Club Obi Wan

I am still trying to decide two things. First, do I want goat or lambskin and do I want Wested or a FS Expo. I have a goat US Wings and the only thing I don't like about it is it is too heavy. Also, the grain of the lambskine differs between the body and sleeves. No big deal but I am picky. Anyway here is what I am trying to find out.

1. On the wested is the lambskin real, real light? I know sometimes it can be almost to thin. Like one of those Polo lambskin jackets. Almost like a windbreaker.


2. How about the Wested goat? Is it real grainy or smooth. Is it real heavy?

3. Same thing for the Expo. How is the weight of the lambskin versus the goat and what is the grain of the leather like?

4. I also have a G&B Historical horsehide. I love it even though I would like to try an Aero or Eastman. Horsehide tends to be heavy. Are the Wested and G&B Indy Jackets in horsehide smooth and are they heavy?

5. Lastly, when you order from Wested, how on earth do you get it to fit. I hear discussion after discussion about the intricate details of fit. How do I get the right fit.

In summary, I'm looking for an Indy jacket that is lighter than the US Wing Goat, smooth leather but on the other hand, not flimsy like a windbreaker.

Thanks for your patience and I appreciate your help.

Mark

feathers73 wrote:1. On the wested is the lambskin real, real light? I know sometimes it can be almost to thin. Like one of those Polo lambskin jackets. Almost like a windbreaker.

I've owned both, and I can sat lamb's light. Sometimes I forget that I'm wearing it. A windbreaker is pretty much exactly what it is. I can wear it here when it's "California chilly," but anywhere else that is used to getting real cold, and the thing is no good to me at all. To be fair, it was the same for my Wested goat, so I don't see a difference. They're mainly costume jackets, so they aren't much good to you in an honestly cold climate.

feathers73 wrote:2. How about the Wested goat? Is it real grainy or smooth. Is it real heavy?

Nah, it's not real heavy. I was fine with it. It was kinda grainy, but not a whole lot. Mostly smooth.

I can't answer any questions about other jackets, because I've only owned Westeds.

feathers73 wrote:5. Lastly, when you order from Wested, how on earth do you get it to fit. I hear discussion after discussion about the intricate details of fit. How do I get the right fit.

You get it to fit by measuring yourself. What I did (and this has worked for me three times in a row) is I took a tailor's tape measure and measured around my upper torso under my arms, and once I found out what the measurement was, I gave it an extra inch for comfort and that was fine. Then I measured my arms from my shoulder down to where I wanted the cuff to end. Just look at some pics of other people's Westeds on here to get an idea of where the shoulder seam is so you can get a more accurate measurement. When I measured my sleeve length, I sent that exact measurement to Wested, and it came back perfect.

I have goat which is heavyish. I own around 8 leather jackets of various types and my Wested Goat is somewhere in between a light fashion coat and a thick bike leather.

It is a lovely leather, strong, soft and supple. With a sweater underneath (we call them jumpers over here) it is warm enough for the coldest Melbourne day (around 0-2 degrees) . Much nicer to wear than most of my other leathers.

Is the Wested a costume jacket? That's all a question of personal belief. My Wested is just as practical as any bike jacket I have bought and certainly much more practical than any fashion leather I have owned.

Go with goat is you want a working, heard wearing coat that is reasonably warm.

Interestingly, if you want a warm coat, polarfleece windpro is probably the best you can get. Light, waterproof, it even breathes. Our police wear them here in winter. They have replaced the police leather jackets and our cops couldn't be happier. All the archaeologists and geologists I've seen today wear good quality polarfleece too. Go figure.

Bear in mind that Wested no longer offer goat. My current jacket is a Wested goat and I love it - it feels tougher than the lamb but drapes in a similar fashion and isn't too heavy. Mine has a courser grain, but they seem to vary.

out of the box....er...bag, wested goat is about twice as stiff as the wested lamb (the dark brown lamb as this hide i found much softer than the AB lamb). the authentic lamb, the goat is only say 30% stiffer. i have heard with much wear that the goat will soften up really good but i haven't got there yet.

the current lamb, though it doesn't look as thick as on screen, drapes in the same manner as the screen coats IMO.

as goat is not available and i only do business with wested, i would suggest going with the lambskin....AB if you want a tad more warmth or DB if you want something you can wear all the time (unless its 20 plus deg C out....then its the "indy TOD pankot mine look" for me )

i know...i know, you guys will say that all wested lambskin is the same but trust me, the latest DB lamb is waaaaaaaayyyy softer than my raiders AB that i got at the end of summer.

I own several leather jackets and my Wested DB lamb is one of my favorites. I can wear it when it's 50f(10c) or with a fleece shirt or wool sweater down to 3f(0c). It feels very light in your hands and on your body compared to a Highwayman biker jacket. As far as measurements go, follow the directions on the Wested web site and you should get what the size you want. I added an extra inch to my chest just to be sure and now I wish I would have kept it a 48. The sleeves are always the thing that people seem to get wrong, so make sure you goto your knuckle on your thumb. Remember, it should fit longer than a dress jacket or suit coat.

CM wrote:Is the Wested a costume jacket? That's all a question of personal belief. My Wested is just as practical as any bike jacket I have bought and certainly much more practical than any fashion leather I have owned.

I guess it's like that if you can "personally believe" you're not freezing in 20F (-7C) temperatures while you're wearing your Wested if you aren't wearing anything else underneath. Sure, the Wested can be practical if the temperature is 50F (10C) and above, and for riding motorcycles and stuff, but once the temperature dips below a certain degree, you're constantly wearing heavier stuff underneath it to keep you warm, because the Wested sure as heck won't be doing that.

I have a heavier A-2 Bomber jacket I wear when the weather starts getting cold (which DOES happen here in Cali, contrary to popular belief, or when I travel to states that don't share our usually warm climate), and I put the Wested away. A thick, wool lined A-2 keeps me warm with just a long sleeve shirt underneath. If I was wearing a Wested in 20F weather, I'd need a good sweatshirt on underneath it, and a scarf around my neck, quite possibly accompanied by a long sleeve shirt underneath. Why bother with all that just to keep wearing your Indy jacket? The A-2 keeps me warm when I need it to, and the Wested keeps me warm as long as it's not too cold. That's a costume jacket to me, and a "seasonal coat" at best. Just because I can wear it doing some other things doesn't change the fact that it's no good at keeping you warm in frigid temperatures without a bunch of stuff on underneath it (which is really what's keeping you warm, not the jacket).

I wore my old goatskin Wested and my lambskin Wested in Idaho temperatures below 20F, and I had to go out and buy something serious in no time flat, because it was like the jacket wasn't even there.

In summary, I'm looking for an Indy jacket that is lighter than the US Wing Goat, smooth leather but on the other hand, not flimsy like a windbreaker.

Just based on this I'd say that a Wested lambskin would suit your needs well. The lamb is smoother and lighter than goat, but it IS still leather after all... It isn't a cold weather jacket, to be sure, but it is versatile in that it will help keep the chill off without smothering you as the day goes on.

You can't go wrong with any Wested. But my favorite is the Goat.

Enjoy!

CM wrote:I have goat which is heavyish. I own around 8 leather jackets of various types and my Wested Goat is somewhere in between a light fashion coat and a thick bike leather.

It is a lovely leather, strong, soft and supple. With a sweater underneath (we call them jumpers over here) it is warm enough for the coldest Melbourne day (around 0-2 degrees) . Much nicer to wear than most of my other leathers.

Is the Wested a costume jacket? That's all a question of personal belief. My Wested is just as practical as any bike jacket I have bought and certainly much more practical than any fashion leather I have owned.

Go with goat is you want a working, heard wearing coat that is reasonably warm.

Interestingly, if you want a warm coat, polarfleece windpro is probably the best you can get. Light, waterproof, it even breathes. Our police wear them here in winter. They have replaced the police leather jackets and our cops couldn't be happier. All the archaeologists and geologists I've seen today wear good quality polarfleece too. Go figure.

A fellow Melbournian! And I agree that wested isn't a costume jacket and it's quite practical. The leather is certainly muchbetter than most 'fashion' jackets i've seen - infact, I don't think i've seen any fashion leather jackets in stores i've looked at that are better - and these inferior jackets usually go for more than an indy jacket (including postage and tax etc).

On a side note CM, did you pay much tax/duties etc. when you got your jacket? I got charged 100 bucks when I picked mine up from the post office, and including postage, made my jacket around 550 AUS.

Hi fellow Melbourne resident!

Yeah, I paid around $100 which I didn't realise I'd have to. Still a good jacket, however. It's so much more durable and practical than 90% of the store jackets I've seen. So much for it being a costume.

Did you know that Mars leathers no longer has kangaroo? We need to march on parliament house and demand action.