Club Obi Wan

Hey All,

I've had my Wested Raiders jacket for a few years now, and something about it has always nagged me a bit. While I like the general fit of the jacket, when I zip it up it seems a bit snug across the chest...Has anyone else experienced this? I have about a 39-40" chest, and a 30-31" waist, and the jacket I ordered was I believe a 40". It fits fine when I leave it unzipped, so I know I gave the correct chest measurement. I'd like to order another...is there a way to get it a little roomier in the chest without making the waist/body any larger? As it is on this jacket, I have to pull the straps all the way to get close to my actual waist size. Any ideas? Thanks.

~Jace

Hmm...I don't know. If its too tight in the chest when zipped then it sounds to me like the jacket is too small. The only thing to do would be to order a larder size

I think you might request a larger collar, that might work and you would get the famous Agent5's long collar which is screen accurate for many scenes of Riders.
Otherway you can try asking this to Peter, he might have some good suggestions for you.

I have a similar issue, when I zip it, it is quite tight on the chest but I believe this is the 80's fit and I love it

The thing is, to me it fits more like a dress jacket, rather than an action jacket. I would like it to fit so as to allow more freedom of movement, without it looking as if I'm wearing a jacket that's too large for me...Perhaps I'll email Peter to see what he has to say...

~Jace

That's the best thing to do at this point ... anyway welcome on board

Welcome to COW, Tyrloch!
It might be that the shoulder width of your jacket is a bit too small. You should try a jacket with a bit more shouder.

How can you get a bit more room across the shoulder/chest without making the entire jacket look to baggy or oversized? I definitely DON'T want the jacket to look as if it's too big for me...

~Jace

Two options I can think of that Peter recommended to me. One, order a different size chest and body. Eg. a 42 chest and 40 body. That way, it fits properly aroudn the waist-not looking to baggy-and you have extra room around the chest area. What I opted for and what Peter recommended for me is an extra inch across the top of the back. Gives you a little extra material without making the jacket to large. The latter applies moreso if the size problem is in the shoulder area . Hope this helps. I'm picking up my Wested on thursday. I CANNOT wait. i'll post pics when I get it.

I think if you can post some pictures of the jacket on you we might even suggest you more. The idea of some little more on the shoulder length is not bad. I think 1 inch or maybe 2 will help you a lot without looking baggy at all.
We wait for your pics now

Pics may take a while, but I'll try to get them up here soon...

Tyrloch wrote:Hey All,

I've had my Wested Raiders jacket for a few years now, and something about it has always nagged me a bit. While I like the general fit of the jacket, when I zip it up it seems a bit snug across the chest...Has anyone else experienced this? I have about a 39-40" chest, and a 30-31" waist, and the jacket I ordered was I believe a 40". It fits fine when I leave it unzipped, so I know I gave the correct chest measurement. I'd like to order another...is there a way to get it a little roomier in the chest without making the waist/body any larger? As it is on this jacket, I have to pull the straps all the way to get close to my actual waist size. Any ideas? Thanks.

~Jace

Hm...I have nearly the same exact measurements and was about to pull the trigger on a wested - tell us more!

Did you get 80s fit? I would think 80s fit would have the sides brought in, i.e., waist suppression, but I would be surprised if the actual chest was decreased much. That would clearly sacrifice comfort, while waist suppression is more of a cleaner, trim 'look'.

If you work out a lot and have built up shoulders, that could result in a tighter fit, even though you have the same chest measurements as a guy with normal shoulders - maybe Tfrosst has the right suggestion for you if this is the case.

Anyways, please post pics! I too have a big drop between shoulder size and waist, it's tough to find a jacket that fits properly (hey, lowest common denominator, right?)

I don't recall asking for the '80's fit, but it might be. Here's the deal: I"m 5'5", with a 39-40" chest & a 30" waist. I would say that I have a muscular build, but not overly so like a bodybuilder. I would say that I'm just a bit wider than the average build. I usually wear medium size shirts in everything -- the only thing that is ever a problem is sometimes the sleeve length (too long). Perhaps I should also mention that while I feel I could use a bit extra room in the chest of my jacket, the body is still a bit loose-fitting even with the straps pull tight all the way...

~Jace

I have the answer Donuts. Honestly, I promise your jacket will fit you much better.

Actually if you give them all your measurements as noted in the sticky at the top of the jackets thread that should be covered. Yes, the basic jacket is pretty straight up and down, but they can taper in the waist. But you have to give them proper measurements to do it.

Kt Templar wrote:but they can taper in the waist. But you have to give them proper measurements to do it.

The problem is... how much for that feature?
Will this require an extra fee?

erri_wan wrote:

Kt Templar wrote:but they can taper in the waist. But you have to give them proper measurements to do it.

The problem is... how much for that feature?
Will this require an extra fee?

According to Peter thats what the 80's fit is. It is simply tapered more toward the waist.

erri_wan wrote: The problem is... how much for that feature?
Will this require an extra fee?

I have a feeling this now falls into the custom sizing bracket = £169.

But if there are no extras that will be it. But I could be wrong.

The pricing per feature reminds me of my MINI purchase. Boy was that not fun.

Sorry for going a bit off topic but all this story of price raise and more fees for alterations... is putting me off big time, I was once seriously thinking about another wested but that is just a dream now

The pricing per feature reminds me of my MINI purchase. Boy was that not fun.

what MINI purchase milesfides :

I settled for xenons and a couple other features. That's where they get you!

Ahhh lol

Yes and see what happen when you break a piece and you have to order an original one :evil: :evil:

erri_wan wrote:Sorry for going a bit off topic but all this story of price raise and more fees for alterations... is putting me off big time, I was once seriously thinking about another wested but that is just a dream now

The pricing per feature reminds me of my MINI purchase. Boy was that not fun.

what MINI purchase milesfides :

I think Erri is feeing the pinch a bit.

All things being equal it's only a £25 increase for a custom fit jacket. If you don't custom fit it the it's only £5 increase. Save your pennies. And don't keep reblocking your hats.

I know that in UK with £25 you can play an arcade game 25 times but in the rest of Europe and even more in America, 25 pounds are an considerable ammount of money. Not exactly pennies.
At the current change:
£25 = 36 euro = 45 dollars

In USD the jacket was once $261 and now $305
If you add also some £5 details (=$9) it won't be hard to touch $330/350... at this point it starts to get too much for my taste or at least too much for having another one considering all the rest of the gear I still have to get.
For the record, I only reblocked a hat once.

I don't have anything against Peter's choices. It's just that now I'm completely put off about THINKING to get another one, but who knows, in time I could rethink about it... maybe when I have a job

erri_wan wrote:I know that in UK with £25 you can play an arcade game 25 times but in the rest of Europe and even more in America, 25 pounds are an considerable ammount of money. Not exactly pennies.
At the current change:
£25 = 36 euro = 45 dollars

In USD the jacket was once $261 and now $305
If you add also some £5 details (=$9) it won't be hard to touch $330/350... at this point it starts to get too much for my taste or at least too much for having another one (IMO).
For the record, I only reblocked a hat once.

I don't have anything against Peter's choices. It's just that now I'm completely put off about THINKING to get another one, but who knows, in time I could rethink about it

I know, not getting at you my friend. The closest alternative is the FS and that comes in at $400 and no custom sizing available. So pays yer money and takes your chances.

The big issue is his price hadn't gone up in 10 years. So had to go up somewhat really. This is a "less than inflation" increase.

Aldens have jumped far more than that in the last couple of years.

And weren't you just saying that NH's prices were ok?

I didn't say NH was cheap.
As I said, now wested is too pricey for having more than the one I already have, considering that I still need to buy other parts of the gear.
If wested new price would at least include the custom alterations it will be still NOT TOO bad. But if you start adding customizations it can really cost a fortune.

I have to say that I ahve no problem with Peter's price increase. I just means we have to save a little longer. $300 is a steal for a custom made leather jacket. Most off the rack junk in a department store will run that much or more.

I only have to get used to the new price.

Sorry for hi-jacking your thread Tyrloch, have you sent any email to Peter about your problem yet?

milesfides wrote:

I settled for xenons and a couple other features. That's where they get you!

Milesfides, did you hear about the MINI owner that was getting gas and a rather snobbish fellow in a Jaguar was pumping gas next to the MINI. As the MINI owner was about to get in his car to leave, the Jaguar owner said, "nice BMW". The MINI owner responded, "nice Ford!"

Yes, I got a reply from Gemma of Wested early this morning. Simply stated, she suggest to order only a bit bigger in the chest so as not to wind up with a jacket that's too baggy. My only fear is that a larger jacket is going to be even roomier in the body than my current jacket, which is a bit too roomy already...

~Jace

I was just fiddling around with the jacket, & I've come to the conclusion that I think it's too small overall. I measured the back -- from the bottom of the collar stand I get 22.5" & from the top 23.75". On Wested's website, it states that the back length is 24" on a 40 reg. The tag on the inside of my jacket reads '40', so I think my jacket is too small. Do you think it was cut too small, or because of my body type I might be better off with the ToD jacket? If I go with a 42 reg. with a 38 body, with the correct sleeve length in a ToD, perhaps this would be better for me?

The ToD jacket is the same as the Raiders jacket. Its just 1" longer.

Also, as I remember the chart on Wested's website is not accurate.

I know that the only difference is the 1" length -- that may get my jacket to the length I need, and ordering the size 42 chest the width I need up top. I think that my shoulders & back take up some of the jacket & make my Raiders look shorter than it should. My only concern is whether they can slim up the body for me or not. But I think the ToD jacket may be the way to go...

~Jace

viewtopic.php?t=15367

This used to be stickied but isn't anymore.

I think you should look at a custom fit. For the additional £20 you can take out the guesswork.

I think that this jacket is just too small. I feel the best thing to do now is sell this one (to someone smaller than me!) & purchase a new one from Wested using more precise measurements. I'll have to consider going with the custom jacket option...

~Jace

Tyrloch wrote:I think that this jacket is just too small. I feel the best thing to do now is sell this one (to someone smaller than me!) & purchase a new one from Wested using more precise measurements. I'll have to consider going with the custom jacket option...

~Jace

How much you plan to sell it for?

Everything considered, probably $180.00 or something around there. It's basically new, and I've been hitting it with the Pecards every 6-8 months when it looked like it needed it. For someone thinner than me, it would probably be a good fit...

~Jace

Does anyone know how accurate Wested is with their sizing? I mean, their website states that the length of a 40 reg. Raiders jacket is 24.5", but mine is a 40" reg. and my back length is 22.5-23". I want to order a new jacket, & I think that I can give the precise measurements that would give me the right fit, but only if these measurements are followed. In all fairness, I think that Wested may have taken my height, 5'5", into consideration when making the jacket, and I think I may have more or a reg. torso & short legs. I realize that the best way to get accurate measurements is in person, but what is the next best way? To say that I'm 5'5" & 160 lbs with a 40" chest & a 30" waist doesn't really paint a picture of what my frame really looks like. I would like a bit longer jacket than I currently have, since I feel this one is too short, with a wider chest & snugger waist. My question is how do I get this with only being able to provide Peter with tape measurements? I'm not just looking for a screen accurate jacket, but more importantly, one that fits well. I was even thinking of asking for the straps to be mounted backwards -- so with one pass they point backwards! Anyone, anyone?....

~Jace

Where does the back of yor jacket fall on you? With regular fit jeans it should be to the tops of your jeans pockets. If you are concerned about length give them you correct back measurement: Nape of neck to top of jeans pocket.

Did you read the sizing thread I linked you?

Bufflehead Jones wrote:
Milesfides, did you hear about the MINI owner that was getting gas and a rather snobbish fellow in a Jaguar was pumping gas next to the MINI. As the MINI owner was about to get in his car to leave, the Jaguar owner said, "nice BMW". The MINI owner responded, "nice Ford!"

Ouch. I'm going to remember that one.

There's enough MINIs in my area not to warrant pointed fingers or thrown rocks. So far, the responses I've gotten were:

That's a really small car.
What's the mileage on that guy.
That's a cute car.
Mommy, can I get that one?

The first two, typical comments from guys, the latter, from (small) girls.

But hey, what car would Indy drive? Around town, maybe a MINI.

KT,

I thought the length of the back of the jacket was suppose to reach the bottom of the pocket flaps, i.e., cover them? My jacket just reaches the openings of the pockets on my chinos. Even if this is the correct length, I may still want to order a ToD just to have a bit more coverage.

I emailed Wested again about doing a (tapered) jacket to fit a 40" chest, but be sort of snug on my 30" waist, and they said they can not do that. I thought someone had said that they DO do custom sizing? I'd like to order another jacket, but not if there's any doubt as to whether I'm going to get the fit I want or not...

~Jace

milesfides wrote:

Bufflehead Jones wrote:
Milesfides, did you hear about the MINI owner that was getting gas and a rather snobbish fellow in a Jaguar was pumping gas next to the MINI. As the MINI owner was about to get in his car to leave, the Jaguar owner said, "nice BMW". The MINI owner responded, "nice Ford!"

Ouch. I'm going to remember that one.

There's enough MINIs in my area not to warrant pointed fingers or thrown rocks. So far, the responses I've gotten were:

That's a really small car.
What's the mileage on that guy.
That's a cute car.
Mommy, can I get that one?

The first two, typical comments from guys, the latter, from (small) girls.

But hey, what car would Indy drive? Around town, maybe a MINI.

Yeah, someone would have to know who manufactures the MINI and the Jaguar to understand what was funny about that story.

My wife has a MINI Cooper S, and when I go to the store in it, I take the long winding backroads instead of the highway, and I return with an ear to ear grin on my face.

People always call it a cute car until they go for a ride in it. They get out with a whole lot more respect for it.

When someone asks me what kind of gas mileage it gets because of how small it is, I usually respond, "pretty good considering how fast it is, but of course it runs on premium fuel only."

Tyrloch wrote:KT,

I thought the length of the back of the jacket was suppose to reach the bottom of the pocket flaps, i.e., cover them? My jacket just reaches the openings of the pockets on my chinos. Even if this is the correct length, I may still want to order a ToD just to have a bit more coverage.

I emailed Wested again about doing a (tapered) jacket to fit a 40" chest, but be sort of snug on my 30" waist, and they said they can not do that. I thought someone had said that they DO do custom sizing? I'd like to order another jacket, but not if there's any doubt as to whether I'm going to get the fit I want or not...

~Jace

That's weird, we have may instances of jackets taperd like this, eg Indakins.

Also that is the suggested measurement for a Raiders. Which does look short and feel short at first but you get used to it. If you want a jacket that feels a bit more 'modern' or covers you up a bit more then go for TOD or LC. (That's why Ford's one was longer, there was a bit more Ford to cover!)

Other guys have pics that can illustrate this.

Does anyone know how someone has gotten Wested to to a different size chest & body? Or a custom size? I've seen it before on here as well that the asked for some specific things to be done with the fit of the jacket, but when I made the request, Gemma told me that they can't do it. Is there a certain terminology to use or something specific that needs to be said? I think I've come up with the exact way the jacket will be what I need -- it's just whether or not they're willing to do it! I think the only thing that my current jacket is lacking is underarm gussets, tapered sleeves, a bit more length (ToD jacket should fix that) & a bit less in the body. I may order one size up (42R) to give me a bit more room in the chest, only I'm afraid that will make the body even wider! I also think I may requst that they cut my straps 2-3" shorter, since I tend to have to pull them all the way & end up with 5-6" left over. If anyone knows any way of me getting the different size in chest & body, please let me know, thanks.

~Jace