So I just got my first Wested jacket/order, and uh really want (need) to talk about it.

[SFGiant]

I ordered a custom Raiders (standard) jacket in brown lambskin, a pre-distressed hide bag, a large shirt, a couple of extra bag straps and a couple of whip holders. When I got the package I only found one whip holder. I emailed Wested and they refunded me for the missing one (they had run out).

I bought this jacket first because I really wanted a generic style Indiana Jones jacket. Something I could wear every day. So far I LOVE this jacket. It fits perfectly. Like literally it feels tailor made to my body. I chose 23.5" in sleeve length and I think it's just right. Hopefully they shrink or bunch up a bit to make it a little bit shorter though organically. This jacket is sort of my casual every day jacket as well as my first really authentic Indy jacket. But because it's a casual every day jacket, I like shorter sleeves and longer back.

I'm just glad that I hadn't ordered the Legacy jacket with the 23.5" sleeves. For back length I chose 27.5". I know when I was deciding my measurements I was comparing it to another jacket that FELT too short. But after I ordered, I was panicking thinking 27.5" would fit like a dress. But the length feels great. Yes I do believe it's too long for an Indy jacket, but it feels right as a regular jacket.

When I opened the package, I was very surprised with how heavy the jacket was. I mean it's not a SUPER heavy jacket, but it definitely has weight to it. I had a Todd's costumes jacket in 2008 for a short while and it was SUPER light. The leather felt like it was light as foam. I was expecting that. Not that this is a bad thing, but just surprising. For my next jacket, I would like a lighter weight though. Also the collar is very wide, it seems very SA to me.

Some of these things may sound like criticisms, and they partially are, but I think my mind is more frustrated about what I will get on my next, more screen accurate jacket. This is a great casual every day jacket. I love it. I love how smooth the skin is. Parts of it are so smooth they feel like pleather and that's not a complaint. Other parts aren't as smooth but still very soft.

It is SO gray. It's barely brown. It matches the dark look of Raiders the movie, but not so much the chocolate brown of the jacket behind the scenes or Hawaii scenes. It would be more apt to say it's a gray jacket with a slight brown undertone. This is honestly disappointing. I was hoping for a brown jacket. I knew it would be a dark brown and not necessarily the behind the scenes chocolate brown, but it kind of leaves me wanting more. In the next jacket, I want something that is lighter and more chocolate brown. I was thinking my only choice for a lambskin Wested is shrunken lamb but it seems SO variable. I've seen some pictures where it's extremely bright brown. Others where it's RED. And others where it's really dark just like this current jacket.

I know, I could buy a Bill Kelso jacket as I think they got the color right. But what I'm really looking for is a Wested partially because of the collectible aspect of it. At first I was thinking about ordering my next jacket with Harrison Ford's specifications, but it may make it hard for me to wear. Especially the sleeve length. And a jacket I can't wear might just really be a downer.

I'm not sure why I ordered D-rings, I kind of just felt like it since this was going to be my generic casual Indy jacket. But once I got it...they just didn't feel right. And the straps pointed forward instead of back. So I swapped them with buckles. I might go back to D-rings after Indy V, not sure.

The shirt is very nice. I ordered a large even though I wear extra large stuff right now. I wanted something for when I lose weight and this is perfect. It doesn't fit yet, but when I lose the weight it will feel fitted. Especially after it shrinks (and I shrink too). I'd really like to get an Indy V version if they fix the buttons.

For some reason, I was VERY excited about the leather Indy bag. And for good reason. I was shocked how floppy and softed the leather is. It's not stiff at all. I was very curious about cowhide so this was a great way to sample it. I was worried it would feel very pebbly and rough. It's actually VERY smooth. Not as smooth as the lambskin, but it is very smooth. It just has a slight bit of texture to the touch. The color is a nice medium rich distressed brown. In the pictures there is this yellow look to it which isn't there in real life. Hard to edit the color correctly to match. Seeing it in pictures on myself, it looks like a great close enough gas mask bag.

Ok so overall - I'm frustrated about the color of the jacket. I want something with the same shiny smooth leather, but in a chocolatey brown. Maybe slightly spongier or foamier to its texture/drape. I had already planned on ordering another jacket anyway, so it's kind of a what leather do I pick when none seem to fit thing. But I really do love that pre-distressed hide. I'm just not sure what jacket to get in it as I think it would be a waste to get it in an Indy jacket instead of branching out. Honestly authentic brown lambskin would have been perfect for my Legacy Hero jacket if it had been more of a chocolate brown. I've seen older pictures and it seems like it used to be a brighter richer brown. At the same time, it looks very Raidersish which is great. It really nails it I think.

Also with all the gear on I feel SO hot temperature wise. I wonder if it's just because it's the weather or it's always this hot.

I've made an album with pictures as there are too many to post here. Please excuse the fatness, weirdness, squatness, perspective and the weird butt wedges. Actually please excuse the entire butt. It's all a work in progress. I blocked out my face, but I wish you could have seen the smile on my face on most of these especially when I first opened it and tried it on. The shirt I'm wearing is the shopDisney shirt. Based on these pictures I'd love to hear what a more screen accurate length would be, especially on the Hero/Legacy.
The first few pictures are the chocolate brown I was hoping to get at some point. The first picture is a picture Wested post in 2014 of their authentic brown.

https://imgur.com/a/4OGWLu9

[Michaelson]

Just a quick pass at it, personally I think they nailed the jacket for you in length etc. I think the whole outfit works.

Wested has had a grey undertone for a long time now, so that news didn’t surprise me.

I think you may be just super critical at the moment of small details, but I personally think you did fantastic this go around…….but take it from a veteran in this hobby….you’ll NEVER be 100% satisfied no matter how hard you try. You’ll get close, but there will always be something, so the best advice is to look at the good , discount the ‘bad’ and come to a comfortable place where you can enjoy the ensemble.

Well done!

Regards! Michaelson

[Illinois_Jones]

Well as I said earlier, as far as sizing you're better off going with the standard for your first time. It's good to see it worked.

As far as the color, if it really bothers you that much just dye it. You already re-dyed your pants. Get a bottle of leather dye and a bunch of newspaper and have at it. It's not hard and many posts here and youtube about it.
And BK won't be lighter, either. The color is richer, probably not as dark as the film jacket, but it's veg tanned sheepskin and has considerable heft and break in compared to something off the rack at the mall. You go lighter than that authentic lamb and you really start sacrificing durability.

But you got the sizing right, which is what counts most.

[Forrest For the Trees]

Just as you say, what you got is a good all-purpose Indy jacket. The length you ordered is much more in keeping with a contemporary fit jacket, not a period-style jacket. Wear it and enjoy it. Right now it has the awkward brand-new leather jacket look. Just wear it and don't baby it at all.

As to your next jacket (and there will be a next jacket...), yeah, go for a warmer brown and order it a length such that the back hem just touches or overlaps the top of your back pants pocket. From the front, the bottom hem should just cover your belt buckle. I can whole-heartedly recommend Bill Kelso, although those Steele and Jones jackets also look amazing. Since swapping out the buckles of my Kelso, I am 100% satisfied with my jacket. It only took 8 previous Indy jackets to get there

[bearbeast]

I think the jacket looks great, congrats! Honestly, each of the Wested jackets I got surprised me in weight, colour and feel, but I can also say I'm pretty satisfied with all. It's true I am more loose in accepting screen accuracy.

I love Indy's look and his gear and I try to get stuff that is really close, but in the end I am an 'adventurer' getting gear for hunting down, treasure, right? Indy wouldn't scoff much, he has nothing "official" to compare his gear to. He gets his new stuff and uses it. His jacket varies, his hat varies, almost every piece of gear has a variation, sometimes a BIG variation. We've only seen four of his adventures, who know how many other variations of gear he has had in between.

Whenever I put on a jacket or a hat, that becomes an accurate Indy gear in my book.

Don't get me wrong, you should keep searching for the perfect gear, I think that is a wonderful adventure in it's own. Just for the gear you do have already: enjoy it completely!

Cheers,
Bear

[SFGiant]

Ok I'm trying to quote reply all four replies at once, hope it works - this is new to me.
I'm still in the first couple of days of owning it, my first Wested, so I am still talking through it, gathering my thoughts which are totally in flux, just having fun thinking about it etc.
I can definitely say I LOVE this jacket. Like I was in love with it immediately. Color disappointment aside anyway. I immediately wanted to order a second jacket just because how much I like collecting jackets.
Today though I started to "see" the brown a bit more than I was yesterday. In some lights I see reflections of brown, but there is still such a big amount of gray. What really is nice though is that it just looks the part so so well. I feel like we've always seen the jacket as dark dark brown. It's only recently I studied the scenes and realized it was originally a more medium chocolate brown.

I also noticed it has a very smooth, plastic look to it but I actually really like that.

Just a quick pass at it, personally I think they nailed the jacket for you in length etc. I think the whole outfit works.

Wested has had a grey undertone for a long time now, so that news didn’t surprise me.

I think you may be just super critical at the moment of small details, but I personally think you did fantastic this go around…….but take it from a veteran in this hobby….you’ll NEVER be 100% satisfied no matter how hard you try. You’ll get close, but there will always be something, so the best advice is to look at the good , discount the ‘bad’ and come to a comfortable place where you can enjoy the ensemble.

Well done!

Regards! Michaelson

Thank you! That's really great to hear. Yes definitely super critical at the moment mostly on the color.

Yeah I will probably end up with many jackets in different sizes too. That's why I decided to go with something more casual. SA won't matter, and the general public will see it as 100% screen accurate. Has anyone ever met someone not in the hobby that noticed a single thing wrong with any of any of yours jackets?

Well as I said earlier, as far as sizing you're better off going with the standard for your first time. It's good to see it worked.

As far as the color, if it really bothers you that much just dye it. You already re-dyed your pants. Get a bottle of leather dye and a bunch of newspaper and have at it. It's not hard and many posts here and youtube about it.
And BK won't be lighter, either. The color is richer, probably not as dark as the film jacket, but it's veg tanned sheepskin and has considerable heft and break in compared to something off the rack at the mall. You go lighter than that authentic lamb and you really start sacrificing durability.

But you got the sizing right, which is what counts most.

Yeah the sizing is good! I think the disconnected back panel is what causes it to always feel short. It feels like nothing is there below the straps. I'm not sure if you saw my reply to you in the Legends thread, but it's kind of funny - basically when I've focused/decided on one thing, I always start out super hard headed and don't 'allow' myself to consider alternatives that I find "inferior". Then slowly and slowly I listen to the voice in my head to consider alternate realities. The thing about this jacket is that it's the jacket I always wanted from Wested, for many years. Super glad I went this way and gave in. The Legends jacket is more of a costume/collectible jacket and might not be fun to wear all the time. I'm not sure if I want a Legends in my size or Harrison's size yet.

As far as dying this jacket, I don't think I will. At least not the whole jacket. I don't want to in any way ruin it and I'm honestly very happy with it the way it is. It really screams Raiders.

So would you say these medium weight lambskins are screen accurate? Or are the very lightweight ones more SA despite not being as durable? I wouldn't mind having a costume grade lambskin.

The Bill Kelso's being a richer color - could this be because it's vegetable tanned? How would it compare with the Legacy Raiders brown? That one just looks SO dark to me.

Just as you say, what you got is a good all-purpose Indy jacket. The length you ordered is much more in keeping with a contemporary fit jacket, not a period-style jacket. Wear it and enjoy it. Right now it has the awkward brand-new leather jacket look. Just wear it and don't baby it at all.

As to your next jacket (and there will be a next jacket...), yeah, go for a warmer brown and order it a length such that the back hem just touches or overlaps the top of your back pants pocket. From the front, the bottom hem should just cover your belt buckle. I can whole-heartedly recommend Bill Kelso, although those Steele and Jones jackets also look amazing. Since swapping out the buckles of my Kelso, I am 100% satisfied with my jacket. It only took 8 previous Indy jackets to get there

Truthfully I assumed modern jackets should be shorter so that's why I panicked. But it is just much more comfortable for me. For a costume jacket I think 24-24.5" on the Hero pattern. Maybe 25" on a standard or Last Crusade pattern?

I think the jacket looks great, congrats! Honestly, each of the Wested jackets I got surprised me in weight, colour and feel, but I can also say I'm pretty satisfied with all. It's true I am more loose in accepting screen accuracy.

I love Indy's look and his gear and I try to get stuff that is really close, but in the end I am an 'adventurer' getting gear for hunting down, treasure, right? Indy wouldn't scoff much, he has nothing "official" to compare his gear to. He gets his new stuff and uses it. His jacket varies, his hat varies, almost every piece of gear has a variation, sometimes a BIG variation. We've only seen four of his adventures, who know how many other variations of gear he has had in between.

Whenever I put on a jacket or a hat, that becomes an accurate Indy gear in my book.

Don't get me wrong, you should keep searching for the perfect gear, I think that is a wonderful adventure in it's own. Just for the gear you do have already: enjoy it completely!

Cheers,
Bear

Thank you!!
Yeah wrapping my head around screen accuracy is the tricky thing. Like do I worry more about what was delivered to the set by the original maker, or do I worry more about what was on screen? Like the Raiders originally came with D-rings...but used sliders on screen. I really like the idea that these are coming from the same original company. Same as getting a Herbert Johnson. I suppose some people only worried about it looking exactly screen accurate, while others like me care about it having the same brand. Also the original jackets all varied so I at least don't have to worry about exact placement of pockets or exact dimensions I don't think. Thinking about the original Star Wars lightsaber gives me headaches.

------


So back to my next jacket. The color for the next jacket is the hard part. I'm very interested in the Legacy leather but I'm just not sure. Does the fact that it's vegetable tanned and have brown undertones make it look much more brown and not gray at all? So far I've seen pictures that show it to be very, very dark..almost black.. and that's what worries me. But maybe it's better since it's a lot browner? I also worry it won't feel as soft or look as shiny. And then there is shrunken lamb. It's just hard to tell what it'll look like and Wested does not offer to show their current batch.

I'm not buying a 2nd jacket to correct a mistake or anything, I just really want to buy more jackets. They're addictive.

I could buy a Bill Kelso or S&J but I kind of want to wait until I really have the body I want. I want it to look EXTREMELY screen accurate and right now I'm just too fat.

It ***** that I wasn't able to get this jacket/leather when it was available:



If I could find something JUST like that, vegetable tanned, with the same super softness/smoothness and shininess of my jacket, that would be perfect. (I would use other jackets to weather).

At this point I think I just want something 'different'.

But man every time I rewatch Raiders (every night lately) I feel like I could be wrong about one thing or another. Maybe the medium chocolate coloring was just really warm lighting?

Did anyone ever figure out if the Legacy lamb is vegetable tanned?

[Tibor]

Keep in mind there were multiple jackets used in Raiders, each with different details, and the details you like in one scene may not be in the next. We have a conglomeration of things we like in our minds but no one jacket will likely exactly match that image. Best to pick a scene you like and go with that.

[Illinois_Jones]

The Legacy leather is not veg tanned. It would likely double the price of the jacket if it were. They are very much chrome tanned but with a specially requested dye technique to give it that undertone.

IMO, don't worry about the tanning method. It's irrelevant. And don't worry so much about the color; not only does the top color take a patina but it's also easily dyed. Worry mostly about features that are inherent to the leather -- striations, grain, weight, durability, water resistance, etc. Don't worry so much about "unique" leather; the real uniqueness comes from the characteristics it takes on from you wearing it.

[SFGiant]

Keep in mind there were multiple jackets used in Raiders, each with different details, and the details you like in one scene may not be in the next. We have a conglomeration of things we like in our minds but no one jacket will likely exactly match that image. Best to pick a scene you like and go with that.

Yes that is definitely a blessing. My only real sticking point is the color. I'm very confused as I saw the same footage on a separate Blu-Ray documentary and the color was much darker. It's hard to know what to believe. I would like a medium chocolate jacket, but for my super screen accurate Legacy jacket it doesn't have to be. I just really want to know what color it should be and if the Legacy jacket is accurate, brown true and true, and not gray. As far as picking a scene, I like the opening scene as that's the most iconic. The jungle, the idol grab etc. And with the lighting in that scene it definitely looks much more chocolate brown instead of deep dark/black brown.

The Legacy leather is not veg tanned. It would likely double the price of the jacket if it were. They are very much chrome tanned but with a specially requested dye technique to give it that undertone.

IMO, don't worry about the tanning method. It's irrelevant. And don't worry so much about the color; not only does the top color take a patina but it's also easily dyed. Worry mostly about features that are inherent to the leather -- striations, grain, weight, durability, water resistance, etc. Don't worry so much about "unique" leather; the real uniqueness comes from the characteristics it takes on from you wearing it.

I'm not really concerned with the tanning method, just the color for sure. I had just thought if it were chrome tanned it would be gray but that doesn't make sense since I've seen many jackets in bright brown or other colors. So I'm not sure why the Wested jackets are gray..but is there Legacy truly brown and not gray at all? I wonder how dark it is in person.

What if I weren't worried about durability/water resistance - who makes the lightest Indy jacket?

But I'm currently really considering the Legacy now. I'm just scared by the pictures that make it look black.

Edit

I'm just really loving this jacket. I keep seeing the brown more and more so I'm super happy about it. I keep going over Raiders and see that it was a darker brown in most scenes. The temple/idol scenes, especially behind the scenes, are what's confusing me. It could be the lighting but I still think the actual jacket was a bit lighter than my jacket.

Also REALLY loving the pre-distressed cowhide. Kind of obsessed with it. I really want a jacket in it, but might wait to see if Wested does an Indy 5 jacket.

For hero/legacy sizing, I was thinking 24" back, 23" sleeves? Or should I go shorter on the sleeves..

[xmasters]

The legacy Raiders leather is very dark brown. A Darker brown then their standard Raiders lambskin, that you have there. The legacy leather has to be distressed to bring out the lighter undertone, then you have something that looks more screen accurate for colour, but the texture of the skin is too smooth on the legacy. The most accurate Raiders leather is still striated NZ lambskin, but Wested don't have any. They do have washed lamb and shrunken which are second best alternatives though.

[SFGiant]

The legacy Raiders leather is very dark brown. A Darker brown then their standard Raiders lambskin, that you have there. The legacy leather has to be distressed to bring out the lighter undertone, then you have something that looks more screen accurate for colour, but the texture of the skin is too smooth on the legacy. The most accurate Raiders leather is still striated NZ lambskin, but Wested don't have any. They do have washed lamb and shrunken which are second best alternatives though.

…well…that’s frustrating. I believe it should be dark brown but not black. I wasn’t planning on weathering it. Does the color at least look more pure brown and not gray?