Club Obi Wan

I plan on ordering a Wested jacket within the next few days, but I am having a hard time deciding between the Raiders and the Temple of Doom style jacket. I have searched and read several posts on this subject, but am still undecided as to which model to choose. I really like the Raiders style jacket in authentic brown lambskin, I just don't know if I should go with the extra inch in length that is built into the TOD jacket. I just don't want to end up with a jacket that I think is too short.

It all depends really - if you want a Raiders jacket accurate to the films then it is a short jacket, at least probably compared to what you are used to. That is the style of the jacket.

If you want a more conventional in length jacket the TOD circumvents that problem.

My advice (just my opinion now) is go with whatever jacket you think looks better and you will get used to it. However also consider if you would tuck a t-shirt into your pants or not.

Ken

Welcome to Club Obi-Wan, goody154 -

go with the ToD, and as Mr. Hammond wrote, and if you don't like it, you can give it to... him... hey!

Seriously, the Temple is a fine jacket. I suggest you begin with that, it having, like Ken wrote, a more conventional length.

Then, after you've worn it for a while, thus establishing your Wested addiction, order a Raiders. And a Crusade.

Authentic lamb should be your first choice. Later on you may collect the other colors and leather types... but first, establish the addiction with a ToD.

Hope this helps!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Jackets for all........when I win the Georgia lottery. I have a "quasi Indy" jacket that has more of a conventional length. For that reason, I was thinking about a Raiders......but then again that TOD jacket.......

You are worried about a Raiders being too short. If you get one, you may not be happy with it. I would go with a TOD. It sounds like you would be more happy with the longer length. It is definitely more "contemporary."

Whatever you get, if it is a Wested, it will be awesome.

A lot gets made of the extra inch, but when you think about how big an inch actually is, it's not really all that noticeable.

Look, if your heart says Raiders and you head says ToD, get a Raiders and ask for an extra inch. It's that simple.

Scandinavia Jones wrote: Authentic lamb should be your first choice. Later on you may collect the other colors and leather types... but first, establish the addiction with a ToD.

I wouldn't say that's necessarily true. If you're like me and are going to be wearing it while working, then Goat is by far the better choice. If you live in a cold environment (not that that's a concern for Goody) Cow is the best. Really the best jungle for a lamb is the urban jungle. If you're living somewhere more rural, you should consider the other choices. :junior: -IJ

I really do not want to read in too much of an utilitarian aspect in my recommendation re: lamb... my point being "authentic", as in the Indiana Jones movies. If you want an Indy replica - go for the lamb.

yes, I understand what you're saying Scandi (you don't mind if I call you that, do you?), but this is about Goody's jacket. So I'm just saying we should tell him the benefits of each type of leather, and let him make his own decision, wrather than just telling him what leather he should get. :junior: -IJ

Okay Goody, here goes. After having owned a Raiders lambskin and a ToD goatskin, here's my input:

The authentic lamb sure is comfortable to wear. It allows a broad range of movement, it breathes well in warm weather and hangs flawlessly. If you layer properly, it'll keep you warm in temperatures 30 and above (in my experience). The only drawback is that it could tear easily or rip if it were to catch a snag on something. Overall: great jacket, easy to care for, very comfortable.

As for my dark brown goat -- it was very stiff out of the package. In fact, it would even stand up on its own (see here: http://img140.exs.cx/img140/2706/goat66ly.jpg

After running in through a few dryer cycles with no heat, it softened up nicely, and after sleeping in it for a few nights, it's hardly as stiff. Thus far it has kept me warm in temperatures from 15-30, and is very durable. I recenly slipped on some ice and my jacket scraped down a brick wall. I had a bit of a scrape on my arm, but the jacket's fine -- it's barely noticeable where it touched the wall. It doesn't hang quite as well as the lamb (yet), but it is a great choice of leather and will last for decades.

Hope this helps, and welcome to COW.

I'm sure that whatever you decide on ordering, you'll love it.

It's corrected -- thanks.

By the way, I personally like the extra inch on the ToD. It's just right.

Rob wrote:A lot gets made of the extra inch, but when you think about how big an inch actually is, it's not really all that noticeable.

Look, if your heart says Raiders and you head says ToD, get a Raiders and ask for an extra inch. It's that simple.

I have never understood people talking about ToD being an inch longer. The Raiders jacket is a custom made jacket. It is cut to the measurements that you provide. The customer tells Peter how long he wants the jacket and that is what the customer gets.

In the movies, the jackets that Harrison Ford wore may have been an inch longer in ToD than the jackets he wore in Raiders. But, we aren't buying jackets made to fit Harrison Ford. We are buying jackets cut to fit us, the way we want them to fit.

An inch does make a big difference to the wearer, not the public, an inch too much or too less may cause the wearer to swim in the jacket or be not be able to move properly. I mean if you order a raiders style jacket but how you want it, what stops it from being a Raiders jacket?!? Get it to a length that you want and say "Hey! This is my Raiders jacket!"





Regards, Dan

Bufflehead Jones wrote:I have never understood people talking about ToD being an inch longer. The Raiders jacket is a custom made jacket. It is cut to the measurements that you provide. The customer tells Peter how long he wants the jacket and that is what the customer gets.

It's a scale thing.

Peter and co. obviously use patterns to cut the leather (they don't just do it from their imagination, although they've probably done enough by now that they could try!!!), and these patterns are for certain length bodies, certain length arms, etc.

When you provide your measurements, I believe the corresponding pattern is used that best suits your measurements, with perhaps a little nip or tuck if you're slightly abnormal.

I imagine, for example, when Peter got my measurements, he could see that I would be best suited by a 48 body and perhaps the sleeves of a 46, and then used those patterns to create.

So, long story short, it's in the patterns themselves that there would be an extra inch in the body. So if you took Peters pattern for a Raiders 48 and a ToD 48, the ToD pattern would be longer by an inch.

NeosMatrix003 wrote:An inch does make a big difference to the wearer, not the public, an inch too much or too less may cause the wearer to swim in the jacket or be not be able to move properly.

If we were talking an inch in the chest, I'd agree with what you're saying... but we're talking an inch in length.

Length doesn't dictate whether the jacket is too big or small.

"The only drawback is that it could tear easily or rip if it were to catch a snag on something."

I have seen this mentioned before about lambskin Raiders jackets but don't believe it! I saw a movie a while back where this adventurer dude was wearing a jacket just like that and he was being dragged under a truck. In some other movie the same guy was rolling around on tank treads and all kinds of stuff and his jacket seemed to come out alright except it looked a bit longer in the second movie. Maybe it got stretched or something. I don't remember who he was but I do remember his hat looked funny. Kind of like it got turned on his head a little so the crease was not right in front. Cripes, next thing you know you guys will have a who thread just about the hat. Anyway that jacket held up so what am I missing here? I'm going to find out the name to those movies ansd post them here to prove to you guys that lambskin ...........

Oh yea.....that was Indy wasn't it. Never mind.

Tony

Yeah, but don't forget, he wasn't wearing the same jacket in each shot. If fact, every time they did a take, I'll bet Indy had to put on a new jacket. Plus I also remember hearing that Indy wore more than one jacket for going under the truck. :junior: -IJ

Goody -

We can guess your climate from your location (GA), but what do you plan to do with it? That would help dictate leather type.

As for length...like you can see, there are a lot of opinions and pros/cons. Read whatever you can find on COW in the Leather Jacket forum, but be prepared for a LOT of information - especially if you just search on 'length'.

We can all vote, but we might all be voting for what we ourselves picked...I'd listen closely to the guys that have more than one type. I only have one, so don't listen to me.

J

P.S. I'm in Southern California - diff climate than yours - similar temp range, but arid instead of humid. If you want to know which way I went here it is, but I didn't particulary dwell on the length issue, just durability and climate: http://www.indygear.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9673

Better yet, rather than listening to ANY of us, just check out the jacket page on the main site http://www.indygear.com/gear/jacket.shtml or Wested's main site http://www.wested.com/frjacket.html. Those are probably your only sources for un-biased opinions. :junior: -IJ

Yeah, but don't forget, he wasn't wearing the same jacket in each shot. If fact, every time they did a take, I'll bet Indy had to put on a new jacket. Plus I also remember hearing that Indy wore more than one jacket for going under the truck. indy.gif -IJ

Exactly. And he had to have worn multiple jackets. My lambskin was waaaaay to easy to distress with sandpaper. Took ten minutes.

He used about 12 per movie, I believe...

Five, just to do the dragging under the truck scene.

Thanks to everyone for the help. This will probably be my everyday witner/fall/spring jacket. I will wear it with a tucked in shirt and slacks for most days at work. Otherwise, I am usuall in a coat and tie. If it drops much lower than 40 degrees, I will wear something else. I have decided to go with the lamb, and will probably go with the ToD style.

Quote:
Yeah, but don't forget, he wasn't wearing the same jacket in each shot. If fact, every time they did a take, I'll bet Indy had to put on a new jacket. Plus I also remember hearing that Indy wore more than one jacket for going under the truck. indy.gif -IJ


Exactly. And he had to have worn multiple jackets. My lambskin was waaaaay to easy to distress with sandpaper. Took ten minutes.


Guys, I was making a joke.

Tony

Guys, I was making a joke.

Rough week for me, I just read it wrong. The bad thing about forums is that you can't hear tone of voice. Take care, Heirphoto.

Guys, I was making a joke.

Maybe I just get used to having " " or " " after the jokes. Or maybe I need to get a life.

This will probably be my everyday witner/fall/spring jacket.

Based on that, I would suggest cow, much better for warmth yet won't get too hot. At least...that's what I've heard, I only actually own a goat. As for the style, do what your heart tells you. :junior: -IJ

I might be going against the grain here but when I orderd my jacket I went for function over looks and had certain options that would not be considered "Screen Accurate".

I ordered a dark brown goat TOD jacket with the back length set at 26". This was considered a bit long for my size but I did this because I will be using my jacket for CCW and I needed to make sure that it went below the belt line and kept everything properly covered. I also went up a chest size because I like to layer during the winter. I also had Wested lower the arm holes and and add a single gusset for extra arm and shoulder mobility so I would be able to safely and easily draw and reholster my pistol. Jerry was even joking on the phone and calling my options the "Gun Fighter Cut".

I can still wear my jacket with just a t-shirt and it fits very nicely but it is cut bigger and looser than a "Screen Accurate" jacket. I set up my jacket to meet my specific requirements and needs and it works great for me.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that you should get what you want and what you need and don't worry about it. The Indy jacket styling is awesome and you can't go wrong with it! Just make sure to measure carefully!!!

I am a Raiders jacket fan myself, though my current jacket is an LC (go figure ), but that said, there is a LOT to be said for that extra inch or so, especially if you drive a lot. The Raiders jacket is GREAT, but rides up when you climb in and out of a car. That gets kind of chilly on my lower back. Just having the extra length of the TofD style, even the LC sits lower on me, can mean a warm ride, or a cold back on a winter day. Just though I'd toss that in from personal experience, especially since you said this would be your winter jacket. Regards. Michaelson

Just having the extra length of the TofD style, even the LC sits lower on me, can mean a warm ride, or a cold back on a winter day.

That's true, Michaelson,
But most people have heat in their cars, and most of their cars were built sometime after 1955!

Ouch! & Regards. Michaelson

But most people have heat in their cars, and most of their cars were built sometime after 1955!

From what I have read, I am definitely the minority here. I bought my first lambskin jacket and after a while, it felt too short. Either that or I wanted an excuse to buy another one. In any event, I bought another lambskin and I really wore it all the time. In the middle of a mountain hike, the sky opened up and the jacket got completely soaked. When it dried, it was an inch or so shorter. You may want to take into account what you will be doing with it before you decide on a length...



If it gets much shorter, I will probably not wear it...

Rick, all said and done I think that jacket looks PERFECT on you!

Ken

Thanks Ken. It was longer though. Hopefully it will no longer be affected. Pecards can only help so much. I am very happy if it stops here. I just thought I would throw this on the table in case anybody wanted to take it into account...

I guess what folks forget is that these are jackets, not coats. Jackets are short to begin with.... Regards. Michaelson

If I have to find a good thing about this, it is that the soaking and air drying (while zipped) got rid of the demon roll at the zipper.

Wow, now THAT'S a drastic fix, but one that merits posting. Regards. Michaelson

Michaelson wrote: [...] there is a LOT to be said for that extra inch or so, especially if you drive a lot. The Raiders jacket is GREAT, but rides up when you climb in and out of a car. That gets kind of chilly on my lower back. Just having the extra length of the TofD style, even the LC sits lower on me, can mean a warm ride, or a cold back on a winter day.

Ah, I had the opposite problem. I actually hike my jacket a bit so it isn't riding under my butt...leather against a fabric seat, feels like I'm sliding around. At the risk of drawing a comment from Bink, I want my butt to stay still while I'm driving! (Time to get a five-point harness...) So I actually like it shorter. (I ordered an LC. Not sure anymore what I got, but that's what I ordered. )

And my truck has a heater. And it's So Cal so it doesn't GET that cold here... (Oops, sorry, Michaelson...)

Rick, I agree with Ken -- that is one awesome jacket. And beautifully distressed! Hopefully it won't shrink any more and you can continue to wear it comfortably.

Jerry,

My Raiders jacket doesn't bother me when I drive. I don't think that I am sitting on it. I have longer parkas that I do sit on while driving and they don't bother me either. Of course, they aren't made out of leather.

Right, longer coats that aren't leather haven't been a problem. Maybe it had to do w/ when it was NEW and SHINY...but it was slippery. So I hike it. At the very least that's helping put some nice creases in the back to naturally distress across...

Indiana Jerry wrote:
(I ordered an LC. Not sure anymore what I got, but that's what I ordered. )

Have you measured the collar? Just curious, because when I got my RAIDERS, I started to get a little paranoid about it being a LC because the collar *looked* big, and the grail pocket seemed extra large.

I'd like to know the exact spec diffs between the Raiders and LC collars.

[quote]
Have you measured the collar? Just curious, because when I got my RAIDERS, I started to get a little paranoid about it being a LC because the collar *looked* big, and the grail pocket seemed extra large.

I'd like to know the exact spec diffs between the Raiders and LC collars.[/[/size]color]
_________________

I have a Wested LC that is several years old now. I am not sure what changes have been made to the jacket pattern since I received mine, so take this reply as a single example and assumes that there will be deviation from this. First of all the jacket is size 44. The pocket dimensions are as follows, Height=8 5/8" from top of flap to bottom of pocket through the snap, Width= 7". The height of the collar, not including the collar band is 3 7/8" at the peaks and 3 3/8" at the center of the back. The collar band is a uniform 1 1/4". For what its worth, I hope ths helps someone.

Indy_Mic

Yeah, it does thanks.

I measured the collar at the widest point and it was only about 2 3/4 ",(not counting the stand) so that put to rest my fears about mistakenly being sent a Crusade.

As far as the outer pockets, I thought they were all the same size, but that the inner pocket was larger on LC to accomodate the diary (even though they used the outer pocket inthe film). :

Ah...okay, spitballing the measurements here (folding a regulation 6-inch US $1 bill in half), my collar at the tips is dead on 3", and more like 2 1/4" or 2 1/2" at the middle behind the neck.

That's good, because I actually ordered an LC jacket, but w/ a RAIDERS collar. You mean these things get even BIGGER? Wow.

(Thanks!)