First Post: New US Wings Vintage Cowhide

Raider S · Post by **Raider S** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:12 am

My first Indy style jacket arrived yesterday and I choose the vintage cowhide from US Wings. Have to say I LOVE this jacket and am amazed at the quality! Was very nervous about ordering clothing online but they were great and the service fast - heck, even got a free hat to throw in the car.

This is some tough, heavy cowhide and I'm glad I finally decided on it. Wanted a jacket that was rugged and I think this will fit the bill. Also had reservations about the "vintage" aspect but man do I like the look right out of the box.

If I have one reservation I might have wanted a satin lining in the sleves, but that's a small nit pick.

Too bad its 90 degrees here. Picked a great time of year to buy a coat.

PS - That's my vintage bag with Todd's strap. Great strap but pricey.

Cole · Post by **Cole** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:23 am

That's a nice looking jackets.

How about a picture wearing ist (yes yes I know it's hot

) to see how it fits.

Indiana Strones · Post by **Indiana Strones** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:47 am

Great jacket Raider S!

jacksdad · Post by **jacksdad** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 11:08 am

Looks great I'm wating today for my Indy style jacket from Us Wings, I got the goat skin though. They are all awesome jackets.

Raider S · Post by **Raider S** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 12:29 pm

Thanks for the comments. Maybe when I've been around a bit longer I'll post another photo of me in it; when I'm less shy!

I really like the fit, though and it felt great right from the box.

Jacks, I think you'll be very pleased! The goat was my other choice. Hard to make the decision, but I wanted something really tough as I already have a lambskin (non-Indy) jacket and wanted to try the cow.

Glad I treated myself to the US Wings and I'm sure you'll feel the same when that box gets to the door!

Tollan · Post by **Tollan** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:28 pm

That jacket looks great! I think they must have changed the leather and lining though. I bought one 6 years ago and it had satin lining and the leather was a lot lighter in colour than the way it appears in your photos. What is the lining made of? Is it poly-cotton or nylon?

Tollan · Post by **Tollan** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:30 pm

jacksdad wrote:Looks great I'm wating today for my Indy style jacket from Us Wings, I got the goat skin though. They are all awesome jackets.

I'd also be interested in what kind of lining they are using for the goat these days. I just got a second/third hand one from a very nice guy here and am changing the lining to black cotton. I didn't really like the nylon but liked the colour.

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:43 pm

I know they changed the lining in the limited and collector Indy jackets to the cotton lining they use in their military A-2's. That's what I think I'm seeing in this jacket as well.

It's a LOT cooler and more comfortable than the nylon!

Regards! Michaelson

FLATHEAD · Post by **FLATHEAD** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:44 pm

I think they must have changed the leather and lining though. I bought one 6 years ago and it had satin lining and the leather was a lot lighter in colour than the way it appears in your photos.

I also bought my US Wings Vintage Cow jacket 6 years ago, and mine
is quite a bit DARKER than this one. Mine almost looks black when its
worn inside the house.

Mine has the weird cotton/poly blend lining in it, which is brown in color
and looks alot like satin, but it seems about a 100 time stronger.

You have to remember that they go thru an awful lot of leather at Wings,
and no two batches that the jackets are made from will look the same.

So, some will be darker and some will be lighter.

Flathead

Raider S · Post by **Raider S** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:52 pm

100% cotton liner I believe.

Tollan · Post by **Tollan** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:55 pm

Yes... I'm a big fan of cotton lining. I wonder what the reasons are to keep on changing them

I'm changing the lining in my USW goat to black cotton but only because I couldn't find a mustard coloured lining which I think is really cool! Black was the next choice.

coronado3 · Post by **coronado3** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:26 pm

ah..it appears that they have switched the side straps to the forward facing position again!

indy89 · Post by **indy89** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:04 pm

That is one nice jacket! I order a USW vintage cowhide jacket last Sunday, so hopefully I'll be receiving mine today

I'm glad to see that the hide is darker than what I imagined. A lot of folks complain that the vintage cowhide is too light in color.

Raider S · Post by **Raider S** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:08 pm

Here's the free crushable. Haven't put it back into shape from the box yet. Can't complain.

Yeah, the color on the coat is nice. I was worried about having another dark jacket but didn't want brown either. I hope yours is similar.

PSBIndy · Post by **PSBIndy** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:13 pm

Is that an Irish fedora? (kinda too green, isn't it?)

Tollan · Post by **Tollan** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:19 pm

The USW jacket is a strange offering. It's kind of a mixture of all the films jackets. The large collar is very LC/KCS, the length is ToD and there's still something very raiders about it. It has it's own thing though with the slightly baggy sleeves, which belongs to none of the films. Very nice and high quality jacket though!! I love that leather... looks very much like the KCS hide to me!

Raider S · Post by **Raider S** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:24 pm

That green is very much the photo. But the hat is slightly lighter than the standard Dorfman. A good hat for wearing, but certainly not one I'd choose if looking for an Indy hat. Also a bit smaller than other hats which is another good thing for a travel hat.

FLATHEAD · Post by **FLATHEAD** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:37 pm

ah..it appears that they have switched the side straps to the forward facing position again!

Again? My 6 year old Vintage Cow has the exact same side straps as
the new jacket shown here.

The batch of CE jackets all had the side straps going tward the front
as far as I can see by the pictures that peope have posted on them.

The Wested I have now, and all the ones that I have pictures for are
also made this way.

When did they face twards the back?

Are you sure you did not see someones jacket who put the side straps
folded back thru the "D" rings to face twards the back?

I have seen and read many cases of people here doing that.

Flathead

Tollan · Post by **Tollan** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:42 pm

Hang on a minute... is this the "Collector's Edition Signature series" or the "signature series" jacket?

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:47 pm

I've been wondering the same thing. Looks like a collectors version to me, which WOULD be an all cotton lining.

Regards! Michaelson

Raider S · Post by **Raider S** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 5:56 pm

Which one did I get? Now I'm confused. I think it's just the standard cowhide.

It does have a different color lining than the standard one on their website though, mine has the same color lining and tag as the CE.

????

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:01 pm

What does your receipt say?

Regards! Michaelson

Tollan · Post by **Tollan** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:02 pm

I was thinking it looks like the collectors edition as well.

Raider S · Post by **Raider S** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:19 pm

Receipt says what I ordered. Maybe the jacket says something different?

How is the CE jacket different, anyway?

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:27 pm

Pretty much everything we've discussed above....cotton lining and color.

Regards! Michaelson

Tollan · Post by **Tollan** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:39 pm

how much did you pay for it?

You may possibly have got a good deal by accident!

Post by **Michaelson** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:44 pm

True. They've been dealing with so many COW members lately, they may have just tossed in a collector by mistake when shipping yours out. It's possible!

If so, congratulations!!

Regard! Michaelson

Raider S · Post by **Raider S** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:59 pm

Well, good for me for a change if so!

If not, I still love the jacket!!

When I was on the phone I did mention COW, but not the special they had, only that I'd done a little research.

Nebraska Brad · Post by **Nebraska Brad** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:42 pm

Yep, it looks like you may have gotten a CE. Sure looks like mine.
You've got a great looking jacket there.

-Nebraska

FLATHEAD · Post by **FLATHEAD** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 7:02 am

It does have a different color lining than the standard one on their website though, mine has the same color lining and tag as the CE.

What does the tag say about the lining material?

The tag should have on it what the outside of the jacket is made from,
and what the inside lining is made from.

This will verify what jacket you have. If the tags states that the lining
is all 100 percent cotton, you have a CE. If its a cotton/poly blend, you
have the regular Vintage Cow.

Flathead

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 9:05 am

Good point, Flathead. I hadn't thought about checking that tag.

Regards! Michaelson

Raider S · Post by **Raider S** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 10:41 am

Survey says........100% Cotton.

Me thinks the jacket gods were smiling.

So now, can anyone tell me exactly what a CE is? I mean is it supposed to be special leather? It is heavy, I can say that.

Piers · Post by **Piers** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 10:48 am

I can't find that tag on my CE. The only tag I can find in the body says Crafted with pride in the USA and then the number for Leathercraft Process, for best results in cleaning..

ALTHOUGH, and this should confirm things, in my left pocket, it says IJVIN which is the code for the Collectors Edition Vintage Adventurer

congrats, wear it well..

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 11:10 am

Raider S wrote:Survey says........100% Cotton.

Me thinks the jacket gods were smiling.

So now, can anyone tell me exactly what a CE is? I mean is it supposed to be special leather? It is heavy, I can say that.

Your jacket was made from leather made by the same tannery that made all the leather for the jackets used in Crystal Skull. It's not the same production run as the leather used in CS (that was used to make the 'limited' edition Wings jackets), but it's the same spec and tannery.

Regards! Michaelson

indy89 · Post by **indy89** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 11:58 am

So I guess mine is the CE jacket, too. It has the cotton lining aswell.
viewtopic.php?t=31087

Raider S · Post by **Raider S** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 12:28 pm

Maybe they simply changed the lining? People also said the straps are different.

I'm not going to worry about it anymore and only worry about waiting for cooler weather!!!!

indy89 · Post by **indy89** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 12:35 pm

I'm not going to worry about it anymore and only worry about waiting for cooler weather!!!!

Or waiting for an adventure

Castor Dioscuri · Post by **Castor Dioscuri** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 12:45 pm

Raider S wrote:Maybe they simply changed the lining? People also said the straps are different.

Just to do a quick recap:

Tony Nowak made the jackets used in KotCS using leather from a certain tannery. US Wings then bought the remaining leather from the run that Tony Nowak had made his jackets out of. Using this leather, US Wings made their "Limited Edition" jackets according to their own original specs.

So basically, to clear up any confusion, a limited edition US Wings would have screen-accurate, historical (by Indygear standards) KotCS leather, but the specs and lining (as far as I know) would not.

I'm not trying to be a Nowak cheerleader here, but on the flip side of the coin, a Nowak would (or could, depending on your choice) have screen-accurate specs, lining, and leather. However, the leather that Nowak uses is not the "historical" leather anymore, as they are no longer using leather from the KotCS run. However, they are still using the same tannery, so this would put the current Nowak leather in the same league as a US Wings collectors edition.

Hope this helps clear up those of us just tuning in!

Raider S · Post by **Raider S** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 1:14 pm

indy89 wrote: Or waiting for an adventure

Exactly!

I have an East Europe trip next month but it will be WAY too hot for leather. Then back to the Middle East in the fall but I usually don't need a warn jacket on my trips there till January/February.

Right now I'm freezing in way too cold AC (how can people need so much cool air?) and wishing I had my jacket.

So maybe I need to find an excuse for a colder climate trip? Argentina is seeming nice; I certainly enjoy eating beef and the cowhide would be a good fit too...

Post by **Michaelson** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 1:25 pm

Castor Dioscuri wrote:
Raider S wrote:Maybe they simply changed the lining? People also said the straps are different.
Just to do a quick recap:

Tony Nowak made the jackets used in KotCS using leather from a certain tannery. US Wings then bought the remaining leather from the run that Tony Nowak had made his jackets out of. Using this leather, US Wings made their "Limited Edition" jackets according to their own original specs.

So basically, to clear up any confusion, a limited edition US Wings would have screen-accurate, historical (by Indygear standards) KotCS leather, but the specs and lining (as far as I know) would not.

I'm not trying to be a Nowak cheerleader here, but on the flip side of the coin, a Nowak would (or could, depending on your choice) have screen-accurate specs, lining, and leather. However, the leather that Nowak uses is not the "historical" leather anymore, as they are no longer using leather from the KotCS run. However, they are still using the same tannery, so this would put the current Nowak leather in the same league as a US Wings collectors edition.

Hope this helps clear up those of us just tuning in!

Yep, that's it in a nutshell.

Regards! Michaelson

Kokopelli · Post by **Kokopelli** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 8:19 pm

...reviving this one a bit-

Raider S and Indy89, Did you guys decipher the tag on the lining? Is it in fact the CE, with IJVIN on it, or are they putting the cotton lining into the normal Vintage Cowhide jackets now?

Raider S · Post by **Raider S** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 9:08 pm

I think my jacket is the regular vinatge hide. I believe they are using the 100% cotton lining on these as well.

I'd have to see both jackets side-by-side to see how much differnce there is. Even though there was the $100 off for COW members on the collectors one (great deal, btw) I asked for the regular vintage becuase that's the one I desired.

Kokopelli · Post by **Kokopelli** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:14 am

Raider S wrote:I think my jacket is the regular vinatge hide. I believe they are using the 100% cotton lining on these as well.

I'd have to see both jackets side-by-side to see how much differnce there is. Even though there was the $100 off for COW members on the collectors one (great deal, btw) I asked for the regular vintage becuase that's the one I desired.

The CE lining on the site says "poly-cotton"....so the 100% cotton is a whole new animal!