Even Distressing of Backpack-distressed Wested Jacket

Discuss technique for prolonging the life of your gear or giving it that aged look

Moderator: Dalexs

Post Reply
User avatar
JR
Laboratory Technician
Laboratory Technician
Posts: 100
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:51 pm
Location: Gotham City, NY (USA)

Even Distressing of Backpack-distressed Wested Jacket

Post by JR »

I'm looking for suggestions on how to evenly distress my Wested. Currently, the jacket is 7 months old (actual usage), but is technically 1 year 4 months old. As you can see from the pictures below most of the distress is on the shoulders and upper back, right arm, and parts of the back. And, the culprit is a 12-16 pound backpack I lug around 7 days a week (Laptop and accessories are a necessity :wink:). There's virtually no wear and tear on the front jacket and left arm. The wear to the right arm is caused when the sleeve gets stuck in the right backpack strap while first looping the left arm in the left backpack strap, switching hands to support the bottom of the bag, then quickly looping the right arm through the right backpack strap. All this while standing in the train, transferring a 1.6 liter water bottle between hands, and making sure my enormous bag does not hit any nearby train passengers.

I'm not worried about distressing the jacket in time for the Indy 4 movie. I just want a natural wear and tear look. I've seen posts of jackets that look like they have been sandblasted and bleached. That sandpapering stuff is too extreme for me. I'm also not ready for Pecard dressing just yet as I currently use Lexol-NF and Lexol-pH Cleaner. I've been thinking about rolling around on my concrete driveway on the left arm.
Image

Image
Image
Image
Image
FLATHEAD
Professor of Archaeology
Professor of Archaeology
Posts: 723
Joined: Mon Jul 08, 2002 7:18 am
Location: Central New Jersey

Post by FLATHEAD »

Why try to "evenly distress" it?

Your jacket has all natural, real life wear and tear on it, and the distressing
you have on your jacket looks GREAT!!

When people try to "evenly distress" their jackets by hacking at them with
all kinds of stuff, their jackets just end up looking fake, and too distressed
for any real life situations that could have ended up making those marks.

Just look at some of the overly distressed jobs people do. Some look
so evenly and overly distressed, that the jackets look almost rediculous
to the point of comical and clownish.

Thats also the reason you see people asking what they can do, or what
they can apply to their overly distressed nightmare in order to "fix" it
and not make it look so, well, weird.

Your jacket is PERFECT the way it is, and it looks natural because it
IS natural!!

The only think I could say to you is that you can always wear the bag
across your other shoulder and arm to give that side more distressing,
but to be honest, you don't need it.

Flathead
User avatar
Michaelson
Knower of Things
Posts: 44484
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2002 12:55 pm
Location: Out here knowing stuff and things and wishing I were with the family at Universal Studios Orlando

Post by Michaelson »

AMEN, FLATHEAD, and AMEN!!

It's developing it's own natural personality from YOUR daily use and history. Why 'ruin' it with faux distressing?

HIGH regards! Michaelson
User avatar
Guardian Devil
Laboratory Technician
Laboratory Technician
Posts: 106
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2007 10:11 am
Location: United Kingdom

Post by Guardian Devil »

I couldn't agree more. The jacket looks fantastic. Natural weathering is the only thing that looks right. Anything fake looks just that, fake.
User avatar
JR
Laboratory Technician
Laboratory Technician
Posts: 100
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:51 pm
Location: Gotham City, NY (USA)

Post by JR »

Ok. so no faux distressing and no rolling around on the concrete driveway. I wondered what the neighbors and any passersby would have said? Image
User avatar
Michaelson
Knower of Things
Posts: 44484
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2002 12:55 pm
Location: Out here knowing stuff and things and wishing I were with the family at Universal Studios Orlando

Post by Michaelson »

In this day and age, probably nothing. :roll:

:wink:

Regards! Michaelson
LeatherneckJones
Archaeologist
Archaeologist
Posts: 274
Joined: Mon Oct 24, 2005 10:11 pm
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Post by LeatherneckJones »

Yep, your jacket looks fantastic. May I ask what hide your jacket is? I have some similar real-life distressing on my Wested goat. My goat is showing through kind of gray-ish, where yours is a nice reddish-brown.
User avatar
JR
Laboratory Technician
Laboratory Technician
Posts: 100
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:51 pm
Location: Gotham City, NY (USA)

Post by JR »

Thanks, it's the lightweight lambskin.
User avatar
Fink
Archaeologist
Archaeologist
Posts: 325
Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2008 4:49 am
Location: Mexico City
Contact:

Post by Fink »

Couldn’t agree more with everybody else here, the jacket looks fantastic and is growing to have a true unique and truthful personality of its own! 8)

But if you still want to do artificially distress your jacket, one of the very few Indy approved methods will be dragging you under a big truck on the road while we test your bullwhip quality as well.

If you need any help with that one, I will be glad to help! :roll:
User avatar
JR
Laboratory Technician
Laboratory Technician
Posts: 100
Joined: Sat Dec 22, 2007 7:51 pm
Location: Gotham City, NY (USA)

Post by JR »

Fink wrote:But if you still want to do artificially distress your jacket, one of the very few Indy approved methods will be dragging you under a big truck on the road while we test your bullwhip quality as well.

If you need any help with that one, I will be glad to help! :roll:
Ooh, I've been meaning to re-enact that Raiders scene. I just need to get my very first bullwhip now. I'm ordering one next week. :D
User avatar
Fink
Archaeologist
Archaeologist
Posts: 325
Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2008 4:49 am
Location: Mexico City
Contact:

Post by Fink »

...if you go for the stunt, you can use mine! Just let me drive! :lol:

But back to the real deal; keep using your jacket regularly on your everyday life, must distressed jackets look really bad indeed, yours is on the right track! I know I wouldn’t dare to do anything else...
User avatar
Piers
Archaeologist
Archaeologist
Posts: 324
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:59 pm

Post by Piers »

as a youngster, I would close the garage door and then roll underneath it, maybe that would serve, if you must add some distressing :lol:
Post Reply