some pictures. You'll see my fingers BARELY poke out of the sleeves. I definitely wouldn't want their standard fit though. I'm only buying because I want the Legend. I think the fit will be fine on me, just looking for the right length. I'm actually excited about a custom jacket so I don't have to have such long sleeves. So on the US Wings... I have had it a decade or so and as I recall when it came out it was part of their newer style of Indy jackets that had a more accurate cut/pattern. I'm betting it's the same pattern more or less. You'll see that the shoulders fall off my shoulders similarly to how the Wested hero does. The jacket is zipped up in these pics. The fit is fine except for the sleeve length. I would need to lop off at least 3" on this jacket. The back length always felt short but I think it's because the back isn't connected the way an A2 is...and I can't really feel the bottom back flap. I wouldn't mind it a tad longer. Also if I lost weight, it might end up a bit longer?

So stats/what I plan to order:
My height: 5'6" with the torso of someone who is like 5'9" (seriously - my inseam is 27")
Chest 44
Sleeve 23.5" (expecting some loss with shrinkage and rolls)
Back 24.5" (is this too short if I find the USW too short?)

Please don't laugh at my butt

https://imgur.com/a/0Tj1Sa1

Oh also I measured that top seam that connects runs from the neck to the edge of the shoulder and yep exactly 7".

[marker2037]

I think those measurements sound spot on. I'm 5'10" and wear 34/35 sleeves on shirts and I ordered 24.5" sleeves and 24" back for my Hero Raiders.

[SFGiant]

I think those measurements sound spot on. I'm 5'10" and wear 34/35 sleeves on shirts and I ordered 24.5" sleeves and 24.5" back for my Hero Raiders.

Awesome! Ty

[MikeMac]

I think those measurements sound spot on. I'm 5'10" and wear 34/35 sleeves on shirts and I ordered 24.5" sleeves and 24.5" back for my Hero Raiders.

Hi there. What was your back measurement? I went with a 24” because I thought it hung back more, making it seem longer… now I’m second guessing my order.


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[Illinois_Jones]

Those measurements seem fine. Like I said, don't worry about the sleeve length too much; if they're long then it's easy to get them shortened. As for the back length it's likely fine. The thing about the Hero is the collar is cut deeper back -- think of the side profile of a jacket like a parabola, and the Hero collar is cut past the vertex so the collar effectively straddles the peak of the arc so when they measure the back length to the hem it's sort of shorter than the actual length of the jacket. A normal jacket the back of the collar sits pretty much on top of the shoulder seams. So a 24.5" Hero back is going to hang closer to about 26".

The big question is going to be chest size. Some people find it roomy and others tight. Again, it's one of those don't know until you know things.

[SFGiant]

Those measurements seem fine. Like I said, don't worry about the sleeve length too much; if they're long then it's easy to get them shortened. As for the back length it's likely fine. The thing about the Hero is the collar is cut deeper back -- think of the side profile of a jacket like a parabola, and the Hero collar is cut past the vertex so the collar effectively straddles the peak of the arc so when they measure the back length to the hem it's sort of shorter than the actual length of the jacket. A normal jacket the back of the collar sits pretty much on top of the shoulder seams. So a 24.5" Hero back is going to hang closer to about 26".

The big question is going to be chest size. Some people find it roomy and others tight. Again, it's one of those don't know until you know things.

I DO worry that 44" is going to be too big. I measure 45" right now but I never seem to have problems with large coats. AND I will be losing weight.

[marker2037]

I think those measurements sound spot on. I'm 5'10" and wear 34/35 sleeves on shirts and I ordered 24.5" sleeves and 24" back for my Hero Raiders.

Hi there. What was your back measurement? I went with a 24” because I thought it hung back more, making it seem longer… now I’m second guessing my order.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey, don't second guess anything man. 1/2" either way isn't going to make or break any order. I have jackets that range from 22.5" to 26" in length and they all fit, just slightly differently.

FYI my BK Relic Hunter has a 23.5" back and my Wested Hero has a 24" back (correction from 24.5", that was the sleeve).
"

[SFGiant]

My current question is how dark the Raiders Legacy is in person. I believe the one on the movie was a lighter brown in person. Dark on screen though.

I wonder how good a Raiders would look with the LC leather.

[MikeMac]

I think those measurements sound spot on. I'm 5'10" and wear 34/35 sleeves on shirts and I ordered 24.5" sleeves and 24" back for my Hero Raiders.

Hi there. What was your back measurement? I went with a 24” because I thought it hung back more, making it seem longer… now I’m second guessing my order.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey, don't second guess anything man. 1/2" either way isn't going to make or break any order. I have jackets that range from 22.5" to 26" in length and they all fit, just slightly differently.

FYI my BK Relic Hunter has a 23.5" back and my Wested Hero has a 24" back (correction from 24.5", that was the sleeve).
"

Thanks for the response! I hope I got the sizing right. It’s been strange to try to figure out all of the measurements.


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[SFGiant]

Now I’m leaning towards their standard basic brown lambskin (is that the same as ‘authentic’ brown)?

The reason is I just feel the Legacy leather might be too dark for my tastes. Would this be a mistake? Would it look non screen accurate?

[marker2037]

I wouldn't go with the LC leather for Raiders. It's not the right leather for that look. It's a great leather, just not great for Raiders if you want accuracy.