Fear of a weathered jacket

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 7:53 pm

Hello there! I'm currently weighing up the 1001 options I can put into my Wested and while some of them are pretty minor (extra pocket? zipper or no zipper?), the choice of leather is extremely crucial.

I like the concept of the weathered look, however, I know it generally doesn't photograph well, so I try not to take photos as gospel. For example, the swatch on the Wested site looks a million times removed from pictures of members weathered jackets (eg: Indiana Texas Girl's), yet they are one and the same.

I guess my biggest 'fear' of the weathered leather is that I remember the 1980s where acid wash jeans and sand blasted leather jackets were in vogue. The worst part was that the sand blasting was so uniform. Is the Wested weathering really random? For example, everyone's jacket is obviously unique, however, when you put a few together do they start to look uniform, or are there wild variations?

I'm also curious about the thickness and movement of the leather. Will it take a lot more wearing to become soft? Does it ever become truly soft?

Hope I'm explaining myself well here... and appreciate your thoughts!

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 8:35 pm

I like the concept of the weathered look, however, I know it generally doesn't photograph well, so I try not to take photos as gospel. For example, the swatch on the Wested site looks a million times removed from pictures of members weathered jackets (eg: Indiana Texas Girl's), yet they are one and the same.

Actually, it's my understanding that the leather Wested uses now is a bit different from my Pre-distressed cowhide from nearly 3 years ago. I believe the current offering is a tad darker. Just wanted to clarify in case that may make a difference, but you might want to confirm this with Wested.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 9:24 pm

Thanks for that! In spite of the change in leather, have you ever got together with a number of weathered Wested wearers (heh, and I don't mean old people!) and compared jackets? I guess what I'm driving at is whether there's the possibility of great diversity in the leather, or whether its reasonably uniform looking? ie: is the weathering done uniformly across the leather, or can you sometimes come across random light patches and marks that don't look like part of a process (be it chemical or manual or however the leather is aged?) Thanks again!

IndyBlues · Post by **IndyBlues** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 9:30 pm

From all the pics I've seen, and from asking this same question before, the pre-distressed leather is pretty uniform all over. Kind of like the acid washed 80's style you referred to. The only way to really get it to look more like the film jacket, would be to add distressing to it yourself.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 9:36 pm

Gotcha... maybe the best way (for me, that is) is to get a lambskin or a goatskin and just wear the heck out of it? Has it been determined which hide will wear and get marked the easiest?

IndyBlues · Post by **IndyBlues** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 9:42 pm

Lambskin is the easiest of the jackets to distress, from what I've read.
It's also the most fragile of the leathers offered.
I had some great success distressing my Wested goat, and it turned out pretty cool.

Check it out:
http://public.fotki.com/IndyBlues/distressed_wested/

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 10:46 pm

Most all of the PD cowhides I've seen have been uniform all over except for mine. One front panel of mine has leather that is a tad different in color and thickness. It's not too noticable from afar, but it's enough to bug me. It was like that from the get-go. The PD cowhide is heavier than lamb or goat in terms of weight and looks even better when it's Pecarded (it darkens up). I like the skin pretty well. But living in Texas, if I could, I'd go with a less heavy jacket.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 11:21 pm

Indiana Texas-girl wrote:But living in Texas, if I could, I'd go with a less heavy jacket.

So, reading between the lines, you wanted to get the weathered look right away which meant going for the heavier leather?

Bounty Hunter · Post by **Bounty Hunter** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 1:22 am

I too brought up all these questions when I bought my first (and only) Wested a while ago (got mine about 4 years back i think). I ended up going with the Wested Pre-Distressed jacket mainly because it's heavier (for northern weather), and because I didn't want a new looking jacket, I wanted a worn look like the movies without having to do it myself. Here's a picture from the main site that looks much like mine to give you an idea:

http://www.indygear.com/gear/images/predisraid2.jpg

ITG is right about the pecards treatment on the PD, darkens it up and more importantly it keeps the leather from drying up which is more prone to happen on the PD jackets. As for the feel of the leather, it was very soft and smooth right out of the Wested shipping bag, and still is (mainly thanks to the Pecards of course). Of yeah, the thinkness of the leather isn't too bad, my fathers store bought Wilsons leather jacket is very thick compared to mine and I believe it's cowhide too, just to give you an idea. For me this jacket can be a year rounder, a tee-shirt underneath or a sweatshirt really determines the temp you want to be at.

Indiana Texas-girl · Post by **Indiana Texas-girl** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 3:20 am

Indiana Irwin wrote:
Indiana Texas-girl wrote:But living in Texas, if I could, I'd go with a less heavy jacket.
So, reading between the lines, you wanted to get the weathered look right away which meant going for the heavier leather?

Bingo! Plus, I hadn't seen the PD cowhide or any other Wested choices at that point and I had no clue as to how heavy it would be. I don't regret getting it at all because it's a beautiful leather. I will probably go with lamb if I ever get another Wested (which I hope to do oneday when I save up).

Swindiana · Post by **Swindiana** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 3:31 am

From my understanding the PD is distressed pretty much equally all over in a marbled manner.
By getting ND (non-distressed

) you will be able to highlight areas that you want to look more worn out yourself.
The common opinion is that goat is harder to distress than lamb though I know for a fact there are quite a few who have made a great looking job on their goats. Just look at the IndyBlues jacket, it looks awesome! That's the way I'd want my jacket to look in case I ever take the plunge into the acetone bath.

Then there are other things to decide regarding what hide to go for. Warm or cooler, thinner or thicker, drape, sturdyness of the hide and so forth.
The latest Wested will offer is horsehide. The reports say that this Wested offering is sturdy but soft and will distress naturally in a beautiful manner.

Good luck on deciding what to get, we'll watch with great interest.

Regards,
Swindiana

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 3:39 am

Thanks everyone... what a decision I have to make... gosh, horse sounds interesting if it will weather nicely; wonder if it will weather as nicely as goat? (<--- And I mean naturally weather here...)

I like a weathered look, but Australia has quite mild winters so I'll take a lesson from ITGs experiences and will opt for a lighter leather that will age nicely. Now, which one will it be? *strokes chin ponderously*

Swindiana · Post by **Swindiana** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 3:46 am

The common opinion about goat is that it is nearly indestructable and will take a very long time to weather by itself. I'm not totally in on the info on horsehide, and maybe Michaelson will chime in, but I think it is heavier than lamb. Lamb will distress nicely by itself, is soft and light and drapes nicely. After all, the original jackets were all lamb so according to your specs that's the one I'd go for.

Regards,
Swindiana

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 3:50 am

That's another angle too... yes... hmmmmmm, but is there something in the fact that lamb is a more fragile leather? I mean, I don't really want to get dragged behind a truck, but as an average guy, I might need something a bit tougher than lamb, which I equate with more elegant "dressy" jackets.

Swindiana · Post by **Swindiana** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 4:00 am

It sounds like horse will be something for you then.

I'm very happy with my goat, but then again the climate is pretty different here in Sweden, up above instead of down under.

Let's wait for someone to chime in regarding the horse matter. The Wested offering is so new that I haven't heard of anyone ordering a jacket yet.

Regards,
Swindiana

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 4:05 am

I might end up being the group guinea pig! I think a comparison between goat and horse is what I need to make.

Swindiana · Post by **Swindiana** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 4:07 am

Sounds like a good idea, Irwin.
And if you are patient enough before ordering you could even have Peter send you samples of the different leathers for comparison.

Regards,
Swindiana

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 4:13 am

Swindiana wrote:Sounds like a good idea, Irwin.
And if you are patient enough before ordering you could even have Peter send you samples of the different leathers for comparison.

Hey, that's not a bad idea! And please, call me Rob

Swindiana · Post by **Swindiana** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 4:23 am

Hey, that's not a bad idea! And please, call me Rob

Hi, Rob! You can call me Sven... Sorry... Lars is my name.

Regards,
Lars

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 4:39 am

Sven... hehehehehee... yes, there is this perception that all Swedish guys are called Sven ... or Bjorn, I guess

Well met Lars,
Rob

indybill · Post by **indybill** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 11:01 am

Just to give my .02 worth of slightly biased opinion on leather, my
goatskin jacket has softened up nicely, but it took several months
of regular wear to get there. I also gave it a ride in my dryer on the
no heat setting for a couple of days with an application of Pecards Jell
before each of the two rides. I still haven't managed to have any
damage to the leather at all in all the wear it's had...this goatskin is
one tough armor. It's very light though as it doesn't have to be as thick
as cow hide to be durable. The horse hide is an interesting option though;
it would be interesting to see one put through the paces to compare. I
think the goat and horse would probably be pretty close in durability so
the visual appeal may be the swing vote there. I think I'd get some
samples and see what you like the looks of best. Maybe Peter has one
on a rack that he could send you a picture of to see the whole jacket
in horsehide. Good luck in your research.

Regards,
Indybill

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 11:13 am

The horsehide leather sample I have is pretty close in weight to the goatskin, and as pliable. From what Peter has told me, two have already been made and delivered in horsehide, and he was quite impressed with the results. Were those to anyone here? Regards. Michaelson

Indiana Croft · Post by **Indiana Croft** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 11:16 am

I to own a Raiders distressed, and its fairly even on the weathering/distressing. I emailed Wested for samples (which they'll do gladly) and one of them was the predistressed cow and it looks much different in color and distressing than mine. I recently made my 2nd purchase of a Wested and I too went through much agonizing as to which leather, I opted for goat. I'll be luckier than most here as I had to send my jacket back for longer sleeves, I emailed Gerry if I could have my old sleeves back so I could experiment, just got the email saying no problem.

Welcome to the maddness.
Croft

CapKimmel · Post by **CapKimmel** » Thu Jul 29, 2004 4:45 am

Hello,
I live in southern California, we don't get much in the way of a winter here, like Australia. I own a dark brown lambskin Raiders jacket, and I've had it a little over a year and a half. It has aged well, there are spots that are wearing, and I've worn it hiking a few times, which adds to it's distressing. It's plenty durable for those of us that dream of battling nazis, but don't want to have to trouble with all that life and death stuff that goes along with it. Lamb is very durable, and ages well. Lamb is also the way to go if you want to wear it more than four months out of the year. Best of luck with whatever you choose, I'm certain you'll be happy with it. They're great jackets. and cool reminders of the better moments of life.
Jeremy