New here, quick question

[Gunk]

I'm a college student and looking to put together an Indy outfit. I'm not going for TOTAL SA and buying the exact hat, boots, jacket etc. I do however want a jacket that looks close enough to the movie, however I want a jacket that is more durable than SA. I'm considering the standard Wested, is this a good choice for both durability and Indy look?

[Ken]

Hi welcome

You can't go wrong with a Wested. Certainly its going to be SA enough for you and most people seem to be pretty happy with the durability of a Wested - if you have any concerns you can get it in a tougher leather like goat or cowhide.

There is of course also Todd or Magnoli or Gibson & Barnes, possibly the best option for durability, but that then needs to be weighed against price as well.

There is plenty of info on the boards here with different reviews of all the options so just have a look around and see what appeals to you most.

Ken

[fletchshaw]

Don't forget U.S. Wings. Of all the jackets I've seen, they are the most durable.

This includes Indy and non-Indy jackets. Like iron.

[Tollan]

I have owned both USW and G&B and the USW is no more durable than G&B. They're both built to military spec. G&B, however, is more SA, if that's what you want... and is IMHO feels a bit more "classy".

[IndianaGeo]

I haven´t seen the G&B and I have no doubt that it´s a great jacket. I´m sitting here in a Wested Goat at the moment, and I´m telling you it feels bombproof. It feels like a fall even winter jacket. For the price, it´s hard to beat.

[FLATHEAD]

I have owned both USW and G&B and the USW is no more durable than G&B. They're both built to military spec. G&B, however, is more SA, if that's what you want... and is IMHO feels a bit more "classy".

Also, you can get the G&B in real sizes, not just S, M, L, XL like the
Wings jackets come in.

With the real sizes, you won't have a jacket that might be a little too big, or a
little too small if you fall somewhere between a M and L for example.

You can get the exact size YOU need, not just a one size fits many
type of size.

Thats also the nice thing about Wested. They can give you just about
ANY custom feature or measurement you need!

Wings does not offer ANY alterations, not even a basic change in sleeve
length, so if the sleeves are too long, you have to pay someone else
to fix it for you.

G&B will do those simple type alterations, but it takes a bit of convincing
to get them to do it.

Make sure you take these things into consideration when you order your
jacket from a vendor. Will you have to spend more money to get it fixed
in order to fit you correctly. These things can add up, and make one
jacket that might have looked like a bargain, not quite a bargain anymore
if you are not an "off the rack" size.

Flathead

[Scott63]

I have a Wested goatskin and a USW goatskin and find them both to be very durable jackets. I bought goatskin because I wanted a tough jacket that could take a lot of abuse. The USW jacket definitely has the thicker leather of the two, and I typically wear it in the winter because it's heavier and warmer than the Wested. However, my Wested looks more SA, is more comfortable in the spring and fall, and has held up well to a lot of rough treatment. In my opinion you can't go wrong with either brand - just depends on what you want in a Indy jacket.

[PSBIndy]

I have a Wested Horsehide LC jacket in dark brown......horsehide is THE toughest (and heaviest) leather around.......when you put it on, you feel like you can take a bullet in it and still live to tell about it. It has a very classy look to it (and dressy enough to wear a shirt and tie underneath), and I absolutely LOVE the color of the dark brown on horsehide.........pure Indy!

[Indiana Joe]

G&B will do those simple type alterations, but it takes a bit of convincing
to get them to do it.

Flathead, a few years ago I tried to order an Expo but requested the zipper be extended all the way to the bottom (for more SA) but they wanted to charge me an additional $200 for the alteration. That's a pretty hefty fee...the rep told me it was because they needed to draw up a completely new design for the jacket. Quite honestly, I didn't believe her b/c that explanation just didn't make any sense to me. All I asked for was a longer zipper.

Just for future reference, what type of convincing would you suggest in order to get the fee waived? Ask to speak to a supervisor who would like to complete the sale?

[DoubleOhSeven]

SA and durability?

I think I've seen these topics argued back and forth along this board for as long as I've been here (and that's not very long - but we absolutely LOVE to argue about jackets. And hats. And whips. And boots....).

You've got SA and close-enough, and durable and not-so-durable.

Here's my much-researched opinion about Screen Accuracy. All of the jacket vendors are close enough, and some are closer than others, but I really don't believe any of them offer the exact same jacket that Harrison Ford wore in any of the movies. I'm sure one or two are so close you can't really tell, but there are surely some subtle differences - a measurement here, a seam there, something that seperates the jackets available to us from the ones that were used in the film. Short of having an actual screen-used jacket, we're just going to have to settle for close enough.

On that note, Wested made the original. Even so, there is an occasional debate about Wested's current offerrings and screen accuracy. One thing about Wested that someone pointed out, though, is the capability to make a completely custom jacket. Wested's offerrings in horsehide and goat are hard to beat. Both skins are durable, having been tested in real military flight jacket applications since WWI (and before).

Todd's Standard Jacket is a good, cheap, decently screen accurate costume jacket. It is very thin lambskin, so the durability factor is not there, even compared to a Wested, US Wings, or G&B lamb. Good jacket for the money, though.

The best thing for you to do, I think, is to research COW and read and read. You'll see the opinions come by, some for this jacket, some against this jacket, but you will get a good impression of what some of the more knowledgeable folks agree on is the most durable and screen accurate jackets. You'll see debates over pocket size, rear stitching, shoulder pleats, length, zippers, everything.

Hope I haven't confused you. I'm always confused when it comes to this stuff, so I just buy/wear what looks right to me.

-007

[FLATHEAD]

Flathead, a few years ago I tried to order an Expo but requested the zipper be extended all the way to the bottom (for more SA) but they wanted to charge me an additional $200 for the alteration. That's a pretty hefty fee...the rep told me it was because they needed to draw up a completely new design for the jacket. Quite honestly, I didn't believe her b/c that explanation just didn't make any sense to me. All I asked for was a longer zipper.

Just for future reference, what type of convincing would you suggest in order to get the fee waived? Ask to speak to a supervisor who would like to complete the sale?

What you are requesting is NOT a simple alteration like shortening the
sleeves as I posted. Its not as simple as just slapping a longer zipper
on the jacket.

A change to the length of the zipper also means a change to the way
the cloth part of the zipper is attached to the lining, which means a change
to the way the lining attaches to the leather facings, which means a change
to the storm flap area around the zipper.

Although its not rocket science, it still changes things from their standard
jacket patterns, and would make the jacket hard to sell if you sent it back, or
if they would even accept it back after those changes in the first place,
which I think they wouldn't.

I think they charge that much to try discourage people from doing it.
If you deside to do it, then they made a nice profit from it.

Thats why I love Wested. We have become accustomed to getting things
added, or modified pretty much at will, and Peter does it for us with little
to no extra charge for it.

He could easily charge more for his jackets, but does not because he
loves this "hobby" as much as we do.

This is exactly why I stated in my other post that a bargain jacket is
not quite the bargain it seems if you have to pay to have it altered to
fit you, and those alterations plus the initial cost of the jacket end up
costing you more versus getting a custom made jacket from
places like Wested, or Aero Leather, or Eastman, or from Todd.

But by "convincing" G&B, I mean asking about simple alterations that
are reversable, such as the sleeve alteration.

What you are asking for is not reversable, and would require a new
jacket to be made if something went wrong, or you did not want it.

Flathead

[Indiana Joe]

Wow, I had no idea that much went into replacing the zipper with a longer one. Thanks for the update!

[FLATHEAD]

Wow, I had no idea that much went into replacing the zipper with a longer one. Thanks for the update!

Its like a snowball effect.

Or when you want to paint the hallway in your house.

You do that, and then the bedroom looks dirty and old, so you paint
that, and then the furniture looks dated, so you replace that, and then
the light fixtures don't match the funiture anymore, so you get new
light fixtures...

Flathead

[Long John Tinfoil]

It seems to happen the same with gear.

To the tune of "Them bones"

That gear, that gear, that
New gear.
That gear, that gear, that
New gear.
That gear, that gear, that
New gear.
I've got to be more SA!

The new boots connected to the
new pants
The new pants connected to the
new whip
The whip connected to the
new lid
I really need my SA!

etc.