Horsehide's not for me?

[whiskyman]

When I finally received my Wested horsehide several months ago (it had a few problems getting here...) I was very pleased with it. I ordered it as a replacement for my Wested goat which was simply too small. At the time, goat was no longer available so I chose HH as a tough leather that (aledgedly) draped pretty well.
I have to say, the leather is really really nice and it does drape well for a heavier leather. I particulary love the texture of the hide.
BUT - I hardly ever wear it.
Firstly, all winter it was simply too cold. Heavy though the jacket is, it's not particularly warm, even with layers. Now that the weather is warmer, the jacket is too heavy and hot to wear!!
Secondly, it's again too small. The sleeves are spot on but it's just too small in the body. My mistake.
I have to replace it but just don't know what to go for. I've owned an authentic lamb but I don't care much for the colour and the "buttery soft" feel. I've owned a pre-dist. cowhide but the colour and distressing just look wrong to me. I've owned a dark brown goat - very nice, but the texture was a little too pebbly. So what's next? The new goat is very tempting but is not available in dark brown. Lamb comes in dark brown but will be "buttery smooth" again. How can an Indy jacket be "buttery smooth"??!!!

I guess I'm just stuck
Here are some recent pics of the HH. I caught cold after taking these pics

[Texas Raider]

Simple, go for a Gibson & Barnes dark brown goat. You won't be disappointed!

TR

[whiskyman]

It's a bit too pricy for me and I'm a little wary of ordering from the States.

[PLATON]

What's wrong with the size of that?

[Ozraptor]

In my honest opinion, the jacket looks fantastic on you. Unless it really can't zip up, in which case you may have a point. Otherwise—I'd be thrilled with it!

[whiskyman]

The jacket is too short in my opinion. It's an 80s fit 40, and I want to switch to reg 42. My old lambskin was a reg 42. Also, I find the HH just too heavy - there are probably only a handful of days a year when it wouldn't be either too hot or cold to wear.
Here's another shot of the HH -and a pic of my old reg 42 lambskin

[Jens]

Honestly, I think it looks great. And being a HH owner myself, I did not find it uncomfirtable - neither in the winter (we just ha some nice return of the "cold season" during the easter holidays) nor in warmer climate (like the 20something degree we had in Jordan). Maybe it's just me, but I did not recognize a difference to my other jacket, which was a goatskin. Maybe it's the huge step from lamb to horse which might cause the felt difference?

It's a pitty that you do seem not to have luck with your jackets so far.

[PLATON]

I think you should be happy with the length of your jacket as other people's 80s fit jackets look shorter on them in comparison to yours.

Also, I notice interesting pocket size on both your jackets.

[Ozraptor]

OK, you're right—it's fairly short, at the waist and sleeves. But it's not TOO bad. Indy's sleeves in TOD are very short! I think it's because the jacket got wet (in the rapids?), and shrunk considerably, however.

[Holt]

hey Nick.I have the goat in authentic brown color and I love it now.not so much at first,but now.ohh yes!!

I am a bit like you.I like the darker look of the jacket.

I think you should go with the authentic brown goat.here is why.if you want it darker just oil it with pecards.it will turn darker at once.I went for 2 rubbs on it.the jacket almost turn dark brown.

both jackets are authentic brown

here is the authentic brown jacket on the right untouched.on the left is my authentic brown goat with two layers of oil on it.and the best part is the darker colour will never go away.it will never fade

what do you think?


bests
Holt

[eaglecrow]

what do you think?

I think it will become bright colloured again in time

[Dr. Jones Jr.]

Whiskeyman: Can I ask how tall you are, i also ordered a 40 in HH, it should be here in a few weeks, i was slightly worried it might be too or short. If mine fits me the way it fits you, ill be ecstatic.
-Chris

[Holt]

what do you think?

I think it will become bright colloured again in time

no the leather oils goes directly in to the leather fibers and darken them.once the leather is oiled there is no turning back.

this is not a rubb on colour that lays on top of the leather surface.it's oil.

bests
Holt

[morganswift]

Jacket looks great. It's meant to cut off around the waist. Though I think the LC cut is a little longer (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong). And that HH looks a lot softer than I thought it would...Hmm, who was it who said this hobby gets expensive?

Alex

[whiskyman]

Whiskeyman: Can I ask how tall you are, i also ordered a 40 in HH, it should be here in a few weeks, i was slightly worried it might be too or short. If mine fits me the way it fits you, ill be ecstatic.
-Chris

I'm 6ft.

I feel the jacket is too short, so it is too short. It's nothing to do with what Indy's jacket looks like. I feel I need another 1.5 - 2 " in the body.My problem is I don't know what hide to go for. The goat is tempting - I wonder if Peter will offer dark brown again...

[whiskyman]

here is the authentic brown jacket on the right untouched.on the left is my authentic brown goat with two layers of oil on it.and the best part is the darker colour will never go away.it will never fade

what do you think?


bests
Holt

I've never heard of anyone permanently darkening a jacket with oil before! Is that a special oil from Pecards? And what does that mean for the underlying leather colour if you distress your jacket?

[Rundquist]

The Indy jacket has a very limited comfort range. Ultimately a jacket that you can’t wear is useless. Too bad. That Wested Horsehide looks really good. I feel that whiskyman is perhaps disappointed that the Indy jacket in general doesn’t suit his particular needs. Sometimes it’s hard to come to grips with the idea that something you like is not suited for you. I used to wear fedoras, but ultimately they are too hot for me to enjoy. Cheers

[Holt]

well I have been talking to a guy who owns a shop nearby were I live.he sells leather jackets.

I have been told that once you soak the leather fibers of the leather with oil you have darken them forever.may be that it lightens some after years of wearing a specially in the sun but then it's just to give it a nice soak with the leather oil.

i my self used that new pure mink oil with beeswaxwich he sells in his store.he has used mink oil for as long as he can remeber and he has never had any problems with it.

I showed him my two jackets and he told me the dark coloured jacket will stay pretty much like that as long as you have that jacket.

bests
Holt

[whiskyman]

Hmmm - seem to remember someone mentioning the Raiders jackets being treated with mink oil...

Rundquist, I'm beginning to think that's the problem. I just don't know what else to wear yet.

[Hunter Jones]

I think this is a great shot.

[Garzo]

well I have been talking to a guy who owns a shop nearby were I live.he sells leather jackets.

I have been told that once you soak the leather fibers of the leather with oil you have darken them forever.may be that it lightens some after years of wearing a specially in the sun but then it's just to give it a nice soak with the leather oil.

i my self used that new pure mink oil with beeswaxwich he sells in his store.he has used mink oil for as long as he can remeber and he has never had any problems with it.

I showed him my two jackets and he told me the dark coloured jacket will stay pretty much like that as long as you have that jacket.

bests
Holt

I totally agree. I own a Wested Das Boot coat in distressed cowhide that i found a bit too light, so oiled it up real good with Effax Lederbalsam and it darkened up as well and has remained that way. It didn't get totally dark, but looks nicer and not as dry as it did -- the distressed cowhide looks pretty dried out.

[Holt]

great to have another who backs me up with my opinion with the oil dressing:D

bests
Holt

[bobjones]

The Indy jacket has a very limited comfort range. Ultimately a jacket that you can’t wear is useless. Too bad. That Wested Horsehide looks really good. I feel that whiskyman is perhaps disappointed that the Indy jacket in general doesn’t suit his particular needs. Sometimes it’s hard to come to grips with the idea that something you like is not suited for you. I used to wear fedoras, but ultimately they are too hot for me to enjoy. Cheers

I am coming in from left field on this one, but as a jacket, I just feel the Indy jacket is too short. I prefer a jacket that falls mid-crotch, so that longer t-shirts and sweaters don't stick out of the bottom. Not as long as a car coat mind you, but longer than a waist length.

I do really like the Indy from the front, just needs to be longer - the back though, that would need major surgery...

[gladd96]

Yep the Indy jacket is more of a spring/summer weight. I wonder if you could have a wool lining put in? This would warm it up considerably.

[Garzo]

My pleasure Holt.
I guess it might sometimes depend on the type of leather, but in the case of my Wested Das Boot coat, it really soaked in the Lederbalsam (which has beeswax and I think other animal oils) and it darkened and looked a lot better as a result, so it's definitely a good tip.

[CM]

You can just get away with that length. I'd prefer 1 to 1.5 inches longer myself, but it looks okay in most shots.

[whiskyman]

It's not a question of is it too short - I know it's too short! Question is what to do next. I think Rundquist is right and I should look for another style of jacket.

[FLATHEAD]

It's not a question of is it too short - I know it's too short! Question is what to do next. I think Rundquist is right and I should look for another style of jacket.

When you are wearing the pants you normally wear with the jacket, how
far below the beltline of the pants does the jacket come to?

A Raiders jacket, which is considered a waist length jacket, should fall
about 2 inches below the beltline.

Depending on how high or low you wear your pants, that will make a huge
difference in how the jacket looks on you.

If you wear your pants higher, it will look fine. If you wear you pants
low, the same jacket will look too short.

Me personally, I like my jackets to fall about 4 inches below my beltline,
otherwise, I think the jacket looks like I am wearing a little boys jacket
that I out grew years ago.

If you like the way the jacket fits on you, moves with you, and is comfortable
on you, but the only thing you do not like is the length, then see if you
can determine how much longer in length YOU would want it to be, and
you can always order another one, with a longer length.

Take a few pictures of yourself with the jacket on. Take a few side view
shots, a few front shots, and a few back shots.

Then, see if you can photoshop them by adding a few inches to the
bottom of the jacket, and compare them to the other pictures, and see
if a longer jacket would look good on you.

I did this when I thought a B-6 jacket I got from Real McCoys NZ was
too long for me.

Everyone said it looked fine, but to me, it was too long, and I did not
like it.

So I took pictures like I described, and I photoshoped them, and made
the jacket about 1.5 inches shorter in the pictures, and it looked great.

I photoshoped a front, two side, and one back view, to see how it would
look compared to the regular pictures, and it just looked better all around
1.5 inches shorter.

So, I then had the jacket altered by that amount, and it came out perfect!
The fit was just what I wanted, and it looked so much better it was really
amazing that just that little bit did the trick.

It might work for you too.

But in the end, no matter what everyone here tells you, whether they
think the jacket looks fine or not, its YOU that has to make the final
choice, and if you don't like the jacket, it will just sit in your closet, collecting
dust, and you will curse it everytime you open the closet door.

Flathead

[Michaelson]

I think you should put the HH in the classified for sale, then serious take a look at a Magnoli adventurer jacket. I think that one might be right up your alley!

Regards! Michaelson

[bobjones]

Does Gibson make the jacket made-to-order?

In other words, since I would want a jacket that is say, 28" in length for a 44R, do you think they would agree?

I like the Indy jacket but would want it longer, with significant alterations in the back - how much customization would they be willing to do?

[Rundquist]

I think you should put the HH in the classified for sale, then serious take a look at a Magnoli adventurer jacket. I think that one might be right up your alley!

Regards! Michaelson

Good idea.

Does Gibson make the jacket made-to-order?

In other words, since I would want a jacket that is say, 28" in length for a 44R, do you think they would agree?

I like the Indy jacket but would want it longer, with significant alterations in the back - how much customization would they be willing to do?

If you are not a tall, you can do what I do (I'm sort of in-between). I order a tall size and then have them shorten the sleeves. The downside is you get charged more and the jacket is non-returnable. You need to have them send you a tall size and then figure out how much to take off the sleeve, then send the jacket back. It seems like a hassle, but the upside is that my new Expeditions fit me like a glove. Cheers

ps- My ideal sleeve length is smack dab in the middle between a long and a regular. If you are going to go this route, just be sure of your sizing. On my black Expedition I went with regular size sleeves and they ended up a tad short on me. Luckily Gibson and Barnes was able to remedy this for me.

[FLATHEAD]

you can do what I do (I'm sort of in-between). I order a tall size and then have them shorten the sleeves. The downside is you get charged more and the jacket is non-returnable. You need to have them send you a tall size and then figure out how much to take off the sleeve, then send the jacket back. It seems like a hassle, but the upside is that my new Expeditions fit me like a glove.

This is a very nice thing to do on their behalf.

It might be a hassle to send the jacket back one time, but it sure beats
having to keep a jacket that does not fit right because of a mis-measurement
and your stuck with it, and you have to buy another one, and loose money
on the first one trying to sell it.

Alot of the high end jacket vendors will do this now.

They send you a jacket in the size you want, and if everything is to your
liking, such as the leather, grain, overall fit, hardware ect, and then you
need to make any alerations, you send it back, they fix for you, and send
it back to you.

This way, you can basically "try on" the jacket before you have to really
buy it, because if you don't like it before the alerations are done, they will
give you your money back.

Like Rundquist said, its a little bit of a hassle, but in the long run, you get
a jacket that you will be happy with for years to come.

Flathead

[Weston]

Well Whiskeyman, my personal experience with Wested is 8 years old, and I know they have made some significant changes since then. I think their standard offering was a longer jacket back then as both my lambskin and cowhide jackets look to be about 2 inches longer in the body than that. All I can offer is order a goatskin in a long size, and don't worry about the sleeves. I have yet to see sleeves that were too long after some wearing.

My goatskin jacket is a US Wings, so I'm not exactly sure how that will compare to a vendor in the UK. All styling aside, I think goatskin is the best material for an Indy jacket. It's supple, but sort of rough and pebbley, much lighter than cowhide, but much more substantial than lambskin. It takes a beating like you wouldn't believe, but is light an insulates extremely well against both heat and cold.

Weston