Sometimes with new offerings, euphoria can color the overall impression of an item of gear, so here is a sober review of this new
Raiders jacket offering from Bill Kelso, known as the
Relic Hunter. For members who are considering this purchase or are on the fence, due to financial or many other reasons, if you are considering the possibility of biting the bullet due to budget limitations, or may have to charge this potential purchase, I'm writing this review for you.
Previously, Gorak and others have done a very good job with highlighting the specs and features of this jacket, so I have decided to take this commentary in another direction, with comparison photos of other vendor’s jackets, etc. A company that states as its goal, to make the most accurate reproduction
Raiders jackets available today, and then prices them in the “high end” of the retail market deserves rigorous scrutiny, and such will be undertaken. Here is my experience with this new jacket maker.
The Order Process
Intrigued by this new offering and the photos that followed, I decided to place my own order, and immediately began dealing with Andy. I found him to be helpful and also knowledgeable with the
Raiders jacket. He answered most all my questions within hours, during the business day. As Christian Jones, Gorak and others began receiving the very first orders of the “Relic Hunter”, I noticed that the sleeves appeared to be too long (for me) and began adjusting measurements on the fly. Once most of my general questions were answered, I made the purchase via Paypal. The negotiations did not end there, though, because there were certain features and specs that I wanted to add, change and tweak slightly. Mainly, my jacket was ordered with the following: the collar would be modified to become the main “Hero”collar that we see in the Raven Bar and Flying Wing sequences, that is to say, that the modified collar is slightly shorter in width and the points are rounded (to me, there was no sense in making a jacket with striations on the upper right panel, and not following through with the appropriate collar per film); I’d also asked BK to modify the back panel so there was not such severe taper, similar to the USW “Legend” series of jackets, for example; finally, they added hidden snaps to the storm flap, top and bottom, for practical reasons. I ordered a size 44, and made no other changes, except for the sleeve length, 24 ¼”. From the start of the order to the time it arrived at my home, it was roughly three weeks. Unfortunately, the box arrived in this shape at my door:
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp13 ... 0_4013.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp13 ... 0_4015.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Fortunately though, there was no damage to the contents, and since outstanding issues had already been addressed, there were no extras included with the jacket's contents.
It’s Here!
Once the shipment arrived, I was eager to open it and examine this reproduction in order to determine exactly what this jacket was? What was their vision for the jacket and had the specs had been correct? How did they cut the pockets, etc.? What type of lining was used? How wide was the storm flap? You get the idea….the devil is in the details…and other factors as well.
There are certain movie stills that I have used as references over the years, just for such a time as this, and here they are. Who can forget this memorable still from the opening sequence, and I have used this still mainly for details:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm556972800/tt0082971" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Notice how wide the storm flap is, the unusual shape of the pocket flaps & position of the collar ending.
Also this one came to mind, mainly the leather characteristics & color, with attention to the collar:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm892517120/tt0082971" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The inevitable yoke and back panel reference:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2995883264/tt0082971" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
To be candid about it, with the time I have spent in the forum, I have learned to try to see this jacket as it was, and not to transpose my own ideas or preconceived notions about the jacket onto reality. Therein lies the challenge, if you want a faithful reproduction.
I think it should be noted that the Raiders film jacket is much like the film itself. It was a perfect storm of details, fit, color and texture of leather that produced that iconic look, which has been so elusive. Firstly, the texture and color of the leather, appear to be as close to the actual film jacket, as most thus far. As I began to inspect the Relic Hunter, mainly looking at the front, I noticed that they accurately reproduced the width of the storm flap and pockets/pocket flaps, a very elusive detail that only TN has copied faithfully in the past. Stitching was top notched, and they use cotton thread, if I am not mistaken. However, to me, the pockets were placed a bit too far from the storm flap edges on either side. The hand warmers go into the lining of the jacket. The collar modifications were faithful, but the collar did not end toward the middle of the storm flap, but just over its inside edge. Sleeves were just slightly too wide, but that is a personal preference, and something that I had also observed from the preceding jackets that were posted in this thread. Gussets were present, and that was a good thing. The jacket liner material is similar to the type of black material (cotton twill, I believe) that G&B uses to line their map pockets, so it is somewhat warmer than most of the other vendor offerings, and the fabric is colored much like the leather, itself. A silver colored, No. 5 YKK zipper and 3 Star n****e snaps round out the metal hardware. On its back, the yoke is sufficiently narrow (though it could be just slightly on the wide side), as is the action pleats, no real negative remarks for these specs, but you might keep that in mind if it is a sticking point for you? The yoke seams and sleeve seams did not line up, by a margin of 1 ¼ inches. K stitching at the strap anchors, and sturdy, black oxide buckles round out the back panels. The Relic Hunter does not contain elastic straps inside the pack panel’s lining, keeping the pleats closed, as does the G&B. On the torso of the jacket itself, the front of the jacket is longer than the back by roughly 1 inch. Generally speaking, attention to the minute details of the Raiders film jacket had been adhered to. However, if you order one of these jackets, you may want to hone in on the features and specs that matter most to you. I had to split hairs at times to find inconsistencies, some may consider it minor, and some may not, but consider these comments if you decide to place an order in the near future? After all, you will be placing $800 on the table.
In Closing
What Bill Kelso has hoped to achieve is to virtually bring the film jacket to you, by attempting to bridge the remaining 10% to 15% of the “SA” gap, where other vendors have previously failed to traverse successfully. Yet, one glaring question remains, and this is where we must be honest with the forum. Is this jacket worth the extra $600 more than the current Todd’s Standard, or an extra $500 more than a Wested Custom, for instance? With the following photos as a guide, I hope you will have a clearer perspective of if this flavor of the month is the jacket for you? That really is the question.
The BK Relic Hunter
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp13 ... 0_4016.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
BK and the current Todd's Standard
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp13 ... 0_4017.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
BK and a Todd's Standard of the 2nd or 3rd generatiobn
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp13 ... 0_4021.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
BK and a Wested RoLA pattern
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp13 ... 0_4023.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
BK and a Wested Hero in dark brown goat
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp13 ... 0_4020.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
BK and Gibson & Barnes Expedition goat
http://i405.photobucket.com/albums/pp13 ... 0_4019.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
.....that's usually how it works....hmmm.... 
and would therefore save me money in the long run 
from the standard 'new jacket' poses. I especially like the batter up, it's like a screen shot where Indy is about to clobber some thug.
