Club Obi Wan

Well, since the buzz on the 'roo isn't all that great, it got me thinking about alternatives. Does anyone own a US Wings VIP Cowhide and can they speak to its merits? Is the leather as good as the website makes out -- e.g., soft and buttery like lamb?

Thanks for everyone who gave input on the 'roo.

My personal favorite leather of all the jacket makers. VIP cowhide. Yes, it is as described on the website. I currently own a VIP A-2, and though it's one EXTREMELY soft jacket, the sample of the incoming VIP cowhide for the Indy jacket is amazingly soft!! Still heavy as cowhide comes, but feels like the proverbial cliche 'butter' soft. The cowhide they get comes from France, and comes from the belly of the cow. Not many manufacturers use it, but use the main hide from the back of the animal.

Regards! Michaelson

I have a US Wings VIP, which I purchased about a year and a half ago.
I really like the jacket. While it does have traditional cowhide weight, it
appears to me to be a relatively thin leather, so it drapes very well.
I have the Wings New Zealand lamb, which I think is a thicker, puffier,
leather than the VIP. I also like the color of the VIP. I did Pecard it,
just recently, which darkened it slightly, which is ok, and did soften it
even more. I don't have a Wested lamb, so I can't compare it to that,
in terms of softness, drape, etc, but it is quite soft. The grain is very smooth and is different from my Wings New Zealand lamb and my Wings
A-2 goat, which I also thought was quite soft, just different.

I personally think it is an excellent jacket. My only complaint with the VIP was that the satin lining in the sleeves tended to protrude from the end of the sleeve. I had to have the lining tacked further back up to prevent this.
It is not a problem now. That may have been only an isolated problem.

What da ya' know! The Indy Jones VIP is back!!!

This was the first Indy jacket I ever bought and I really would have kept it longer except for the fact that it was a little large in the body when I purchased it, and seemed to get even larger as time went on, ...or else I got smaller, I'm not sure which. I had it for nearly two plus years

I can echo most of what others have said about the jacket and simply add that if the weight of the jacket is not an issue, I think it is THE best offering that USWings currently offers on an Indy style jacket. It is darker than the lambskins jackets that most people here have become familiar with that USWings sells, but not quite as dark as my FS lamb and goatskin jackets. I might also add that the stitiching was top rate and I did not have the same problem with the satin lining protruding from the end of the sleeves as did Indyjim. And, it looks to be selling at a nicer price than back when I purchased it without any sale price. ...mmm, very tempting.

Yeah, they were kinda high back then, weren't they Rixter? I hadn't noticed the price change. Neat!, or as my daughters used to say...'Cool beans!!!" Regards! Michaelson

In terms of physical weight, I weighed both my VIP and Lamb.
They are approximately the same, (close enough for government work anyway)
In terms of how it feels, the VIP feels much lighter when wearing it.
It is warm. I have worn it in sub freezing temps with only a long sleeve
shirt underneath. It starts getting uncomfortable above 60 degrees though.
In that respect I have wondered if the Wested or FS lamb would be a better
choice for mid range temps. I haven't really had an opprtunity to wear the
New Zealand lamb that much to be able to compare. My sense is that it will
probably be better suited for colder rather than warmer temps.

I agree with Rixter on the color. Very rich deep brown, almost appearing black in some light,
yet in other light, it has a very rich look and showing beautiful highlights on the wrinkles
and creases. It is starting to distress naturally on the collar, the bottom, around the pockets, etc. On mine, the
action pleats remain closed until needed. When new, they were somewhat stiff and tended to stay open.

Bottom line, out of the 5 leather jackets I own, it is my first choice.

I just checked the Wings website. The graphic shown there , at least on my monitor, makes the jacket appear almost black. It is not. It is dark
but definitely brown. The New Zealand lamb graphic doesn't look like the real jacket either.

Michaelson wrote:Yeah, they were kinda high back then, weren't they Rixter? I hadn't noticed the price change. Neat!, or as my daughters used to say...'Cool beans!!!" Regards! Michaelson

Yes sir, cool beans! It sure doesn't seem all that long ago that I was a newbie seeking your advice on the very same jacket. I'll always remember that my decision in getting my first Indy jacket, which happened to be the USWings VIP, was in large part due to your patient responses to my hackneyed questions some two or three years ago. As for the price, I guess some things do get better over time.

Indyjim wrote:I just checked the Wings website. The graphic shown there , at least on my monitor, makes the jacket appear almost black. It is not. It is dark but definitely brown. The New Zealand lamb graphic doesn't look like the real jacket either.

These images are rather old since the lining on the VIP is also not the color shown, but rather a darker brown.

I glad to have helped Rix, and I dont' recall ANY of your questions being 'Hackneyed' in anyway.

Current information that I was able to obtain today was that they're slowly creating inventory with the new VIP cowhide, and most sizes are instock. For sizes NOT instock, turnaround time from receipt of order will be about 3 weeks. It was suggested folks interested to call the USW pilot shop to confirm if their size was instock before placing their order. All jackets are U. S. made, and Union made.

There's only so much VIP cowhide available, as they get their hides from France, and like roo skin from Australia, there's only so much made available for import to the States.

For further information, contact U. S.Wings.

Regards! Michaelson