Club Obi Wan

Back in 1989, I remember seeing Lee Keppler's add selling IJ gear in the back of the Lucasfilm's Magazine (now known as the Star Wars Insider)after the release of the Last Crusade. I still have his order forms and costs. Man did he charge an arm and a leg for his products, even be today's standards.

I ordered the "original makers" Raiders jacket from Leather Concessionaires (Lee tried to buy it back from me a year ago, but I couldnt part from it as it was my first jacket); a HJ Poet; a side satchel bag and strap; a Raiders gun holster and belt; and the Staff of Ra. The jacket in no way compares to what is being offered from Wested and other vendors today, but it was made by the original makers and a collectors item today for us gear heads.

Since then, I have a bought a distressed cowhide from Wested in 1998/99; a deer skin Expedition from Flightsuits (they dont make them anymore, I recently checked), a goatskin Expedition from Flightsuits; a lambskin Expedition from Flightsuits; and I have a recently ordered a new Wested (919 Pattern) and a Todd's Raiders jacket (since _ raved about it). My favorite so far has been the Expediton Jacket in either lamb or deer skin for that Raider's look and feel.

The 1989 Poet has held up over the years, but is much stiffer than the current HJ, but better in quality than my PB from 2002. Up until recently, my 89 Poet was my favorite, then I got a Mercury Indy from Peter Brothers in 2004 which was extremely floppy like the Raiders hat in the movies. Recently I received an updated Poet from Todd's and its the hat that I have been wearing daily.

I'm waiting on my two AB hats from Fedora in both brown and gray, and my AB Deluxe from Marc. So I will be able to compare the quality and accuracy for all these current hats. I really like the new Poet and its the best I have seen in creating that "floppy" hat look from Raiders.

As for shirts and pants, I have several from NH, Wested, Todd's, and Magnoli's. I have to say the best Raiders shirt in my opinion is Magnoli's and the best TOD/LC shirt is NH, although Magnoli's quality is better. The best Raiders pants is either NH or Wested in obtaining that "pink hue" color. I have ordered the new pants from Magnoli that appear to be a more accurate color.

ANYONE ELSE BEEN COLLECTING SINCE 1989 or before besides me and Lee?

I wish. I've only been collecting gear since mid to late 2004.

I voted for 5-10 years. I think I've been collecting since I was around 6 though, so I may have voted incorrectly. I'm not sure about the year I started. I started out with (like so many) a DP (came with a tight Raiders pinch!!). I also had a Disney gun (can't find it now... dang!) and a leather jacket that my aunt got me (it was pretty close too except for the chest pocket on the outside and the zipper pockets in front instead of cargo pockets. Had action straps and good collar / sleeves and everything. I used some dockers, yellow work boots, a white dress shirt, and a little black strap that came with my GameBoy Color's rubber protector to substitute for my MkVII, which I had no idea where to look for, but knew I needed. I had a little Mexican whip (not a swivel handle though!) that attached to my belt via chopped up clothes hanger, and fake stubble. Now I've moved up to Stenhouses, Aldens, Westeds, ABs, and the like! MAN I've come a long way... but I've enjoyed the ride, and as I grow taller / fatter, I'll be able to enjoy more of it!

pretty close to 1 year ago i received my wpg satchel....that was the start of the hobby that has burned many holes in all of my pockets.....but you gotta love it

I hope there's a clerk in Sam's Army And Navy that has been there long enough to remember me. I used to be the so called "Expert" in our town of "Close Enough" IndyGear before it was called IndyGear. I go as far back as 1982 when it comes to Retro.

To be fair, for me it was never about getting a screne accurate costume, it was about getting the Vintage Vibe and getting the whole look of the era down perfect. Sam's had a vast collection of Surplus Army/Navy clothes from all eras and I used to just gawk at what they had. I could tell you the subtle diffrence between Army, Navy and Marine Khaki's.

Ten years ago I bought my first 'Indy' fedora.
A baby amongst some of you guys!

Twenty years ago though, I thought I was Indy.

Technically, I've only purposely collected Indy gear for less than a year. I've owned a few fedoras since I was four though (first one was bought at DisneyLand). So.....eh, it's debatable in regards to how long I have.

I just "recollected," it was about 1982. Back alley hat shops. The south side of Chicago.

Sincerely,

thePawn wrote:ANYONE ELSE BEEN COLLECTING SINCE 1989 or before besides me and Lee?

Uh, several of us, Pawn. Where did you get the idea you and Lee were the only ones here?

Regards! Michaelson

Things change, don't they Vito?

Regards! Michaelson

don't really remember. i got my first indy fedora in the early 90s

I had close enough gear in 1981! I had a little vintage brown fedora, a pleather aviator jacket w/ fur collar, nylon paracord bullwhip from florida, safari shirt, kahki pleated pants, and work boots... I had my grandfathers web belt from WWII and a holster I made from a black glasses case!

I must have been the strangest 10 year old on the block! I have pics....

C3

I have a photo for when I was about 13-14, I went on a hiking trip in S.E. Asia... I wore a safari shirt with khakis, and had a water bottle slung over one shoulder (like a MKVII)... Ironically, the last thing I was thinking about at the time was Indiana Jones... at least not on a conscious level.

However, looking back at the photo, that certainly looks the most Indyish that I've ever looked! And that was without even trying! Guess that tells you why I'm so quickly getting hooked on the Indy look as it is... Does that count as 'Indy-Gear'? Or would my first brush with Indy-Gear have to be that long-gone wool fedora I picked up in Disneyworld?

It wasn't even until I discovered CoW earlier this year that I realized Indy was wearing a safari shirt! I always assumed it was just a non-descript white dress shirt for some reason.

i have a recollection of a junior high halloween dance where i went as indiana jones. i can still recall the costume but unfortunately have no pics of that moment in time. top to bottom, i had a brown panama fedora with a multicolored ribbon, a really, really bad a2 wanna be jacket (i believe it was just a brown leather jacket with elastic cuffs at the sleeves, waiste AND collar), i had a striped brown and white shirt...the stripes were very elusive so the shirt looked khaki when viewed from a distance. i had really baggy khaki pants with multiple pockets and cuffs on the hem, and just plain brown shoes....tom selleck was more SA than me during his auditions but back then i thought i looked just like him.

these nightmarish recollections is why i'm into really really close enoughs

that would have been in 1985 or so.....man i'm feeling old....michaelson, we need to get the safety bar installed for jumping under the plymouth....my back just doesn't bend the way it use to

I think many of us has been collecting from way before we knew we were collectors Pawn )

I bought my first Fedora (a Borsalino) in the early 1982 right after having been blown away by Raiders shortly after the danish premiere.

I bought 4 different leather jackets up through the 80's and thought it would be impossible to ever get the real stuff.

With the internet everything changed, and today the "collection" is complete with the gear from the original makers where possible.

Next step will be finding the exact opriginal stuff, ie. shirt with the original tag, Fedora with the original logo inside etc., but that will cost even more money than I have allready spend - which is quite a lot actually...

BTW: I have dressed up as Indy at every costume-bal I have been invited to since 1982, and untill LC I actually had to tell most people who I was supposed to look like.
It has always amazed me that the instant recognition of the Indy-character that I felt the very first time I saw Raiders, and now take for granted, was first established nearly a decade after Raiders.

Cheers Indy-K

And as a follow up to my earlier post in the thread, here is the picture in question:



...and that was BEFORE I was even the least bit interested in Indiana Jones (or Indy Gear much less!)... So if that's how I dressed for an 'adventure' back then, you can imagine what finding this site has done for me! Whooo Boy!

Though I'm starting to wonder what this has to do with leather jackets?

Got my first Indy Stetson (a San Juan model) in 1981-2 and the closest leather jacket I could find here in Australia the same year. The jacket was black and was like a 1930's Aero half belt. My mum wears it sometimes.

Cheers - CM

my first piece of gear and still my all time favorite was my wested...that had to be well over 2 years ago now. Man how time flies....