Club Obi Wan

Got this swatch from Travis. Leather looks awesome! Is it worthy of an Expedition?? Lighter leather is buffalo,dark is vintage nappa

Man,that leather looks TOUGH! ,I love the colour and the grain too,wonder how the weight will compare to the goatskin?

mark seven wrote:Man,that leather looks TOUGH! ,I love the colour and the grain too,wonder how the weight will compare to the goatskin?

I agree, the grain and color look great. And I'm also wondering about the weight and drape of the leather. Can't wait to see a finished jacket.

I have an Aero Californian in russet buffalo hide, and it is VERY heavy,
and VERY stiff!!

The jacket is over 3 years old now, and it can STILL stand up on its
own its so stiff.

I would NOT recommend this leather for anyone who wants a jacket to
"drape" right out of the box, because it will take YEARS for it to soften
up, if it does at all.

Also, it is VERY heavy. The leather is almost twice as heavy as goatskin
because its also very thick.

It it a Tuff leather that litterally shows NO signs of wear after 3 years.
If you want a jacket that can take major abuse without ripping, or getting
any holes in it, this is the leather for you.

If you want a jacket that drapes well, conforms to your body, and is
lightweight, then this leather is NOT for you.

The grain on my Aero is exactly like what was posted by Bluesky, and
the russet color looks the same as well.

This leather makes a jacket that looks old right out of the box. But take
heed, its not for everyone.

Flathead

when are they going to offer that buffalo jacket,it sounds like it will be indestructable. I would love to see a finished product.

Possibly available in 2 months or so. I tried to talk Travis into sending me a jacket to test out and evaluate..............we shall see!
This swatch is very light weight,almost like goat but it has a tight grain pattern. I would hold out on a decision until they are in production. Every one wants what they want in a jacket,we are lucky to have so many cool choices.

Man, that buffalo swatch looks like the buffalo jerky that I had a few days ago........delicious!

From what I understand, a better description of this hide would be BISON, as in American Bison, because that helps differentiate it from say, Asian water BUFFALO, which can also be used for making jackets. Buffalo is a lot like steerhide -- thick, stiff, and tough.

I don't imagine it would drape out of the box, and it would take a long time to properly break-in, but I'll bet it would last and last, and it has a very cool and unique grain. I own a couple of pairs of bison leather shoes, and I swear they outlast cowhide by at least 2:1.

I wonder what the upcharge is from G & B. I'm thinking it would make a really nice Indy jacket, and you'd probably never see another like it.

That would be a better name for it. It is not a thick hide like cow and it seems very durable.
Best bet would be to call them and check it out

Colorwise, it reminds me of Wested's vegetable tanned Lambskin

There are a few threads about how to loosen up horsehide on the boards so I imagine these would work for breaking in bison as well.

BlueSkyz wrote:Possibly available in 2 months or so. I tried to talk Travis into sending me a jacket to test out and evaluate..............we shall see!
.

Not to get 'fussy', but let me know if he does. I asked Dave Marshall the same thing back in May when he told me about this new incoming hide, and he said they weren't allowed to do that.
Regards! Michaelson

Yes we are both weezles..................

Well, you maybe.

I was consulting at the time and made that offer when Dave informed me of the company policy change, as they used to loan out prototypes for folks to test for them.

If he does send it to you to test, he's doing it on his own....

On second thought, DON'T tell us if he does. We don't want to get his tailfeathers in the fire....

Regards! Michaelson

Looks too light in color for my tastes from the photos.

I've had a couple of swatches of this stuff for 8 months. It's awesome stuff. It’s really water buffalo. It’s what inspired me to get rid of my russet goatskin jacket and I’ve been waiting patiently ever since. It’s coming soon.

Raider S wrote:Looks too light in color for my tastes from the photos.

It's not supposed to be "Indiana Jones" screen accurate. It's a color for those that want something different. It's what the Crystal jacket could have & should have been in my opinion. Cheers

FLATHEAD wrote:I have an Aero Californian in russet buffalo hide, and it is VERY heavy,
and VERY stiff!!

The jacket is over 3 years old now, and it can STILL stand up on its
own its so stiff.

I would NOT recommend this leather for anyone who wants a jacket to
"drape" right out of the box, because it will take YEARS for it to soften
up, if it does at all.

Also, it is VERY heavy. The leather is almost twice as heavy as goatskin
because its also very thick.

It it a Tuff leather that litterally shows NO signs of wear after 3 years.
If you want a jacket that can take major abuse without ripping, or getting
any holes in it, this is the leather for you.

If you want a jacket that drapes well, conforms to your body, and is
lightweight, then this leather is NOT for you.

The grain on my Aero is exactly like what was posted by Bluesky, and
the russet color looks the same as well.

This leather makes a jacket that looks old right out of the box. But take
heed, its not for everyone.

Flathead

This is not the stuff that Aero has. As I stated above it's water buffalo. This stuff is comparable to all the other leathers that Indy jackets are made of in terms of drape. It’s awesome stuff.

I know they've used water buffalo skin and calfskin for book bindings for decades. GREAT stuff!

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:I know they've used water buffalo skin and calfskin for book bindings for decades. GREAT stuff!

Regards! Michaelson

It was news to me. I have a vest made out of Bison and it's great for what it is, but it's not the same stuff. This will be nice for people hat want something different, especially if you're a jacket fan.

I own a Bible that's covered with WB calfskin that I've owned since 1977. Nicely textured, and very little peebling!

Regards! Michaelson

This is not the stuff that Aero has. As I stated above it's water buffalo. This stuff is comparable to all the other leathers that Indy jackets are made of in terms of drape. It’s awesome stuff.

I hope your right.

The Aero buffalo hide, which ever they used for my Californian, is the
heaviest, toughest, stiffest leather I have ever had.

My russet buffalo has the exact same graining as the pictures posted
here, so thats what lead me to compare it to my jacket.

If a water buffalo has thinner hide, or is somehow different from what
a regular buffalo hide is, I will beleive you.

I know the Aero buffalo hide is NOT a good hide for an Indy jacket.

Its more suited for a real life working mans coat, where you need
actual protection from abrasions, sharp objects, and would see very
heavy usage outside in the field.

A wimpymans mall jacket this stuff is not.

Flathead

I know they've used water buffalo skin and calfskin for book bindings for decades. GREAT stuff!

Regards! Michaelson

Isn't the outer leather part of a soccer ball made out of buffalo?

Thats what I always thought they were.

Flathead

I think so, but we need a soccer player to answer THAT one. I just sat in the car and watched the daughter when SHE played....

Regards! Michaelson

When I was considering another Aero jacket, I wrote to Amanda at Aero, to confirm whether the Aero "buffalo" was actually buffalo, as in water buffalo, or American bison.

She told me specifically that it was American bison. I'm going to fire off an e-mail to her to confirm.

From what I read, soccer ball are made with synthetic leather or PVC these days.

Not bison but water bufallo per Travis at G&B

And Mark Moye of Aero Leather USA says that Aero's is water buffalo as well.

At least that's what it WAS at one time. He said he's going to check when they're back from vacation to confirm in case the question comes up again.

I just happened to have my light seal brown Expedition with me today for comparison. Dave Marshall at G&B also sent me a couple of pics of the hide. Enjoy








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Those large samples are exactly what my Californian looks like. Right
down to the varying grain throughout the same piece of leather.

Same color too.

When I bought my Californian 3 years ago, I was told it was American
Bison, and they called it buffalo because people know what that is versus
a bison.

But either way, 3 years later, my jacket can still stand up on its own
its so stiff.

The only part of the jacket that is getting softer are the ends of the
sleeves at the cuffs.

Other than that, its still body armor.

Flathead

FLATHEAD wrote:Those large samples are exactly what my Californian looks like. Right
down to the varying grain throughout the same piece of leather.

Same color too.

When I bought my Californian 3 years ago, I was told it was American
Bison, and they called it buffalo because people know what that is versus
a bison.

But either way, 3 years later, my jacket can still stand up on its own
its so stiff.

The only part of the jacket that is getting softer are the ends of the
sleeves at the cuffs.

Other than that, its still body armor.

Flathead

Some of those Aero jackets (like the Highwayman) are like that. Some guys love that kind of leather jacket. I would never own one. This leather is not the same stuff. I repeat, this leather is not the same stuff. You can tell just by how the sample drapes over my jacket. Cheers

Kind of like a Carhart jacket. While it may be great for hard workwear, I've never found one to be something I want to wear for comfort.

That hide is beautiful! Its nothing like the water buffalo I used to ride in the Phillippines...........
Rundquist,your seal brown jacket is really nice. G&B sure can make a jacket...

I bet it smells better too.

Regards! Michaelson

water buffalo is akin to washed goat? comes pre-soaked?

BlueSkyz wrote:That hide is beautiful! Its nothing like the water buffalo I used to ride in the Phillippines...........
Rundquist,your russett jacket is really nice. G&B sure can make a jacket...

?
Do you mean maybe one of my old goatskin russet jackets that I'm no longer in possession of? It shouldn't be long before I get my hands on one of these babies! Cheers

I mean seal brown..................so you like this leather as an option for the expedition? I think it looks great. I'm looking forward to seeing the real thing.......How about price??